Hendrick Home For Children

Hendrick Home for Children is best understood as a well-endowed private operating foundation — it delivers direct residential care services to vulnerable children and single-parent families rather than distributing grant checks to outside nonprofits. With $152.6 million in total assets as of FY2023 and annual program spending of approximately $5.4 million, the organization is financially stable, drawing primarily from individual contributions ($5.7M in FY2023), a modest investment yield ($225K net investment income), and a separately governed Hendrick Home for Children Trust based in Chicago, IL (which contributed an estimated $4.7 million in grants in 2024, largely to support the Abilene operation).

Because this organization is classified as `preselected_only` with no public RFP or application portal, grant seekers should not approach Hendrick Home expecting an open competition. Every fiscal year from FY2013 through FY2023 shows grants paid: $0 to outside organizations — 100% of disbursements are direct service delivery. The most productive engagement strategies fall into two categories.

Referral and service partnerships: Child welfare nonprofits in the West Texas and Abilene metropolitan region that serve overlapping populations — aging-out foster youth, at-risk school-age children, single parents seeking stabilization — are positioned to build referral relationships with Hendrick Home. Organizations providing complementary wraparound services (mental health, vocational training, housing transition, substance recovery) can become valued collaborators who receive client referrals and informal program coordination support.

Donor and legacy cultivation: Hendrick Home's $152.6M endowment and active planned giving program (led by Executive VP Erin Utley Seabourne) signal a long-term institutional appetite for legacy gifts. Community foundations, donor-advised fund administrators, and philanthropic advisors in the Abilene MSA have a natural entry point for conversations about endowment gifts, IRA charitable rollovers, and bequests.

First-time approach for any outside organization: attend a public touchpoint such as Abilene Gives (held each May), become a referral source for Basic Care or Family Care admissions, and cultivate a relationship with Barbara Dahl (VP-Community Relations) before any funding conversation. The organization's Christian values framework and deep community roots in Taylor County are not incidental — they are foundational to every relationship the leadership team builds.

Hendrick Home for Children's financial profile is that of a conservatively managed, well-endowed operating charity — not a traditional grantmaker. The numbers below are drawn from IRS 990 filings spanning FY2013 through FY2023.

Program spending trend: Total giving (program service expenses) grew steadily from $3.57M (FY2013) to $5.36M (FY2023), a 50% increase over a decade. Annual contributions received ranged from $4.25M (FY2021) to $5.83M (FY2018), averaging approximately $5.1M per year — meaning the organization is spending nearly all of what it raises annually on direct services.

Asset trajectory (the defining story): Total assets jumped from $29.4M (FY2014) to $135.3M (FY2018) — a 4.5× increase in four years that almost certainly reflects a major bequest or endowment transfer, consistent with the Hendrick family's oil wealth legacy. Assets peaked at $161.6M in FY2020 before settling at $152.6M in FY2022-FY2023. The current endowment-to-spending ratio of approximately 28:1 is extremely conservative, suggesting either a highly protective investment mandate or significant restricted endowment that cannot easily be drawn down.

Investment income decline: Net investment income dropped sharply from $2.0M (FY2014) to $501K (FY2019) and further to $225K (FY2023), despite a 5× increase in assets. This signals a deliberate repositioning toward capital preservation — possibly into bonds, real estate, or low-yield endowment structures.

Officer compensation: Total officer/director compensation was $493,865 in FY2023, representing 9.2% of total revenue — a reasonable ratio. President/CEO David Miller earned $156,988; Executive VP Erin Seabourne $90,218; VP Finance Kim Braden $94,267.

Grants paid externally: $0 in every recorded fiscal year. This organization does not redistribute funds to other nonprofits. The single 990 program description ($2.15M in direct residential facility expenses) confirms all spending is internal service delivery.

The table below compares Hendrick Home for Children to four similar faith-based, residential child welfare operating nonprofits in Texas, all of which maintain substantial endowments and serve overlapping populations.

Hendrick Home is the most geographically concentrated of the five — single campus, single metro area, exclusively Abilene-based services — and carries the highest assets-to-spending ratio (28:1 versus Cal Farley's ~12:1). This conservatism reflects a long-term stewardship mandate rooted in the founders' legacy. Among the peer group, only Buckner International operates an open institutional grants program for partner organizations. For grant seekers, this means Hendrick Home is not a funding source in the conventional sense; the most productive peer to study for grants strategy is Buckner, while Hendrick Home is best engaged as a referral partner or major-gift cultivation target.

The most significant recent developments at Hendrick Home for Children span staffing, fundraising, and campus infrastructure.

2025 — House parent expansion: Three new house parent couples joined the organization following the retirement of Donnie and Lisa Carroll, who served since 2008. The new couples — John and Marissa Fenrich (Princeton, TX), Dale and Dina Rusk (Richardson, TX), and Kevin and Deana Ebeling (Lubbock, TX) — represent a meaningful capacity expansion for the Basic Care residential program, which serves children ages 5-18.

2026 — Abilene Gives participation (May 5, 2026): Hendrick Home is an active participant in the annual Abilene community giving day, positioning itself within the broader Abilene philanthropic ecosystem and reinforcing ties to local donors.

2019-2021 — Campus renovations: The organization completed a multi-year modernization of its main building and residential cottages on the 52-acre campus at 2758 Jeanette St., Abilene. These improvements likely contributed to the fundraising uptick reflected in FY2022-FY2023 financials (contributions received rose from $4.25M in FY2021 to $5.72M in FY2022-FY2023).

Leadership stability: David Miller has served as President/CEO continuously, with compensation of $156,988 in FY2023. No significant board or executive departures were identified in public records for 2025-2026. Barbara Dahl (VP-Community Relations) is the external-facing relationship contact; Erin Utley Seabourne (Executive VP) leads planned giving strategy.

Because Hendrick Home for Children is an operating nonprofit with no public grants program, the strategic guidance below covers two distinct engagement scenarios: (1) child or family placement referrals and (2) donor/partner relationship building — the only practical avenues for outside organizations.

For child and family placement referrals: - Basic Care (children ages 5-18): Contact Gordon Storey, MSW at gordonstorey@hendrickhome.org or 325-692-0112. The process begins with a telephone intake evaluation, then interviews, psychological evaluations, a pre-placement visit, and admission. - Family Care (single parents and their children): Contact Melinda Barron, Family Care Coordinator, at melindabarron@hendrickhome.org. Process starts with a telephone evaluation and thorough interview before paperwork submission. - Christian values are woven into the organizational culture and residential environment — referral partners should ensure families are prepared for this context. - Do not submit written applications before completing the telephone evaluation; the intake call is mandatory.

For donor or partner engagement: - Lead with the founding story. Tom and Ida Hendrick lost their only child at age 3 and later discovered oil wealth on their Texas land — and chose to give it to children in need. This origin shapes every relationship the organization builds. Proposals and introductions that echo personal sacrifice and long-term commitment to West Texas children resonate far more than program-aligned pitches. - Make a designated gift first. Angel Fund and Christmas campaign contributions (available at hendrickhome.org/donations) are the easiest entry point. A designated gift before a meeting signals genuine interest rather than opportunism. - Optimal timing: The fall (September-November, ahead of Christmas campaign) and spring (March-May, ahead of Abilene Gives) are the highest-activity fundraising windows. Outreach during these windows positions you alongside the organization's existing momentum. - Right contacts matter: Barbara Dahl (VP-Community Relations) for community programming and corporate partnerships; Erin Utley Seabourne (Executive VP) for planned giving and major gift conversations; Kim Braden (VP Finance) for financial partnership structures. - No portal, no proposal: All engagement is discretionary. A phone call to 325-692-0112 with a brief, specific introduction — referencing a program (e.g., After Care educational support) and a shared West Texas community tie — is the most effective first step.