Lisa and Clay Cooley Family Foundation

About Lisa and Clay Cooley Family Foundation

A defining feature of the Lisa and Clay Cooley Family Foundation is its repeated six- and seven-figure support for Preston Road Church of Christ, including $1.2 million grants in both 2024 and 2025 and a $1.11 million grant in 2023 to support numerous ministries while sharing the news of Jesus Christ. That recurring pattern points to a foundation that gives heavily through faith-based institutions, with local Dallas-area churches and ministry work at the center of its recent record. The foundation also backs a mix of civic, educational, and cultural projects that have a visible place in North Texas. Recent examples include support for The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation in Arlington, Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business renovation and expansion, and Salvation Army efforts in Dallas. Its grants extend beyond religion into museum, arts, and service organizations, but the overall profile remains tightly place-based and relationship-driven. Grantmaking is concentrated in Texas and in organizations with Dallas-area ties. The recent record also shows repeated support for institutions that can use gifts for capital projects, campaigns, events, or ongoing ministry and service work.

What Lisa and Clay Cooley Family Foundation Funds

Faith-based ministry is the clearest throughline. The foundation gave $700,000 to Christ Church Irving for missionary support, and its larger church support patterns indicate priority for congregational outreach and ministry activity. It also funds institutions tied to civic memory and public history. In Arlington, it gave $500,000 to The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to support the National Medal of Honor Museum and Monument, following a prior $250,000 grant for the museum, monument, and institute. Education and arts appear as another lane of support. Southern Methodist University received $500,000 for Cox School of Business renovation and expansion, while the Dallas Museum of Art received $47,450 for Art Ball 2023: Influence and $25,000 to promote and support creativity in the arts. Health and family-focused causes are present as well, including $50,000 to Council for Life for awareness and financial support around unplanned pregnancies and $33,740 to Luke's Fastbreaks to provide unique medical shirts to children and young adults with cancer or extended illnesses.

How Lisa and Clay Cooley Family Foundation Gives