About Waco Foundation
Waco Foundation promotes solutions to community challenges, strengthens nonprofits, engages philanthropists, and manages charitable assets to improve quality of life in our community.
Focus Areas
Education (scholarships, Duncan Scholars)Nonprofit capacity buildingCommunity development and quality of lifeEmergency & critical needs funding
Who They Fund
immigrant communitiesstudents / scholarship recipientsarts and cultural institutions (museums, exhibition programs)nonprofit organizations (general operating and capital needs)
Funding Style
unrestricted / undesignated supportoperating support (general operating)
About Waco Foundation
A bequest-based scholarship program sits alongside Waco Foundation’s broader community grantmaking. Through the Duncan Scholars program, the foundation supports local students with financial aid, academic support, and success coaching, with the stated goal of helping them graduate from college debt free. That education work sits within a larger local portfolio tied to quality of life in McLennan County. Recent grants show a foundation that funds both institutions and immediate needs. Start Up Waco received a $1,110,411 undesignated grant in 2025, while Heart of Texas Community Health Center Inc Dba Waco Family Medicine received major capital support in 2024, including $488,216 for a capital campaign. The foundation also backs nonprofit organizations through operating, program, and undesignated support, and it makes room for emergency assistance when organizations face urgent challenges. Its stated focus areas include education, nonprofit capacity building, community development and quality of life, and emergency and critical needs funding. The grantmaking pattern includes scholarships, capital projects, operating support, and flexible support for local nonprofits. It also reaches into arts and cultural institutions, immigrant support services, and leadership-related nonprofit expenses. Across the portfolio, the foundation appears to use multiple grant types to address both ongoing community infrastructure and short-term organizational needs.
What Waco Foundation Funds
Education is a visible part of Waco Foundation’s work. The Duncan Scholars program supports local students with financial aid, academic support, and success coaching, and the foundation also runs scholarship access through its scholarship portal. Nonprofit capacity building is another clear theme. In 2024, Texas Rural Funders received $777,283 for operating support, and in 2023 Connected Nation Inc received $685,333 for operating support. Those awards show that the foundation funds organizations beyond a single service line when they are tied to local quality of life. Community development and critical response also appear in the portfolio. City of Mart received $425,000 for building and renovation in 2024, while Baylor Scott & White Central Texas Foundation received $131,570 for emergency funds in 2025. The foundation also supports arts and culture; Waco Creative Art Center received $107,600 in 2023.
How Waco Foundation Gives
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$12.5M
Total Assets
$142.3M
Total Revenue
$8.6M
Total Expenses
$7.2M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $45K, with a median of $19K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$19K
75th Percentile
$45K
Geographic Reach
Local17 states funded
About 87% of grants go to recipients in DC.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ASHLEY ALLISON
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeWant a Personalized Pitch for Waco Foundation?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime