Public Health and Community Grants from Harold Simmons Foundation

Public Health and Community Grants from Harold Simmons Foundation is sponsored by Harold Simmons Foundation. Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in the Dallas-area counties of Texas can seek funding for public health, health care access, and related community programs. Funding is for operating support, capital needs, or special projects addressing local needs.

Harold Simmons Foundation | Inside Philanthropy OVERVIEW: The Harold Simmons Foundation focuses its grantmaking on Dallas, Texas nonprofits in the areas of education, health care, social welfare, human rights, civic improvement, and culture and arts. IP TAKE: The Harold Simmons Foundation is a highly local Dallas funder with broad interests but a clear geographic filter.

Grantseekers outside the Dallas area are unlikely to be competitive, while Dallas nonprofits serving local residents may find a receptive funder here. This is not a flashy national foundation, and it does not appear to run highly prescriptive program areas. Instead, it supports a wide range of nonprofits that can demonstrate a strong community need, credible outcomes and alignment with local quality-of-life priorities.

Recent giving suggests particular interest in organizations serving vulnerable children and families. Applicants should submit a complete, polished proposal with a clear Dallas connection, strong financials, evidence of impact and a realistic plan for evaluation. Organizations with local partners, existing Dallas philanthropic support and a role in broader community efforts will likely have an advantage.

PROFILE: Established in 1988, the Harold Simmons Foundation is a funder based in Dallas, Texas. Harold Simmons used his wealth from the Contran Corporation, an investment company, to establish the Harold Simmons Foundation. As a buyout investor, he earned over a billion dollars by selling Titanium Metals.

Over the years, Contran has held major stock in publicly traded companies like Valhi Inc., NL Industries Inc., Kronos Worldwide Inc. and CompX International, Inc. Harold passed away in 2013 and left most of his $8 billion fortune under the control of his daughters, Lisa K. Simmons and Serena Simmons Connelly, until Serena’s death in 2020.

The foundation aims to “improve the quality of life of all members of our community and to ensure they have the resources and opportunities to live with dignity and meaning. ” It supports Dallas-area nonprofits across education, health and medical care, social welfare, youth, civic improvement/advocacy, and arts and culture.

Grants for Human Services In a general sense, the foundation supports programs that promote human dignity, a safe and enriching environment, and comprehensive support systems for individuals, children, and families. The bulk of recent grants have been for social welfare organizations, followed by health, education, and youth. Social welfare grantees include the Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity and the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas.

Past health grantees include Bryan’s House, PediPlace, the SpiritHorse Therapeutic Center, and Healing Hands Ministries. Grants for K-12 and Higher Education During his lifetime, the founder and University of Texas graduate gave at least $177 million to UT Southwestern and his funds built the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Education grantees include East Dallas Community School and the Montessori Institute of North Texas. Grants for Arts and Culture Arts grantmaking is the largest area at the foundation, but it is significant, nevertheless. Recent grantees include Shakespeare Dallas, Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, and Dallas Children’s Theater.

Thus far, most grants have been between $5,000 and $20,000 each, and go towards everything from operating expenses to capital needs and special projects. View a list of past grants on the funder’s website. Grantmaking is generally limited to the Dallas metropolitan area.

There are no application deadlines, and the foundation accepts grant proposals all throughout the year. Submit proposals via mail or email. The foundation does not fund individuals, endowments, deficit financing, or organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, religion or gender, and it asks applicants to wait one year from the date of the last request before reapplying.

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