About Garrison Family Foundation
A $1,000,000 grant to McMurry University for the Garrison Student Center Renovation and Expansion is the clearest marker of Garrison Family Foundation’s style: large, targeted support for campus facilities, paired with operating gifts for faith-based and community-serving institutions. Across the recent grants list, the foundation backs universities, camp and retreat centers, family crisis services, pediatric and child-health nonprofits, and organizations serving people with disabilities or complex needs. The pattern is not limited to one program type. Some awards fund capital projects and equipment, such as building renovations, dining hall generators, audio-visual upgrades, and play spaces. Others are unrestricted gifts that help organizations cover general needs. Texas grantees appear repeatedly, including Texas Tech Foundation Inc., Ceta Canyon Camp & Retreat Center, and Alstrom Angels Corp. The foundation also supports organizations that blend education with student services, as seen in grants tied to university scholarships, student centers, and health-related research at Texas Tech. In family and youth-serving work, its grants include homelessness prevention, foster care support, and wish-granting programs for children.
What Garrison Family Foundation Funds
Education is a central theme. Garrison Family Foundation gave $170,000 to Texas Tech Foundation Inc. for general and unrestricted support in 2025, and a separate $60,000 grant to the same organization for the Mildred Welch Garrison Scholarship Fund in 2024. Campus infrastructure also matters: McMurry University received $1,000,000 for the Garrison Student Center Renovation and Expansion. Beyond higher education, the foundation funds faith-based and retreat settings. Ceta Canyon Camp & Retreat Center received $125,000 in 2023 for its Welcome Center/Office, endowment, and annual support, plus a 2024 award for its endowment fund, dining hall generator, audio-visual equipment, and building repairs. Family and child support shows up as well, including $100,000 to Highland Lakes Crisis Network for the Homeless Family and Foster Care Initiative.
How Garrison Family Foundation Gives
Typical grant size sits at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $23,512 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile, while the recent list also includes several six- and seven-figure awards. The foundation makes repeated gifts to a small set of organizations across multiple years, including Texas Tech Foundation Inc., Ceta Canyon Camp & Retreat Center, Alstrom Angels Corp, Austin Ymbl Sunshine Camp, Make-a-wish Foundation of Central and South Texas, and Highland Lakes Crisis Network. That repeat pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. It is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it funds individuals. Grants appear to include both operating support and project-specific support.