Building Bridge Foundation

The Building Bridge Foundation operates as a values-driven family foundation with deep roots in South-Central Texas, particularly Jackson County (Edna area) and Comal County (New Braunfels). Founded in April 2020 with an initial $20 million endowment from Colere Investments LLC (a San Antonio holding company), it maintains a lean, all-volunteer structure: Preston W. Atkinson serves as president, Robin L. Atkinson as treasurer, and Malori Sapio as secretary — all unpaid. There are zero full-time employees.

The foundation's mission is "dedicated to supporting the communities in which we live, bridging the gap to enrich, educate, and preserve them." In practice, this means sustained, multi-year relationships with a tight circle of trusted grantees. Of the 127 grants on record, the vast majority went to organizations that received multiple awards across several fiscal years — Edna Education Foundation received 4 grants totaling $700,000, Communities In Schools received 4 grants totaling $410,500, and Young Life received 3 grants totaling $283,300.

First-time applicants must understand that there is no published RFP cycle, online application portal, or stated deadline. Decision-making is personal and relationship-driven. Given that all three officers are community members with ties to Edna/Jackson County and New Braunfels, a personal introduction from a pastor, school administrator, or civic leader who already knows the Atkinsons carries far more weight than an unsolicited submission.

The foundation shows a clear preference for K-12 education and dropout prevention, youth development programs (especially faith-affiliated), food security, community health, and local arts or cultural preservation. Christian faith orientation runs throughout the portfolio — Young Life, New Braunfels Christian Ministries, First Baptist Church of Ganado, and the Redeemer Roundup after-school program are all major grantees. Secular organizations do receive grants, but faith-affinity language may improve reception. For first-time contact, email info@buildingbridgefoundation.org or call (210) 469-5814 to request an introductory appointment before submitting any materials.

The Building Bridge Foundation has disbursed an estimated $5.7 million in total grants across five fiscal years (FY2020–FY2024), based on available IRS filings. Annual giving has ranged from $375,198 in FY2020 (the startup year) to $1,731,816 in FY2021. By FY2022 and FY2023, giving stabilized at $1.5–$1.6M, with FY2024 at approximately $1.02M — suggesting a sustainable payout rate of roughly 7–8% of the $19.9M endowment, well above the IRS-required 5% minimum.

Within the recorded grantee database (127 total grants), the median individual grant is approximately $7,000 and the average is $40,595 — a wide disparity that reflects a two-tier giving pattern. A set of anchor grantees receives major multi-year grants in the $50,000–$175,000 per-grant range; a longer tail of smaller gifts ($1,000–$20,000) covers higher education scholarships and one-time community contributions.

The top five cumulative recipients — Edna Education Foundation ($700,000 across 4 grants), Communities In Schools of South Central Texas ($410,500 across 4 grants), Young Life ($283,300 across 3 grants), Food Bank of the Golden Crescent ($238,560 across 5 grants), and The Vine School ($219,651 across 5 grants) — collectively account for roughly 52% of all recorded giving. These are long-term anchor relationships, not one-off awards.

Geographically, Texas dominates at 91% of grant count (116 of 127 grants), split primarily between Jackson County (Edna, Ganado, Industrial ISD corridor) and Comal County (New Braunfels). A small number of grants reached Alabama (4), Florida (2), Kansas (2), Missouri (1), South Dakota (1), and California (1) — likely scholarship recipients attending out-of-state institutions.

By sector: education and youth development capture approximately 50% of giving, followed by food and human services (~15%), Christian ministry and church-affiliated programs (~15%), community health (~10%), and arts/culture/preservation (~7%). No grants to organizations outside Texas have exceeded $5,000.

Building Bridge Foundation sits in a peer cohort of family foundations with approximately $19.9 million in assets within the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category. The table below compares key characteristics.

Building Bridge stands out among its peers in three ways. First, its giving ratio of 7–8% of assets annually is notably higher than the IRS-required 5% minimum, signaling an active, mission-driven board rather than an asset-preservation orientation. Second, its geographic concentration in two Texas counties and complete absence of paid staff underscore a highly personal, community-embedded model that is rare even among similarly sized family foundations. Third, unlike most peers at this asset level, Building Bridge does maintain an active website with contact information, making initial outreach more accessible than foundations that operate entirely invisibly.

No press coverage, grant announcements, or leadership changes specific to this foundation were found in web searches for 2025–2026. The foundation maintains a minimal public profile consistent with its family-foundation structure.

The most recent verified financial data comes from IRS Form 990-PF filings aggregated by ProPublica: FY2024 shows total assets of $19,886,589, total revenue of $2,486,209 (including contributions of approximately $1.49M, dividends of $577K, and interest of $206K), and approximately $1.02 million in charitable grants disbursed — consistent with the prior two years ($1.07M in FY2023, $1.02M in FY2022).

Based on the grantee record, New Braunfels Christian Ministries ($75,000 in a recent cycle), Communities In Schools of South Central Texas ($75,000), and Billy T. Cattan Recovery Outreach ($60,000) appear to be active ongoing relationships in the most recent filing period. The Vine School (autism and communication disorders education) has received 5 grants totaling $219,651 — among the most consistent multi-year relationships in the portfolio.

Officer composition has been stable since inception: Preston W. Atkinson (President), Robin L. Atkinson (Treasurer), and Malori Sapio (Secretary) appear across all available 990-PF filings with zero compensation. No board expansions, leadership transitions, or new program announcements have been reported publicly.

Build the relationship before sending anything. The foundation has no public application portal, no stated deadline, and no published RFP. Every major grantee in the portfolio received multiple awards over several years — they are relationships, not transactions. Your first move is identifying a mutual connection (a pastor, school principal, Jackson County or Comal County civic leader, or current grantee) who can facilitate an introduction to Preston or Robin Atkinson.

Use the right entry channel. Email info@buildingbridgefoundation.org for initial outreach. The foundation's website states that in-person appointments are available by request — pursue this once email contact is established. The phone number (210) 469-5814 can supplement written outreach.

Lead with self-sufficiency language. The foundation's stated mission is helping communities "enrich, educate, and preserve" with emphasis on people achieving "self-reliance while maintaining their dignity." Proposals that frame outcomes in terms of long-term independence rather than emergency relief will resonate more strongly.

Anchor to the right geography. Virtually all major grants go to organizations in Jackson County (Edna, Ganado, Industrial ISD area) or Comal County (New Braunfels). Organizations outside these counties face a significantly higher bar — you must articulate an explicit connection to these communities.

Size your first ask appropriately. The median individual grant is $7,000 and the average is $40,595. Anchor grantees at the $75,000–$175,000 level have years of established trust behind them. First-time applicants should request $15,000–$35,000 to establish a track record before scaling up.

Acknowledge faith alignment if genuine. Approximately 15–20% of the portfolio is explicitly Christian-ministry oriented, and additional grantees (Young Life, Redeemer Roundup, First Baptist Church of Ganado) are faith-adjacent. If your organization has faith-based roots or serves faith communities, include this context — it is not a liability, it is an asset with this funder.

Submit a concise LOI first. A 1–2 page letter of inquiry covering your mission, the specific program, target population (emphasize children, youth, economically disadvantaged), requested amount, and alignment with the foundation's self-sufficiency mission is the most appropriate first formal submission. Avoid lengthy narratives in the initial contact.