The Margery L Block Charitable Foundation concentrates its giving in the San Antonio region with an emphasis on health (notably cancer and hospital-family supports), K–12/student success initiatives, and community institutions that enhance civic and cultural life. Grants include major, visible gifts to medical and education institutions as well as support for family-services and faith-based community programming. The foundation also uses donor-advised and intermediary funds as part of its grantmaking, suggesting a mix of direct impact grants and donor-directed distributions.
The Margery L Block Charitable Foundation’s largest recent grant was a $1,000,000 contribution to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to support programs that advance patient care, research, education, and prevention. That gift captures the foundation’s pattern of backing large, program-oriented grants tied to health, student success, and community institutions. In the recent grants list, the foundation also made $250,000 grants to Breakthrough Central Texas for long-term student success and to Ronald Mcdonald House of San Antonio for comfort, care, and support for families and children. Another $250,000 grant went to the Alamo Heights School Foundation to help enhance academic excellence for every student, with funding for teachers and staff. The giving profile shows a funder that uses substantial, targeted grants to support both major institutions and local organizations serving families, students, patients, and community life. Its grantmaking also includes donor-advised distributions alongside direct operating support, indicating a mix of direct philanthropy and intermediary-funded grants.
Health is a clear theme in the foundation’s recent awards. It gave $1,000,000 to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for patient care, research, education, and prevention, and $250,000 to Ronald Mcdonald House of San Antonio to provide comfort, care, and support for families and children. Education is another major area: the foundation awarded $250,000 to Breakthrough Central Texas for a long-term commitment to student success and $250,000 to the Alamo Heights School Foundation to enhance academic excellence, with a focus on teachers and staff. It also supported civic and cultural life with $125,000 to San Antonio Public Library for general support. Faith and family-serving institutions appear as well, including $100,000 to Temple Beth El for community, worship, and learning, and $100,000 to Family Violence Prevention Services for general support.
Typical grants are large: the 25th percentile is $141,500, the median is $150,000, and the 75th percentile is $200,000. The recent list also includes several $250,000 awards and one $1,000,000 grant, showing a tilt toward major gifts rather than small grants. The foundation appears to combine direct grants with donor-advised funding, including multiple distributions to charitable gift funds and other intermediary vehicles. Recipients can appear across different years, as seen with San Antonio-based institutions receiving support in both 2024 and 2025, which suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-off awards.
$3M
$39.4M
$1.7M
$2.8M
Most grants fall between $142K and $200K, with a median of $150K.
25th Percentile
$142K
Median
$150K
75th Percentile
$200K
About 67% of grants go to recipients in TX.
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Concentrated, high-dollar local giving with several large multi-hundred-thousand dollar gifts and one seven-figure commitment; a mix of direct institutional grants to hospitals, schools, and nonprofits plus multiple grants routed through donor-advised/intermediary funds. Support favors a handful of significant, place-based beneficiaries rather than a broad scatter of small one-off grants.
Notable grantees: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Alamo Heights School Foundation, Breakthrough Central Texas, Ronald McDonald House of San Antonio, Family Violence Prevention Services
Giving is concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 67% of grants and is the foundation’s top state by grant count. Recent awards land most often in San Antonio, with additional grants in Houston and Austin. Outside Texas, the recipient list includes Boston, Bethesda, San Francisco, and New York through donor-advised fund vehicles. All recent grants in the provided list went to U.S. recipients.
Recent grants show support for health, education, family services, civic institutions, and faith-based community organizations. Examples include a $1,000,000 grant to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for patient care and research, a $250,000 grant to Breakthrough Central Texas for student success, and a $100,000 grant to Temple Beth El for community, worship, and learning.
Its grant sizes are relatively large. The 25th percentile is $141,500, the median is $150,000, and the 75th percentile is $200,000. Recent awards also include larger gifts such as $250,000 and $1,000,000.
Yes. The recent grants list includes donor-advised fund distributions such as Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund, Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund - Zeller Daf, Impactassets, Northern Trust Jcf of San Francisco Stephanie Block, and Gs Donor Advised Philanthropy Fund Paige Sachs.
Texas is the top state by grant count, and 67% of the foundation’s grants go to recipients in its headquarters state. San Antonio appears repeatedly in the recent grants list, along with Houston and Austin.
The recent record suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. San Antonio-based recipients appear in both 2024 and 2025, including Alamo Heights School Foundation and Ronald Mcdonald House of San Antonio, alongside continued support for other local institutions.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER | HOUSTON, TX | $1,000,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS THAT ADVANCE PATIENT CARE, RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND PREVENTION. |
| RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF SAN ANTONIO | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $250,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION TO HELP PROVIDE COMFORT, CARE AND SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN. |
| BREAKTHROUGH CENTRAL TEXAS | AUSTIN, TX | $250,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUCCESS. |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $125,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT INTEGRATION OF ART AND TO ENHANCE THE THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY. |
| SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $125,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND - SECHLER FUND | BOSTON, MA | $105,000 | 2025 | DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND - ZELLER DAF | BOSTON, MA | $105,000 | 2025 | DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS |
| GS DONOR ADVISED PHILANTHROPY FUND PAIGE SACHS | NEW YORK, NY | $105,000 | 2025 | DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS |
| NORTHERN TRUST JCF OF SAN FRANCISCO STEPHANIE BLOCK | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $105,000 | 2025 | DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS |
| IMPACTASSETS | BETHESDA, MD | $105,000 | 2025 | DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS |
| TEMPLE BETH EL | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY, WORSHIP, AND LEARNING. |
| FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION SERVICES | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | CONTRIBUTION FOR GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ALAMO HEIGHTS SCHOOL FOUNDATION | SAN ANTONIO, TX | $250,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION TO HELP ENHANCE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR EVERY STUDENT WITH THE FOCUS OF FUNDING TEACHERS AND STAFF |
| TEXAS BUSINESS HALL OF FAME | HOUSTON, TX | $150,000 | 2024 | CONTRIBUTION TO HELP WITH THE MISSION OF CULTIVATING PRESENT AND FUTURE LEADERS OF TEXAS |
| BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND | BOSTON, MA | $133,000 | 2024 | DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS |
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
$1,000,000CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS THAT ADVANCE PATIENT CARE, RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND PREVENTION.
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE OF SAN ANTONIO
$250,000CONTRIBUTION TO HELP PROVIDE COMFORT, CARE AND SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN.
BREAKTHROUGH CENTRAL TEXAS
$250,000CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT THE LONG-TERM COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUCCESS.
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER
$125,000CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT INTEGRATION OF ART AND TO ENHANCE THE THERAPEUTIC ENVIRONMENT FOR STUDENTS AND FACULTY.
SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY
$125,000CONTRIBUTION FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND - SECHLER FUND
DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND - ZELLER DAF
$105,000DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
GS DONOR ADVISED PHILANTHROPY FUND PAIGE SACHS
$105,000DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
NORTHERN TRUST JCF OF SAN FRANCISCO STEPHANIE BLOCK
$105,000DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
IMPACTASSETS
$105,000DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
TEMPLE BETH EL
$100,000CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY, WORSHIP, AND LEARNING.
FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION SERVICES
$100,000CONTRIBUTION FOR GENERAL SUPPORT
ALAMO HEIGHTS SCHOOL FOUNDATION
$250,000CONTRIBUTION TO HELP ENHANCE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE FOR EVERY STUDENT WITH THE FOCUS OF FUNDING TEACHERS AND STAFF
TEXAS BUSINESS HALL OF FAME
$150,000CONTRIBUTION TO HELP WITH THE MISSION OF CULTIVATING PRESENT AND FUTURE LEADERS OF TEXAS
BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE GIFT FUND
$133,000DONOR ADVISED FUND FOR VARIOUS CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS