The Garver Black Hilyard Family Foundation concentrates its giving on improving Houston’s public green spaces and urban environment through large capital and planning gifts, while also supporting local housing services and education. Grants are often sizable, mission-driven pledges for capital campaigns and master plans, with a preference for repeat funding to a small set of regional organizations. Occasional out-of-area or programmatic gifts appear (scholarships and environmental education), but the foundation’s identity is rooted in civic placemaking and environmental stewardship in Houston.
A $760,000 pledge to Houston Botanic Garden for its capital campaign is the clearest marker of how the Garver Black Hilyard Family Foundation gives: it backs Houston-area public green space, planning, and civic infrastructure with large, targeted commitments. That pattern continues through support for Houston Parks Board, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Memorial Park Conservancy, and Bayou Preservation Assoc, showing a strong preference for projects tied to parks, waterways, and the city’s urban environment. The foundation also extends that place-based focus into housing and basic needs, with grants to New Hope Housing and Houston Food Bank, and into environmental education through Texans For Clean Water and Keep Texas Beautiful. A smaller but recurring scholarly stream appears as well, including scholarships through Texas A&M Foundation and the University of Kentucky. Across the recent grant list, the foundation’s work is highly local and mission-specific, with Houston organizations appearing repeatedly and several grants structured as pledges, capital support, or general charitable purpose awards.
Environmental stewardship and urban placemaking anchor much of the foundation’s giving. It awarded $440,000 to Houston Parks Board for general charitable purpose and $300,000 to Buffalo Bayou Partnership for an East End Master Plan contribution, both tied to Houston’s park and bayou system. In another civic-environmental line, the foundation gave $235,000 to Texans For Clean Water Inc. to educate the public about litter in Texas waterways and ways to protect the Texas environment. Public green sites also receive major support: Houston Botanic Garden received $400,000 for general charitable purposes in 2024 and $359,350 in 2025. The foundation also funds housing and human services, including $250,000 to New Hope Housing and $100,000 to Houston Food Bank, alongside smaller gifts to groups such as Gracewood Church Children at Heart Foundation.
Typical grant size is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $9,675 at the median, and $48,175 at the 75th percentile, showing a mix of modest awards and a smaller number of very large commitments. The recent record also suggests repeat funding: Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Parks Board, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Texas A&M Foundation, Keep America Beautiful, Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation, and UN World Food Program each appear more than once. The foundation gives through pledges, scholarships, capital campaign support, master plan contributions, and general charitable purposes. It also funds individuals, and the grant list includes scholarship awards and education-related support alongside organizational grants.
$3M
$36.2M
$2.7M
$3.7M
Most grants fall between $5K and $48K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$48K
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Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a small portfolio of mostly Houston-area organizations; multiple large, repeat grants tied to capital campaigns and planning projects rather than many small one-off grants.
Notable grantees: Houston Botanic Garden, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Houston Parks Board, New Hope Housing, Texans For Clean Water Inc
The grant list is overwhelmingly Texas-centered: 82% of grants go to recipients in TX, and Texas is the top state by grant count. Houston alone appears repeatedly, including Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Parks Board, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, New Hope Housing, Houston Food Bank, and Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation. Outside Texas, the foundation’s awards are sparse and still U.S.-based, including University of Kentucky in Lexington, Samaritans Purse in Boone, NC, and UN World Food Program in Washington, DC. Every listed grant recipient is in the United States.
Its recent grants center on Houston public green space, urban planning, and environmental stewardship. Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Parks Board, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Memorial Park Conservancy, and Bayou Preservation Assoc all received support, alongside grants for housing, food aid, and scholarships.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $9,675 at the median, and $48,175 at the 75th percentile. That spread indicates many smaller awards, with some substantially larger project and capital commitments.
Yes. Several recipients appear multiple times in the recent grant list, including Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Parks Board, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Texas A&M Foundation, Keep America Beautiful, Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation, and UN World Food Program.
Texas is the top state by grant count, and 82% of grants go to recipients in TX. Houston organizations make up a large share of the recent list, including multiple grants to Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Parks Board, and Buffalo Bayou Partnership.
Yes. Scholarship funding appears in several recent grants, including $405,000 to University of Kentucky for Scholarships, $124,000 and $100,000 to Texas A&M Foundation for Scholarship Funds, and $79,000 to Texas A&M Foundation for Scholarship Funds.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Botanic Garden | Houston, TX | $519,400 | 2026 | General Charitable Purposes |
| Buffalo Bayou Partnership | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 2026 | pledge for maintenance facility |
| University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY | $475,000 | 2026 | Scholarships |
| Gracewood Church Children at Heart Foundation | Houston, TX | $180,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Texas A&M Foundation | College Station, TX | $178,000 | 2026 | Scholarship Funds |
| Texas A&M Foundation | College Station, TX | $100,000 | 2026 | New ETID Building campaign |
| Container Recycling Institute | Culver City, CA | $85,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Pupose |
| Keep America Beautiful | Stamford, CT | $78,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purposes |
| Texas Search & Rescue Kerrville | Wimberly, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | Kerrville Flood Donation |
| Community Foundation of the Texas HIll Country | Kerrville, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | Kerr County Flood Relief |
| Inheritance of Hope | Atlanta, GA | $50,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Bayou Preservation Assoc | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Keep Texas Beautiful | Austin, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Houston Food Bank | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Easter Seals Greater Houston | Houston, TX | $40,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purposes |
| Community Family Center | Houston, TX | $39,200 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Houston Parks Board | Houston, TX | $30,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| New Hope Housing | Houston, TX | $30,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Baker Ripley | Houston, TX | $30,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation | Houston, TX | $30,000 | 2026 | Stroke detection research |
| Texas Conservative Coalition Research Inst | Austin, TX | $28,450 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| US Ski & Snowboard Foundation | Park City, UT | $28,000 | 2026 | General charitable purpose |
| American Legislative Exchange Council | Arlington, VA | $25,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Galveston Bay Foundation | Kemah, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| National Multiple Sclerosis Society | Washington, DC | $20,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Md Anderson Cancer Center | Houston, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | Medical Research |
| The Fairhaven Food Pantry | Houston, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purposes |
| Memorial Park Conservancy | Houston, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| National Ability Center | Park City, UT | $20,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| West Texas Food Pantry | Midland, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Kids Meal | Houston, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purposes |
| Surfrider Foundation | San Clemente, CA | $15,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purposes |
| Blood Cancer United | Washington, DC | $11,500 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| University of Houston Downtown | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| American Lung Assoc in Texas | Phoeniz, AZ | $10,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Herman Park Conservancy | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| 12th Man Foundation | College Station, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Spark School Park Program | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Houston Audobon | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable purpose |
| Open Door Mission | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Environment TX Research & Policy | Austin, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Lone Star Flight Museum | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Houston Community Tool Bank | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Crime Stoppers | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Parkinson Foundation | Albert Lea, MN | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Trees for Houston | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable purpose |
| Tunnels to Tower Foundation | Philadelphia, PA | $5,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Emerge | Houston, TX | $3,000 | 2026 | General Charitable purposes |
| Alley Theatre | Houston, TX | $3,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
| Bear be a Resource | Houston, TX | $3,000 | 2026 | General Charitable Purpose |
University of Kentucky
$475,000Scholarships
Gracewood Church Children at Heart Foundation
$180,000General Charitable Purpose
New ETID Building campaign
Container Recycling Institute
$85,000General Charitable Pupose
Texas Search & Rescue Kerrville
$50,000Kerrville Flood Donation
Bayou Preservation Assoc
$50,000General Charitable Purpose
Keep Texas Beautiful
$50,000General Charitable Purpose
Community Family Center
$39,200General Charitable Purpose
Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation
$30,000Stroke detection research
Texas Conservative Coalition Research Inst
$28,450General Charitable Purpose
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
$20,000General Charitable Purpose
Md Anderson Cancer Center
$20,000Medical Research
The Fairhaven Food Pantry
$20,000General Charitable Purposes
West Texas Food Pantry
$20,000General Charitable Purpose
Kids Meal
$15,000General Charitable Purposes
Surfrider Foundation
$15,000General Charitable Purposes
University of Houston Downtown
$10,000General Charitable Purpose
American Lung Assoc in Texas
$10,000General Charitable Purpose
Spark School Park Program
$10,000General Charitable Purpose
Houston Audobon
$5,000General Charitable purpose
Environment TX Research & Policy
$5,000General Charitable Purpose
Houston Community Tool Bank
$5,000General Charitable Purpose
Parkinson Foundation
$5,000General Charitable Purpose
Tunnels to Tower Foundation
$5,000General Charitable Purpose
Emerge
$3,000General Charitable purposes