Ewing Halsell Foundation

The Ewing Halsell Foundation is one of San Antonio's most consequential private philanthropies, established in 1957 by cattle rancher Ewing Halsell and his wife Lucile with a mission to improve quality of life for Texans — "especially those less fortunate." After nearly seven decades, the foundation embodies a pioneer ethic: direct, concentrated, long-term investment in organizations that demonstrate vision and measurable community impact.

The giving philosophy centers on four criteria the foundation states explicitly: organizations must be visionary (exhibiting core competencies and forward-thinking strategy), dynamic (demonstrating creative models for success), impactful (making meaningful community difference), and collaborative (aligning with other strategic partners). These are not rhetorical flourishes — board members with tenures reaching back to 1995 know San Antonio's nonprofit sector personally and apply these standards rigorously.

The current strategic posture (2024-2026) is sharply focused and invitation-only. The foundation has made "several large and long-term commitments" to K-12 education organizations in Bexar County and is not processing unsolicited applications. The top 10 grantees collectively received between $950,000 and $4.95 million in cumulative support, with most receiving 5+ consecutive grants — evidence of deep, sustained relationships rather than one-time investments.

For organizations outside the current K-12 charter school portfolio, the realistic pathway runs through relationship cultivation, not portal submissions. The Executive Director, Jackie Moczygemba (compensation: $225,500), manages the entire operation personally and is the required first contact. The protocol is explicit: call or email before submitting anything. Frame this conversation as a genuine inquiry about alignment, not a pitch. Board members Edward H. Austin Jr. (since 1995), William Scanlan Jr. and William Harte (since 2010), Steve C. Lewis (since 2017), and Henry B. Gonzalez III (since 2023) engage directly with grantees — community presence and long-standing civic credibility matter enormously.

Historical giving patterns reveal that when the foundation returns to broader grantmaking, established San Antonio institutions in arts, conservation, biomedical research, and human services have the strongest case. Organizations like San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio Botanical Society, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, and Hill Country Youth Ranch have multi-grant histories with Halsell — the relationships are already built. New entrants in these sectors should use the current period to demonstrate that same depth of local embeddedness.

The Ewing Halsell Foundation distributes between $8.5 million and $10.1 million annually, with grants paid ranging from $6.26 million (FY2021) to $7.67 million (FY2022) — the gap between total giving and grants paid reflects program-related expenses and overhead. Assets have grown steadily from $113.6 million (FY2018) to $154.3 million (current), a 36% increase over six years. Net investment income peaked at $22.2 million in FY2021 before normalizing to $12.4 million in FY2022, giving the foundation substantial capacity to sustain or expand grantmaking.

Grant size profile (based on 45 documented grants): - Median grant: $62,700 - Average grant: $159,260 (elevated by anchor grantee commitments) - Range: $5,000 (Salvation Army, Haven for Hope, Girl Scouts) to an estimated $900,000+ at the top - Total documented multi-year giving: $34.3 million across 209 grant transactions

The distribution is sharply bimodal. A cohort of 8-10 anchor grantees receives $200,000-$990,000 per cycle, while approximately 35-40 additional organizations receive $5,000-$75,000 annually. The anchor cohort is almost entirely K-12 charter school networks: Great Hearts Texas ($4.95M across 5 grants, averaging $990K/year), BTX Schools ($4.5M across 5 grants, $900K/year), IDEA Public Schools ($3.43M across 8 grants, $429K/year), Choose To Succeed ($2.75M across 10 grants, $275K/year), and KIPP San Antonio ($2.0M across 5 grants, $400K/year).

Estimated sector breakdown by dollars: - K-12 Education and charter school support: ~75% of total dollars - Arts and Culture (San Antonio Museum of Art, McNay Art Museum, Opera San Antonio, KLRN): ~5% - Environment and Conservation (San Antonio Botanical Society, Cibolo Nature Center, Texas Agricultural Land Trust, SA River Foundation): ~5% - Biomedical Research (Texas Biomedical): ~3% - Human Services (Salvation Army, Haven for Hope, San Antonio Food Bank, United Way): ~2% - Policy and Advocacy (50CAN, Texas Charter School Association, Families Empowered): ~3% - Higher Education (Trinity University, UTSA): ~2% - Faith and Other (Old Spanish Missions, Hill Country Youth Ranch): ~2%

Geography: 196 of 209 documented grants (93.8%) went to Texas recipients; 10 grants to Arizona organizations (likely affiliated charter networks); 2 to Washington, D.C.; 1 to New York. San Antonio and Bexar County account for the overwhelming majority of in-state giving.

The Ewing Halsell Foundation sits in an asset-size cohort of approximately $154 million, but its hyper-local focus and charter school concentration make it a distinctive outlier among peers of similar scale.

Ewing Halsell's effective payout rate of approximately 6.6% ($10.1M of $154M) is strong for a private foundation and places it as one of the most active grant-makers by volume in the San Antonio market. Unlike the Bezos Family Foundation, which operates through nationally scaled programs with professional program staff, Halsell maintains an exceptionally lean operation — one executive director, a five-member board — creating a very personal, high-touch relationship model.

The foundation's concentration in charter school networks distinguishes it sharply from all asset peers. Most foundations of comparable size spread dollars across multiple sectors to manage risk and relationships; Halsell's strategic bet on K-12 education reform reflects strong board conviction rather than conventional portfolio diversification. This focus makes it the single largest private funder of charter school growth in the San Antonio market.

The most significant recent development is the June 26, 2024 announcement of a $1 million gift to the Remember the Alamo Foundation, supporting the $550 million Alamo Plan. The gift will be recognized through naming rights: the Lecture Hall and Orientation Theater in the Texas Cavaliers Education Center will be permanently designated the "Ewing Halsell Lecture Hall." The education center is scheduled to open Fall 2025, with the broader Alamo restoration completing by 2027. Notably, this gift extended a 45-year continuous relationship between the foundation and the Alamo Trust — the longest documented institutional partnership in the foundation's grantee history.

Beyond the Alamo gift, the foundation recorded approximately 47 grant awards in 2024, consistent with prior years. The current portfolio is anchored by multi-year commitments to Great Hearts Texas, BTX Schools, IDEA Public Schools, and Choose To Succeed — all of which have received five or more consecutive grants. These relationships represent the core of the foundation's K-12 strategy and are unlikely to be displaced in the near term.

Leadership is stable. Henry B. Gonzalez III joined the board in 2023 as its most recent member, the first addition in six years. Executive Director Jackie Moczygemba has served continuously with compensation rising from $193,500 to $225,500 across four documented years — a 16.6% increase reflecting organizational confidence in her tenure.

The foundation's asset base has grown from $128.2 million (FY2020) to $154.3 million today, and the foundation has publicly stated it is not accepting new applications as of early 2026.

Given the foundation's current invitation-only posture, successful engagement requires a three-phase strategy spanning positioning, relationship, and submission.

Phase 1 — Positioning (now, regardless of portal status): Build organizational credibility within San Antonio's civic and philanthropic networks. The five-member board has a combined 70+ years of service at this foundation and knows the local sector intimately. Being known to peer funders (San Antonio Area Foundation, Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, H-E-B) and appearing in collaborative grant partnerships signals the "collaborative" characteristic Halsell explicitly prioritizes. Maintain clean, publicly accessible financial records — multi-year audits and adequate operating reserves are baseline expectations.

Phase 2 — Relationship (6-18 months before applying): The required first step is a phone call to Executive Director Jackie Moczygemba at 210-223-2649 or email at Jackie@EwingHalsell.org. This is not optional — submitting without prior contact violates the application protocol and signals unfamiliarity with how the foundation operates. Frame the call as a genuine inquiry: "We've been following your K-12 work in Bexar County and wanted to understand whether there's alignment with our [arts/health/environment/education] programs." Do not pitch; listen. She manages every grantee relationship personally and values authentic community engagement over polished presentations.

Phase 3 — Submission timing: When the portal reopens, two cycles are available: Spring/Summer (submit April 1-August 31, reviewed by November 30) and Fall/Winter (submit September 1-March 31, reviewed by June 30). Only one application per organization per 12 months is permitted — a mistimed or rushed application wastes a full year.

Proposal package required: (1) Proposal Letter in 1-5 narrative format covering mission, program description, target population, outcomes, and budget; (2) IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter; (3) relevant supplemental materials. Submissions via grantinterface.com.

Common mistakes: Submitting without prior contact; applying as a private foundation or individual (ineligible); framing requests around organizational sustainability rather than community impact; ignoring the geographic signal (93.8% of grants go to Texas, the overwhelming majority in San Antonio/Bexar County); applying more than once per year.

Alignment language to use: "improving quality of life for those less fortunate," "visionary model," "measurable community impact," "financially stable," "collaborative partnerships with [named peer funders]" — mirror the foundation's own criteria language.