The Jill and Charles Fischer Foundation makes a small number of large, targeted grants focused on Fort Worth-area institutions, with a clear preference for supporting local Catholic and community infrastructure. Their giving mixes capital support for a Catholic high school campus and operating support for Catholic social services, alongside a substantial pass-through or community‑foundation grant that broadens their local philanthropic reach.
A single $540,000 grant to North Texas Community Foundation stands out in the Jill and Charles Fischer Foundation’s 2024 giving, because it shows the scale at which the foundation uses a local intermediary to support charitable organizations in Fort Worth. From there, the pattern narrows quickly into institutions tied to Catholic education and Catholic social service: Cristo Rey Fort Worth High School received $200,000 for a new campus, and Catholic Charities of Fort Worth received $150,000 for operating support. The foundation’s recent grantmaking also reaches into Fort Worth civic and cultural life. It backed Fort Worth Opera with $110,000, Texas Ballet Theater Fort Worth with $50,000, and The Cliburn with $30,000, while also funding Girls Inc of Tarrant County, Community Healthcare of Texas, and United Community Centers at smaller levels. Across the list, the recipients are overwhelmingly local nonprofits, with a clear emphasis on organizations serving children, students, families, and residents of Tarrant County. The result is a profile of a foundation that gives selectively, often at meaningful dollar amounts, to support both core services and community institutions.
Catholic education and Catholic services are the clearest threads in the Jill and Charles Fischer Foundation’s grant list. Cristo Rey Fort Worth High School received $200,000 for a new campus, while Catholic Charities of Fort Worth received $150,000 for operating support. The Advancement Foundation of the Catholic Diocese also received $5,000 for the annual diocesan appeal and support of ministries. The foundation also supports arts organizations across several disciplines. Fort Worth Opera received $110,000 for opera support, Texas Ballet Theater Fort Worth received $50,000 for ballet support, and The Cliburn received $30,000 for festival events. Smaller awards went to Amphibian Stage Productions for National Theatre Live, Ballet Concerto Fort Worth for operating support, and Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth for operating support. Youth and family-serving organizations appear as well. Girls Inc of Tarrant County received $20,000 for programs including the college and career campaign, and United Community Centers received $10,000 for a summer day camp program.
$1.3M
$19.5M
$626K
$1.4M
Most grants fall between $5K and $35K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$35K
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Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a very small number of local beneficiaries — a mix of one-time capital support and multi-purpose operating or pass-through funding rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: North Texas Community Foundation, Cristo Rey Fort Worth High School, Catholic Charities of Fort Worth
Typical awards cluster in the five-figure range, with a p25 of $5,000, a median of $10,000, and a p75 of $35,000. The distribution includes a few much larger grants, but most gifts are comparatively modest and targeted. The 2024 list is concentrated in one year, so recurring award patterns are harder to isolate from the provided data. Structurally, the foundation appears to make direct grants and also uses North Texas Community Foundation as a pass-through channel. It does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments.
Giving is overwhelmingly local. Ninety-two percent of grants go to recipients in Texas, and the top state by grant count is TX. Fort Worth is the dominant city in the recent list, with recipients such as Fort Worth Opera, Texas Ballet Theater Fort Worth, and Girls Inc of Tarrant County. The only non-Texas recipient in the recent grants is the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, IN, and the only non-U.S. recipient country count is zero; all 24 grants went to U.S. organizations.
The recent grants show a strong tilt toward Catholic institutions, local arts groups, and community-serving nonprofits. Examples include Cristo Rey Fort Worth High School for a new campus, Catholic Charities of Fort Worth for operating support, Fort Worth Opera for opera support, and Girls Inc of Tarrant County for college and career programming.
The typical grant size is centered in the low five figures: p25 is $5,000, median grant size is $10,000, and p75 is $35,000. The recent list also includes a few larger outliers, including $540,000, $200,000, $150,000, and $110,000 awards.
Its grantmaking is heavily concentrated in Texas, with 92% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Fort Worth is the main city in the recent grant list, and the top state by grant count is TX.
It uses both. One of the largest recent grants went to North Texas Community Foundation for support of charitable organizations, indicating that the foundation also channels funds through a local community foundation rather than only making direct operating or project grants.
The recent list includes new campus support, operating support, festival events, college and career programming, summer day camp, end-of-life care for the needy, food for children, grief support, and research support through the University of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunity program.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NORTH TEXAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | FORT WORTH, TX | $540,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT OF CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS |
| CRISTO REY FORT WORTH HIGH SCHOOL | FORT WORTH, TX | $200,000 | 2024 | FOR NEW CAMPUS |
| CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF FORT WORTH | FORT WORTH, TX | $150,000 | 2024 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| FORT WORTH OPERA | FORT WORTH, TX | $110,000 | 2024 | OPERA SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME | NOTRE DAME, IN | $100,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT OF THE LAB FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM AND RELATED RESEARCH |
| TEXAS BALLET THEATER FORT WORTH | FORT WORTH, TX | $50,000 | 2024 | BALLET SUPPORT |
| THE CLIBURN | FORT WORTH, TX | $30,000 | 2024 | FESTIVAL EVENTS |
| GIRLS INC OF TARRANT COUNTY | FORT WORTH, TX | $20,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS TO HELP GIRLS INCLUDING THE COLLEGE AND CAREER CAMPAIGN |
| AMPHIBIAN STAGE PRODUCTIONS | FORT WORTH, TX | $15,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT OF NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE |
| BALLET CONCERTO FORT WORTH | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| UNITED WAY OF TARRANT CO | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT OF CENTER FOR TRANSFORMING LIVES, CHILD STUDY CENTER, AND OTEHR TARRANT CO LOCAL CHARITIES |
| UNITED COMMUNITY CENTERS | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | SUMMER DAY CAMP PROGRAM |
| JEWEL CHARITY | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | SUPPORT OF COOK CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL |
| COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE OF TEXAS | FORT WORTH, TX | $10,000 | 2024 | END-OF-LIFE CARE FOR THE NEEDY |
| KEY SCHOOL-CTR FOR LEARNING DIFFERE | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2024 | ASSIST STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES |
| TARRANT AREA FOOD BANK | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2024 | FOOD FOR CHILDREN |
| CENTER FOR TRANSFORMING LIVES | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2024 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| ADVANCEMENT FDN OF CATHOLIC DIOCESE | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2024 | ANNUAL DIOCESAN APPEAL - SUPPORT OF MINISTRIES |
| FORT WORTH YOUTH ORCHESTRA | FORT WORTH, TX | $5,000 | 2024 | OPERATING SUPPORT FOR MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| BRITE DIVINITY SCHOOL | FORT WORTH, TX | $2,500 | 2024 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| THE WOMEN'S CENTER | FORT WORTH, TX | $2,500 | 2024 | ANNUAL FUND DRIVE |
| THE WARM PLACE | FORT WORTH, TX | $1,000 | 2024 | GRIEF SUPPORT PROGRAM |
| CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF FORT WORTH | FORT WORTH, TX | $1,000 | 2024 | OPERATING SUPPORT |
| OPERA AMERICA | NEW YORK, NY | $500 | 2024 | SUPPORT OF OPERA IN THE UNITED STATES |
UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
$100,000SUPPORT OF THE LAB FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM AND RELATED RESEARCH
SUPPORT OF PROGRAMS TO HELP GIRLS INCLUDING THE COLLEGE AND CAREER CAMPAIGN
BALLET CONCERTO FORT WORTH
$10,000OPERATING SUPPORT
SUPPORT OF CENTER FOR TRANSFORMING LIVES, CHILD STUDY CENTER, AND OTEHR TARRANT CO LOCAL CHARITIES
COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE OF TEXAS
$10,000END-OF-LIFE CARE FOR THE NEEDY
KEY SCHOOL-CTR FOR LEARNING DIFFERE
$5,000ASSIST STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES
ADVANCEMENT FDN OF CATHOLIC DIOCESE
$5,000ANNUAL DIOCESAN APPEAL - SUPPORT OF MINISTRIES
FORT WORTH YOUTH ORCHESTRA
$5,000OPERATING SUPPORT FOR MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAM
BRITE DIVINITY SCHOOL
$2,500OPERATING SUPPORT
THE WARM PLACE
$1,000GRIEF SUPPORT PROGRAM
CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF FORT WORTH
$1,000OPERATING SUPPORT