About Burdine Johnson Foundation
The Burdine Johnson Foundation concentrates its giving on higher education in Central Texas, specifically supporting university-based literary programming. All known grants went to Texas State University to fund a visiting writers series and related house operations, indicating a preference for sustaining campus cultural and arts initiatives. The foundation appears to operate as a focused, place-based supporter rather than a broad grantmaker.
Focus Areas
University-based literary arts and visiting writers seriesSupport for campus literary house operations/humanities programmingHigher education program support in Central Texas (Texas State University)
Who They Fund
Hays County residents / San Marcos communityyouth (including foster youth, K-12 students, Latina students, girls programs)artists and writers (including Black women writers)low-income households (housing/utility assistance recipients)patients and older adults (cardiology patients, cancer patients, skilled nursing facility residents)
About Burdine Johnson Foundation
The Burdine Johnson Foundation’s most distinctive pattern is its repeated backing of Texas State University for the KAP Visiting Writers Series and KAP House operations, including $150,000 grants in both 2023 and 2024 and a $50,000 grant in 2025. That long-running support points to a foundation that funds literary programming as sustained campus infrastructure, not as one-off event sponsorship. Beyond the university, its recent grants show a broader but still tightly held mix of education, health, preservation, housing, and environmental work in Central Texas. The foundation has also supported organizations such as The James Dick Foundation, The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Seton Hays Foundation, and Preservation Texas Inc, suggesting interest in both cultural programming and place-based civic needs. Grantmaking is local in scope and overwhelmingly tied to Texas, with recent awards landing in San Marcos, Austin, Round Top, San Antonio, Dripping Springs, and Wimberley. The scale of individual awards ranges from smaller operating and program grants to six-figure commitments, including pledged payments over multiple years. The pattern is consistent with a foundation that concentrates its resources on a defined region and a limited set of recurring partners.
What Burdine Johnson Foundation Funds
Literary and humanities programming is one of the clearest threads in the foundation’s giving. Texas State University received support for the KAP Visiting Writers Series and KAP House operations, while The Texas Tribune was funded for programmatic coverage. In education, Communities in Schools of Central Texas received pledged support for Hays County school programming and CIS programs in Hays City schools, and Learning Bridge was funded to sustain tutoring services for youth in foster care. Health-related grants include Seton Hays Foundation for cardiology program expansion and Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas for healthcare services, education, and ongoing core programs. The foundation has also supported community-based arts and cultural institutions such as Centro Cultural Hispano De San Marc and La Sociedad Mutualista De Cuauhtemo for operational needs and renovations.
How Burdine Johnson Foundation Gives
Typical awards cluster in the middle range, with p25 at $10,000, a median of $20,000, and p75 of $30,000. The recent record also shows larger pledged commitments and installment payments, including multiple $50,000 and $100,000 awards. Recipients appear across multiple years, with several organizations receiving follow-on payments or new grants after prior support, which suggests recurring relationships rather than isolated gifts. The foundation accepts unsolicited requests through an annual funding round and can consider program, capital, and general operating support. It also funds individuals, but the recent grants list here reflects charitable organizations.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.7M
Total Assets
$31.7M
Total Revenue
$4.5M
Total Expenses
$2.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $30K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$30K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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