Cooper Foundation Grants (Waco, Texas)

Madison Cooper created the Cooper Foundation with a mission to make Waco, Texas a better or more desirable city in which to live, realised through grant awards to qualifying nonprofits in Waco; the Foundation funds education, health, arts and culture, community building and social services, and senior citizens. Grants are made only to 501(c)(3) public charities with a 509(a)(1) or (2) designation or to governmental agencies; the Foundation does not make grants to churches, to fund activities that teach, promote or deny any particular religion, or for event sponsorships, and it funds projects in Waco only (Waco Foundation covers the rest of McLennan County). The Foundation funds capital projects, programs and services, and capacity-building projects, and there are no set limitations on the amount that can be requested. Recent grants include Waco ISD $296,250, Mission Waco $269,818, Greater Waco Legal Services $150,000, Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce $100,000, MCC Foundation $100,000, Habitat for Humanity $80,000 and Better at Last $5,000. An invitation to submit a proposal does not imply a guarantee of funding, and the Foundation makes no advance commitment of funds beyond the project grant.

Start by reading the Cooper Foundation Grant Guidelines and the Organizational Readiness Checklist. Submit a Grant Inquiry form or call the foundation at 254.754.0315 to discuss the potential application — there are no deadlines for grant inquiries, which are accepted on an ongoing basis. Staff review the inquiry and respond within a few weeks; if accepted, you are invited to submit a full proposal through the online system. Full-proposal deadlines for 2026-2027 are September 1 (reviewed December 3), November 2 (January 28), December 1 (February 25), January 6 (March 25), February 1 (April 22) and March 1 (May 27). An organization may apply once a year.