Sid W. Richardson Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Sid W. Richardson Foundation supports education and health throughout Texas, and human services and cultural organizations in the Fort Worth area.
IP TAKE: Educational reform and improvement in Texas are the top causes for this funder. Pitch an idea about teacher improvement within state schools.
PROFILE: Established in 1947, the Sid W. Richardson Foundation is based in Fort Worth, Texas and is committed to nonprofits that serve the people of Texas. The foundation began distributing grants in 1962 after the assets from the founder’s estate became available. The founder was most interested in helping people in his own home state. He was a lifelong Texan of humble beginnings who became one of the wealthiest men in the country. His fortune came from oil, cattle, and land, thanks to the boom of the early petroleum industry. Richardson collected paintings of the American West, many of which are on display at the Sid Richardson Museum in Fort Worth. Funding areas at the Sid W. Richardson Foundation are education, health, human services, and culture.
Grants for K-12 Education, Public Health and Access, Community Development, and Arts and Culture
The foundation awards grants broadly within its focus areas. Also, the Sid W. Richardson Foundation Forum has served as a Foundation think tank devoted to the examination of critical issues related to educational reform and improvement in Texas since 1990. The big concentration since that time has been educator development and professional development for teachers. The funder has posted the forum’s publications on its website.
See the funder’s grants made in prior years page to learn more about past grantees. All projects should serve the people of Texas. However, grants for human services and cultural organizations are limited to the Fort Worth area.
Important Grant Details
Many grants have been between $10,000 and $100,000 lately, but larger grants of around $600,000 have been awarded as well.
The Richardson Foundation accepts unsolicited preliminary inquiries from nonprofits. There is no standard grant application form but the foundation does require a preliminary inquiry before submission of a formal application. Upon review of the inquiry, the foundation will reach out to groups it requests a full proposal from. Preliminary inquiries should be submitted by mail, but full applications can be sent online or by mail. To be considered for the year, applications must be received by January 15. The directors only meet once per year, in the spring, to consider annual grant awards.
PEOPLE:
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