About Still Water Foundation
Still Water Foundation makes a very small number of very large grants, concentrating on major capital and institutional-strengthening gifts. Their giving favors private secondary education (notably St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin), cultural infrastructure (Blanton Museum of Art), and spiritual/meditation organizations (San Francisco Zen Center). Grants are typically multi-million-dollar commitments targeted to capital campaigns or general operating support for established institutions.
Focus Areas
Capital campaign support for private Episcopal secondary education (St. Stephen's Episcopal School)Museum and cultural campus redevelopment (Blanton Museum of Art grounds projects)Support for Buddhist/Zen spiritual centers and contemplative practice organizations (San Francisco Zen Center)
Who They Fund
college and university students (financial aid recipients)cultural institutions and museum/arts organizationsmedical researchers and patients with age-related macular degeneration / breast cancerrural and West Texas communities
About Still Water Foundation
Still Water Foundation’s recent giving is marked by repeated multi-million-dollar commitments to a small set of institutions, especially St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin. Across 2023, 2024, and 2025, the school received large support for its endowment, capital campaign, and annual fund, showing a pattern of sustained institutional backing rather than one-off awards. The foundation also made major grants to cultural and contemplative organizations, including San Francisco Zen Center for general operating support and the Blanton Museum of Art for its grounds redevelopment capital campaign. Those gifts sit alongside support for Texas-based higher education, health, and community institutions, reflecting a portfolio built around established organizations with long-running projects or capital needs. Recent grants also include funding for West Texas Rehab Center, Hardin-Simmons University, Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, and Landmarks at the University of Texas at Austin. In addition to direct grants, the foundation used a donor-advised fund through Permian Basin Area Foundation.
What Still Water Foundation Funds
In education, Still Water Foundation has backed private and higher-education institutions with large, targeted awards. St. Stephen’s Episcopal School received support for its endowment, capital campaign, and annual fund, while Hardin-Simmons University received $1,000,000 to support new nursing facilities. The foundation also gave $500,000 to St. John’s College for student financial aid on the Santa Fe campus. In arts and culture, it supported the Blanton Museum of Art for its grounds redevelopment capital campaign and gave to Abilene Heritage Square for a revitalization project. In spirituality, San Francisco Zen Center received both general operating support and a larger operating grant in 2025. Community-focused grants also reached Waterloo Greenway Conservancy for general operating support and Hendrick Health for the West Texas Care Collaborative.
How Still Water Foundation Gives
Typical grant size is $26,000 at the 25th percentile, $50,000 at the median, and $112,500 at the 75th percentile, but the recent-grants list shows a much heavier upper tail, including repeated seven-figure awards. The pattern is relationship-based and recurring: several grantees appear across multiple years, including St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Blanton Museum of Art, San Francisco Zen Center, and Permian Basin Area Foundation via the foundation’s donor-advised fund. Still Water Foundation is a regular funder, not a program-only intermediary, and it does not accept unsolicited full proposals in its invitation-only and strategic-partnership grant programs. The funding model is board- and staff-guided, with proactive cultivation of prospective partners.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$9.7M
Total Assets
$147.1M
Total Revenue
$14.6M
Total Expenses
$13.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $26K and $113K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$26K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$113K
Geographic Reach
Local9 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Where Still Water Foundation Funds
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Still Water Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 245 | $44.3M | 99.6% |
| 2 | Uruguay |
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