Greater Fayette Community Foundation
Greater Fayette Community Foundation (GFCF) is a public charity based in La Grange, Texas. Founded in 2001, it connects donors, nonprofits, and community leaders, distributing charitable funds according to donor wishes and community needs.
Key facts about Greater Fayette Community Foundation
In short: Greater Fayette Community Foundation gave $644K across 34 grants in 2024 (avg $19K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 74-2997477
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024
- Annual giving (2024)
- $644,004
- Grants made (2024)
- 34
- Average grant
- $18,941
- Median grant
- $11,500
- Total assets
- $2,014,112
- Primary geography
- Texas (98% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- How to apply
- For year-round opportunities, applicants use GFCF’s online grants portal. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated October 2026. Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$2.0M
-6.1% YoY
Annual Giving
$644K
+36.4% YoY
Grant Count
34
+142.9% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$19K
-43.8% YoY
How Greater Fayette Community Foundation gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
GFCF’s stated mission is to serve the local community by providing a means to receive and distribute charitable funds based on donors’ wishes and the community’s changing needs. Its stated program activities include distributing donated assets to local charities for community benefit and distributing designated funds to individual scholarship recipients.
GFCF’s Community Impact Funds address mental health, workforce development and education, and rural health. The Red Door Fund supports programs providing culturally relevant, accessible mental health services. The Green Door Fund invests in workforce development. The Rural Community Health Fund (RCHF) supports grassroots initiatives addressing social drivers of health in underserved rural communities.
GFCF describes its grant opportunities as supporting nonprofits and community organizations. Examples of grantees’ work include American YouthWorks’ education, paid career training, and national service for young adults; Turtle Wing Foundation’s support for children with learning challenges in rural areas; and Hays County Food Bank’s food distribution to families experiencing food deprivation. These are descriptions of the grantees’ missions, not GFCF’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, GFCF reported 34 grants totaling $644,004. Grant amounts ranged from $6,602 to $84,744, with a median of $11,500. Among the largest grants were $84,744 to Arts for Rural Texas for “endowment liquidatio,” $78,686 to “Various Grants 5000” for “various,” and $68,500 to Blinn College for education and research. Other grants included $22,500 each to Bastrop County African American Foundation, Breaking Bread Outreach, and Power 2 Prosper Community Foundation; and $20,000 each to Allure Alliance, American YouthWorks, Friends of Monument Hill, and Guiding Hearts.
Review Cycle
is listed as opening June 1, 2026. The application process includes reviewing grant guidelines, an application guide and FAQs; completing an eligibility quiz through the application portal; drafting the application; and submitting it with attachments. Eligible applicants include qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations and collaboratives, coalitions, or partnerships applying through a 501(c)(3) member. Applicants must serve at least one of the counties listed for the program, generally have an operating budget under $500,000 (exceptions may apply), and agree to GFCF’s nondiscrimination clause. The listed counties are Fayette, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Lee, Bastrop, Caldwell, Gonzales, Lavaca, Burleson, Waller, Fort Bend, Wharton, Jackson, Victoria, DeWitt, Guadalupe, Hays, and Williamson.
How to Apply
includes reviewing grant guidelines, an application guide and FAQs; completing an eligibility quiz through the application portal; drafting the application; and submitting it with attachments. Eligible applicants include qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations and collaboratives, coalitions, or partnerships applying through a 501(c)(3) member. Applicants must serve at least one of the counties listed for the program, generally have an operating budget under $500,000 (exceptions may apply), and agree to GFCF’s nondiscrimination clause. The listed counties are Fayette, Colorado, Austin, Washington, Lee, Bastrop, Caldwell, Gonzales, Lavaca, Burleson, Waller, Fort Bend, Wharton, Jackson, Victoria, DeWitt, Guadalupe, Hays, and Williamson.
Open Grants
5 open opportunities from Greater Fayette Community Foundation
Community Impact Grant
Greater Fayette Community Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Fayette Community Foundation Scholarships
Greater Fayette Community Foundation
Amount
Varies (awarded over $33,000 to 18 students in 2022)
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Joe & Carolyn Bailey Scholarship Fund
Greater Fayette Community Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling / Open
Ready to take the next step with Greater Fayette Community Foundation?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
GFCF describes its service area as rural South Central Texas, encompassing 19 counties within a 60-mile radius of La Grange. The Community Impact Grant eligibility list names 19 counties, while the RCHF’s stated scope includes rural communities in Bastrop, Caldwell, East Williamson, and Hays counties. In its 2024 grant reporting, 98% of grant dollars went to Texas recipients and 2% to Tennessee recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 34 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $13K (2020) to $644K (2024). In 2024 it made 34 grants totaling $644K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Arts for Rural Texas ($85K). Together the top 10 received $381K.
Grant Size Distribution
58 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 53 grants of 58 (91%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Arts for Rural Texas Fayetteville, TX | Endowment Liquidatio | $84,744 |
| Various Grants 5000 La Grange, TX | Various | $78,686 |
| Blinn College Brenham, TX | Education & Research | $68,500 |
| Bastrop County African American Fou Bastrop, TX | Program Expenses | $22,500 |
| Breaking Bread Outreach San Marcos, TX | Program Expenses | $22,500 |
| Power 2 Prosper Community Foudation San Marcos, TX | Access Network | $22,500 |
| Round Top Festival Institute Round Top, TX | Arts, Humanities, Cu | $21,200 |
| Allure Alliance Inc Elgin, TX | Community Health Tra | $20,000 |
| American Youthworks Austin, TX | Youth Building | $20,000 |
| Friends of Monument Hill La Grange, TX | Education & Research | $20,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $2,014,112 | $1,185,428 | $1,404,403 | $644,004 (34 grants) |
| 2023 | $2,145,893 | $1,572,708 | $862,556 | $472,186 (14 grants) |
| 2022 | $1,335,336 | $712,258 | $262,355 | $61,707 (7 grants) |
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $2,014,112 | $2,145,893 | $1,335,336 |
| Revenue | $1,185,428 | $1,572,708 | $712,258 |
| Expenses | $1,404,403 | $862,556 | $262,355 |
| Net Investment Income | $45,712 | $26,176 | $24,151 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Cheryl Pekar as board president, Reenie Collins as vice president, Leslie Penello as board secretary, and Christine Scully as treasurer. Directors listed are Karen Bookout, Cathy Horn, Don Jones, Janis Richardson, and Linda Streicher.
Greater Fayette Community Foundation is led by Cheryl Pekar, Board President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 9 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Cheryl Pekar
Board President
Secretary → Board Vice P, 2023
Board Vice P → Board President, 2024
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cathy Horn
Director
President → Board President, 2023
Board President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Don Jones
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Karen Bookout
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Linda Streicher
Director
Treasurer → Board Treasurer, 2023
Board Treasurer → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Janis Richardson
Director
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Reenie Collins
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Leslie Penello
Board Secretary
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christine Scully
Treasurer
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Susan Kuehler (2020–2023) — Board Vice P
- Former: Gale Lincke (2020–2022) — Director Emeritus
- Former: Jeanne Schilling (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Linda Penello (2020–2022) — Director
- Former: Susannah Mikulin (2020–2022) — Executive Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 664, La Grange, TX 78945
Phone: (979) 797-2181
Website: https://greaterfayette.com
Frequently asked questions about Greater Fayette Community Foundation
How much does Greater Fayette Community Foundation give each year?
Greater Fayette Community Foundation gave $644K across 34 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $472K across 14 grants.
What is Greater Fayette Community Foundation's typical grant size?
Greater Fayette Community Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $11,500, and its average grant was $18,941, across 34 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990.
Where does Greater Fayette Community Foundation give grants?
Greater Fayette Community Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were La Grange, TX (5 grants), San Marcos, TX (5 grants), Bastrop, TX (2 grants) and Elgin, TX (2 grants).
Does Greater Fayette Community Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 34 grants with a stated purpose on Greater Fayette Community Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Mental Health" (6 grants), "Program Expenses" (3 grants) and "Education & Research" (3 grants).
Who are Greater Fayette Community Foundation's largest grantees?
Greater Fayette Community Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Arts for Rural Texas ($84,744), Various Grants 5000 ($78,686) and Blinn College ($68,500), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 36% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Greater Fayette Community Foundation?
Greater Fayette Community Foundation reported $2.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.2M.
What does Greater Fayette Community Foundation fund?
GFCF’s stated mission is to serve the local community by providing a means to receive and distribute charitable funds based on donors’ wishes and the community’s changing needs. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Greater Fayette Community Foundation?
For year-round opportunities, applicants use GFCF’s online grants portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Greater Fayette Community Foundation's EIN?
Greater Fayette Community Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2997477. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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