Hello from Greater Houston Community Foundation!
Welcome to summer! We hope this June issue of Insights finds you and yours doing well and enjoying a little (or big!) break. Please read on for an update on our operations, information on a statewide fund for equitable access and increased confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines, and more!
As always, we welcome your feedback. We'll see you in September with another issue of Insights.
Best Regards,
The GHCF Team
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YOUR SHOT TEXAS - TEXAS EQUITABLE VACCINE UPTAKE FUND
GHCF is thrilled to administer the Your Shot Texas Fund, aka the Texas Equitable Vaccine Uptake Fund (TEVU Fund), which is committed to increasing COVID-19 vaccine confidence and vaccine access to vulnerable populations across the State of Texas. The Fund, opened by Episcopal Health Foundation (Houston), Memorial Healthcare Ministries (San Antonio), and The Meadows Foundation (Dallas), has raised over $2.25 million, and has disbursed $323,800 to partner organizations around the state. Please contact our team at txvaccinefund@ghcf.org if you have questions or would like to learn more.
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ADDITIONAL DISASTER UPDATES |
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Houston Harris County Winter Storm Relief Fund
In its fourth round of grants, the Houston Harris County Winter Storm Relief Fund disbursed $2,510,000 for continued nonprofit-managed home repair and other urgent basic home repairs, flexible emergency financial assistance, unmet needs and unmet construction needs, and administration. The administration includes evaluation of fund partnerships, and the identification of opportunities to continue to strengthen the model and opportunities, as well as system coordination, to expedite future recovery efforts.
A fifth grant round will focus on connecting with Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC)-led organizations, in order to build strong connections with the organizations that already have trusted relationships with their most vulnerable clients.
The Fund raised $17M, of which $13.1M has been disbursed. Learn more here.
Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund
United Way of Greater Houston and Greater Houston Community Foundation stood together to support those in our community who have been impacted by COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis. In March 2020, we established the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund (GHCRF) to ensure the most vulnerable in our community affected by COVID-19 have access to food, health care, shelter, and other basic necessities to sustain them in this crisis.
To date, the Fund invested $18.4 million in 87 nonprofit partners that were able to serve more than 209,802 individuals living in 100,578 households located in Fort Bend, Harris, Montgomery, and Waller counties.
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NEWS FROM UNDERSTANDING HOUSTON |
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Understanding Houston is 100% funded through private philanthropic support. Would you like to join us as we build a more vibrant region with opportunity for all? Donate to support Understanding Houston today!
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BUILDING A BETTER NORMAL: PHILANTHROPY'S ROLE IN RACIAL EQUITY AND SHARED PROSPERITY
GHCF partnered with leading community foundations across the country to present a two-part series on where we are in American history, how we can all create a more just society, and how we can continue to make progress toward shared prosperity. Learn more here.
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Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative (HILSC), a GHCF supporting organization, recently hosted Building Lasting Change in Immigrant Communities through Collaboration: A Funder Briefing. Held in partnership with Houston Endowment, The Simmons Foundation, GHCF, and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), the May 26 briefing was the first in a series about the current state of immigration policies affecting the Houston region. The series wraps up June 24.
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HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN INDIA- HOW YOU CAN HELP |
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Last month, GHCF facilitated a call with Sapphira Goradia, from the Vijay and Marie Goradia Foundation, to learn more about the COVID crisis, relief efforts, and to discuss how donors can support those efforts. We are grateful to Sapphira for sharing her time and information with us on such an important issue. Get the facts here.
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ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER MONTH- MAY 2021 |
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GHCF’s Asian American Youth Giving Circle has been hard at work this past year! They’ve awarded grants to Partnership for the Advancement & Immersion of Refugees (PAIR), H4OPE, Chinese Community Center, Interfaith Ministries, and Urban Outreach. To learn more, contact Allison Hale.
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Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP), a justice-minded national philanthropic affinity group, recently hosted a webinar for Invisible Ink: Media Representation of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Invisible Ink explores news media coverage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders through a pre-pandemic snapshot. Click the picture below to access the webinar.
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You can also access AAPIP's full report, executive summary, and infographic here. |
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We are excited to announce two additions to the GHCF team! |
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Lulu Alvarez served on our Accounting team through an internship program with Genesys Works - Houston for the past several years. We are excited to have her join our team as our newest Accountant, following her graduation with a Bachelor’s from University of Houston.
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Marie Bat served as an Understanding Houston intern in 2019, and as a consultant during the Harris County COVID-19 Relief Fund. She is our new Scholarships Associate, and recently earned her Master’s of Public Service & Administration, with a Certificate of Nonprofit Management from the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University.
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Greater Houston Community Foundation is fully operational and available to meet your needs. Our physical office is open to donors and visitors after July 4, by appointment only. The health and safety of our staff and stakeholders continues to be of utmost importance. Please contact your Relationship Manager to determine the best time for a meeting.
Should you wish to make a gift into your fund, we are also pleased to inform you that, once again, you are able to mail checks to our office. Please make checks payable to Greater Houston Community Foundation, and send to 515 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1000, Houston, TX 77027. Please note your fund ID in the memo line.
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GHCF is proud to be a Houston Work Safe Company! Learn more about the Greater Houston Partnership Initiative and what it means to be a Work Safe company.
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