The David Weekley Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The David Weekley Family Foundation practices a venture philanthropy model of investing to grow nonprofits and social enterprises serving the global poor. Though the foundation has expanded to include interests across the nation and even internationally, the foundation still focuses on Texas causes in the areas of education, human services, health, and churches.
IP TAKE: A foundation that originally focused on Texas expanded its interests in recent years to include international development. Weekley has an interest in micro-loans and micro-clinics. It is an emerging area in the foundation’s philanthropy, but one about which Weekley has plenty of ideas. While this is not an accessible foundation, it is approachable and responsive to new ideas, so contact them with questions.
PROFILE: Established in 1990, David Weekley established the David Weekley Family Foundation with the profits from David Weekley Homes, a homebuilding company he started in 1976 with his brother, Richard. David Weekley Homes has sold more than 70,000 homes and expanded to at least 18 cities across the nation. Weekley earned degrees in Economics and Geology from San Antonio’s Trinity University. He, his wife Bonnie, and family move their philanthropic contributions through the David Weekley Family Foundation. Weekley dedicates 50 percent of his income to philanthropy and has embraced the giving while living model. The foundation “invests time, treasure, and talent in scaling organizations that promote human flourishing and poverty graduation.” Grantmaking areas of interest include education, churches, health, human services, and global development.
Weekley says he looks for three things when funding an organization: “One, is it high leverage? Two, is it scalable? And, three, is it sustainable?” Although the foundation’s work in microfinance is still emerging, Weekley says that he is particularly drawn to “faith-based microfinance groups, like Hope International and Opportunity International.”
Grants for Community Development
The vast majority of Weekley’s community development grants stay in Texas, particularly in Houston. However, it has supported organizations across the country as well, with groups in CA, WA, IL, NY, and PA receiving funding in the past. Grantees include Homebuilding Industry Foundation, Houston Food Bank, and the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Past support has gone to United Way of Greater Houston, Ronald McDonald House of Houston, and LifeHouse of Houston.
Grants for Education
Weekley focuses “on enabling the materially poor to lift themselves out of poverty.” This work includes a significant amount of education support. Other partners have included YES Prep Public Schools in Houston, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Lionheart Children’s Academy at Lake Arlington Baptist Church. Support has gone to College of Biblical Studies-Houston, Baylor College of Medicine and University of Houston. Weekley is a trustee emeritus at the Kinkaid School, which has received seven-figure sums. Boy Scouts of America has received millions.
Grants for Global Development
While Weekley initially focused primarily on causes in Texas and nationally, more recent interests are social enterprises working to combat extreme poverty across the globe. DWFF practices a venture philanthropy model of investing to grow nonprofits and social enterprises serving the global poor. It helps young, innovative organizations scale up their proven models to reduce poverty. Partners have included Village Schools International, One Acre Fund, and Living Water International.
Other Grantmaking Areas
The Christian faith is an important part of this funder’s work. As DWFF puts it, “about half of our grantees also integrate their Christian faith into this work. While physical needs are obvious to all, we believe that people also have spiritual needs that can best be addressed by faith in God.” Partners have included Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, Carolina Creek Christian Camp, and Young Life, a “non-denominational Christian organization dedicated to sharing the truth of God’s love and the values of the Christian faith with youth.”
Important Grant Details:
Foundation grants tend to range from $100,000 to $500,000. Weekley makes clear that it typically only provides general operating support and partners with organizations whose operating budgets are between $500,000 and $5,000,000. Review a list of past grant partners on the funder’s website. Grantmaking is often focused on the state of Texas, although it supports causes in other U.S. states and internationally as well. Houston is a city of particular interest.
It does not appear that this foundation accepts unsolicited formal grant applications from nonprofits. However, it is open to receiving communications from organizations for funding consideration. Direct questions to the staff at info@dwf.foundation.
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