# Austin Community Foundation

> Austin Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity and philanthropic intermediary that helps individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits, and professional advisors turn charitable intent into managed funds, grants, scholarships, research, and local impact investments. Founded in 1977 from Fannie Gray Leo's $30,000 bequest, it held 1,392 charitable funds and $669 million in assets in 2025, when it awarded $96.5 million through 6,842 grants; its place-based knowledge, acceptance of complex assets, donor advising, and revolving investments in housing and economic mobility distinguish it from commercial donor-advised-fund providers.

- **Founded:** 1977
- **Headquarters:** Austin, United States
- **Founders:** Fannie Gray Leo (Founding donor)
- **Team size:** 34 employees reported on the 2024 Form 990; third-party company data supplied for this profile estimates 53 employees.
- **Products:** Donor-advised funds, Charitable fund administration, Philanthropic advising and planned giving, Investment pools, FundATX
- **Notable:** Grew from a $30,000 founding bequest to $669 million in assets and 1,392 funds by year-end 2025., Awarded $96.5 million through 6,842 grants in 2025, bringing cumulative grants since 1977 to $732 million., Directed 63% of 2025 grant dollars to local organizations.

## Products & services

- **Donor-advised funds** — Charitable accounts for contributing assets, receiving an immediate tax deduction, investing balances, and recommending grants through an online portal with staff support.
- **Charitable fund administration** — Designated, field-of-interest, corporate, scholarship, memorial, agency, endowment, and other fund structures for individuals, families, companies, and nonprofits.
- **Philanthropic advising and planned giving** — Personalized grantmaking strategy, family philanthropy, bequests, charitable trusts, private-foundation conversions, and support for attorneys, CPAs, and wealth advisors.
- **Investment pools** — Four pooled strategies for charitable assets, plus retained outside managers for qualifying funds above $500,000 and impact-investment options.
- **FundATX** — A revolving impact-investment portfolio making low-cost loans to nonprofits and community development financial institutions that advance economic mobility.
- **Housing Accelerator Loan Fund** — Fast, flexible, low-cost capital that fills financing gaps and accelerates affordable rental and homeownership projects in Central Texas.
- **Forever Austin Fund** — A permanent, endowed community resource making flexible annual grants across economic mobility, health and humanities, and regional stewardship.
- **Community grants and scholarships** — Competitive grants, collective-giving programs, general operating support, and administration of more than 60 scholarship opportunities.
- **Research and convening** — Local research, donor education, community conversations, and connections between fundholders, nonprofits, advisors, and civic leaders.

## Achievements

- Grew from a $30,000 founding bequest to $669 million in assets and 1,392 funds by year-end 2025.
- Awarded $96.5 million through 6,842 grants in 2025, bringing cumulative grants since 1977 to $732 million.
- Directed 63% of 2025 grant dollars to local organizations.
- The Housing Accelerator Loan Fund had made 10 loans totaling $17.9 million and supported 1,065 affordable units by the end of 2025.
- Received an Urban Land Institute Impact Award in the Next Big Idea category for the Housing Accelerator Loan Fund.
- FundATX reported $4.6 million invested to date, a 2.5% return rate against a 2% target, and a 0% loss rate in the 2025 report.
- Since 2008, distributed more than $9.9 million in scholarship awards to more than 5,300 students.
- Awarded $2.5 million in flexible support to 130 Central Texas nonprofits through the 2026 Forever Austin grant cycle.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Awarded $2.5 million in Forever Austin grants to 130 nonprofits across six Central Texas counties.
- **2026-06** — Launched a Professional Advisors Council bringing together financial advisors, estate-planning attorneys, and CPAs.
- **2026-02** — Announced a $6 million St. David's Foundation commitment that brought the Housing Accelerator Loan Fund to $24.2 million.
- **2025-12** — Awarded $1.1 million in general operating support to 29 nonprofits through the Hispanic Impact Fund and Women's Fund.
- **2025-07** — Awarded $2.3 million to 99 organizations in the first Forever Austin Fund grant cycle.
- **2025-04** — Celebrated the opening of Cady Lofts, a 100-unit permanent supportive housing development backed by $4.87 million in ACF low-interest loans.

## Links

- Website: https://www.austincf.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/austincommunityfoundation/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atxcommunityfdn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austincommunityfoundation

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/austin-community-foundation
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-12