Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund
Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund was a private foundation based in San Antonio, Texas, that supported public-education initiatives. Its 2021 IRS filing is marked as a final return, and the filing says the foundation merged with the Charles Butt Foundation and distributed assets to it. The funder therefore appears to have wound down as a separate grantmaking organization.
Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund at a glance
In short: Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund gave $6.4M across 69 grants in 2021 (avg $92K), mostly in Texas. 69% of 2021 grantees were new. Source: 2021 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2021)
- $6,365,589
- +66.0% vs 2020
- Grants made (2021)
- 69
- +50.0% vs 2020
- Average grant
- $92,255
- +10.6% vs 2020
- Median grant
- $74,550
- New grantees (estimate)
- 69% first-time grantees (27 of 39, 2021)
- Primary geography
- Texas (95% of itemized 2021 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2021 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2021; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation stated that it made contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. This describes the foundation’s stated policy; the filing marks 2021 as its final return.
- Contact
Mailing address: 200 E Basse Rd Ste 201, San Antonio, TX 78209-4490
Phone: (512) 617-2121
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2021
The largest 2021 recipient was University of Texas Austin - Uteach ($982K across 4 grants). Together the top 10 received $3.0M.
Organizations only. It also paid 15 individual scholarships ($1,090,172), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
135 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 65 grants of 135 (48%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2021, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas and 5% to recipients in Pennsylvania. The listed grants included Texas universities and school districts, as well as DonorsChoose.org in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2021 grant dollars across all 69 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund open to new grantees?
69%
first-time grantees, 2021
In 2021, 27 of 39 grantees (69%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $95K; repeat grants $316K. How we count
Medians: $100K first-time, $168K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2018–2021). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2018 to 2021, annual grant giving ranged from $3.8M (2020) to $54.6M (2018). In 2021 it made 69 grants totaling $6.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Texas Austin - Uteach Austin, TX | CB Scholarship Program | $736,000 |
| 6 individual scholarships Recipients not named | — | $1,075,000 |
| Donorschooseorg Philadelphia, PA | Teachers Can | $300,000 |
| University of Texas Austin Austin, TX | CB Scholarship Program | $296,000 |
| University of Houston Houston, TX | CB Scholarship Program | $260,000 |
| Texas A&M College Station College Station, TX | Raising Texas Teachers Emerging Partners Initiative | $228,000 |
| Ector County ISD Odessa, TX | Blending Learning II | $150,000 |
| Tomball ISD Tomball, TX | Blending Learning II | $150,000 |
| University of Texas Dallas Richardson, TX | CB Scholarship Program | $146,960 |
| Venus ISD Venus, TX | Blending Learning II | $145,700 |
Ready to take the next step with Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The filing states that, as of December 31, 2021, the foundation distributed all assets to a private foundation under section 507(b)(2), including $3,951,531 to the Charles Butt Foundation.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | — | $18,679,245 | $14,894,953 | $6,365,589 | 69 | $13,886,243 | $146 |
| 2020 | $883,269 | $8,900,376 | $14,995,757 | $3,835,593 | 46 | — | $15,766 |
| 2018 | $20,684,890 | $1,693,285 | $60,634,220 | $54,608,312 | 20 | — | $480,175 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The funder’s filing describes statewide initiatives to improve student achievement through blended learning, elevate the teaching profession, improve teacher preparation, and provide scholarships to aspiring teachers. The Charles Butt Foundation’s website describes Raising Texas Teachers as a program to recruit, train, and retain teachers, including through scholarships and partnerships with university-based teacher preparation programs.
Grantees included universities and school districts. Trinity University, which received a grant in 2021, describes its mission as excellence in teaching, research, and service. Southern Methodist University, also a 2021 grantee, describes its mission as education through research and teaching, creating and imparting knowledge, and preparing citizens to contribute to their communities and lead professions.
Grantmaking
In 2021, the funder reported 69 grants totaling $6,365,589. Grant amounts ranged from $350 to $736,000, with a median of $74,550. Notable grants included $736,000 to University of Texas Austin – UTeach for the CB Scholarship Program; $446,000 to Texas Tech College of Education for the CB Scholarship Program; $300,000 to DonorsChoose.org for Teachers Can; and $228,000 to Texas A&M College Station for the Raising Texas Teachers Emerging Partners Initiative. Ector County ISD and Tomball ISD each received $150,000 for Blending Learning II.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2021 filing lists Charles Butt as director and chairman, Charles H. Clines as director and vice president, treasurer, and Shari Albright as director and president.
Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund is led by Shari Albright, Director & President on every filing since 2018; 1 of 3 officers listed in 2021 is compensated.
Officers on the 2021 filing
Shari Albright
Director & President
On filings since 2018
40 hrs/week
$183K (2018) → $409K (2021)
Charles Butt
Director & Chairman
On filings since 2018
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Charles H. Clines
Director, Vice President & Treasurer
On filings since 2018
5 hrs/week
$66K (2018) → $0 (2021)
Former officers (1)
- Former: John David Thompson III (2018) — Director, Vice President & Secretary · Filing note: Until 73018
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2021. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2021 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2021 filing was $409K, to Shari Albright (Director and President).
Frequently asked questions about Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund
How much does Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund give each year?
Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund gave $6.4M across 69 grants in 2021, according to its 2021 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2020 it gave $3.8M across 46 grants.
What is Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund's typical grant size?
Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund's median grant in 2021 was $74,550, and its average grant was $92,255, across 69 grants on its 2021 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund that year got $95K on average.
Where does Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund give grants?
Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund gives mostly in Texas: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2021 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Austin, TX (9 grants), San Antonio, TX (6 grants), Houston, TX (5 grants) and Dallas, TX (4 grants).
Does Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2021: none of the 69 grants with a stated purpose on Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund's 2021 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Blending Learning II" (20 grants), "CB Scholarship Program" (13 grants) and "CB Scholarship Program Support" (10 grants).
Who are Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund's largest grantees?
Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund's largest 2021 grantees include University of Texas Austin - Uteach ($981,786 across 4 grants), University of Texas Austin ($412,214 across 2 grants) and Donorschooseorg ($300,000), according to its 2021 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 15 individual scholarships ($1,090,172), which are not listed by name. Together they received 27% of its itemized 2021 grant dollars.
What does Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund fund?
The funder’s filing describes statewide initiatives to improve student achievement through blended learning, elevate the teaching profession, improve teacher preparation, and provide scholarships to aspiring teachers. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund?
The foundation stated that it made contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund's EIN?
Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3918577. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2021.
Does Raise Your Hand for Texas Education Fund accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(4)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS January 31, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 14, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2021
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