Following the excitement of its 60th anniversary year in 2024, the San Antonio Area Foundation (SAAFdn) entered 2025 with momentum, and a mission to keep driving impact in a rapidly changing philanthropic landscape.
Guided by a commitment to excellence, integrity, and compassion, the Area Foundation strengthened its role as San Antonio’s philanthropic leader — building partnerships, advancing opportunity, and working to close opportunity gaps for the people who need it most.
Collaboration at the Core
“Collaboration was the cornerstone of our success in 2025,” said Chief Operating Officer Arenda Burns. “While teamwork is often celebrated, this year truly showcased the collective passion and commitment of our organization. From achieving record-breaking scholarship numbers to meeting the increased demand for our services, every milestone required cross-department collaboration and a shared focus on common goals.”
Record-Breaking Support for Students and Families
That collaboration was most evident in the work of the Development and Donor Services (DDS) team, which reviewed more than 16,000 scholarship applications and awarded a record $13.2 million in scholarships — helping close opportunity gaps by giving students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds a pathway to higher education.
The year also saw the successful launch of SAAFdn’s Giving Guide, designed to introduce the concept of family philanthropy and showcase the outstanding work of nonprofits across the community.
“These achievements are important because they reflect our mission in action and create lasting impact,” said Chief Development Officer Lisa Brunsvold. “Together, these milestones show how we deliver on our promise to serve in times of need, celebration, grief, and honor — making a tangible difference for individuals and families.”
Connecting Communities Through Conversation and Information
That same commitment to community impact was reflected in the work of the Community Engagement and Impact (CEI) team, which launched two major projects designed to bring people together around shared causes.
The Press Forward Annual Summit united local newsrooms, journalists, and community leaders for the first event of its kind in San Antonio.
“The summit was our first step in building an ecosystem that can sustain local newsrooms and help our community understand how essential trusted information is to a thriving democracy,” said Senior Program Officer Jesús Garcia-González.
The CEI team also introduced the first Generations Over Dinner events — a unique series bringing people of different ages together for meaningful conversations, reaching more than 350 participants across the community.
“This kind of cross-generational dialogue is really important, as social connectedness is good for everyone’s health,” noted Jane Paccione, SAAFdn’s Managing Director of Collective Impact. “This has been so well received by the community.”
A Decade of Leadership Development
The Learning & Development Department also celebrated a decade-long partnership with HOLT CAT San Antonio, marking 10 years of delivering the HOLT Values-Based Leadership Fellows Program to nonprofit leaders.
“Over the past 10 years, HOLT has supported leaders as they navigate both professional and personal growth, equipping them with tools, insight, and guidance that have made a lasting impact,” said Burns. “We are grateful for the strength of this collaboration and excited to see how our relationship continues to grow and expand in the years ahead.”
Responding in Times of Need
When tragedy struck Kerr County this summer, the Area Foundation once again demonstrated its capacity to respond with compassion and expertise. The organization stepped in to support the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country (CFTHC) through a period of loss and uncertainty. Staff members deployed to stabilize operations, process an influx of nationwide donations, and ensure that community needs were met without interruption.
“It was a true example of solidarity and shared purpose — the kind of partnership that community foundations are uniquely built to provide,” Burns said.
Driving Collective Impact Through Grantmaking
The Area Foundation’s grantmaking efforts further exemplified this spirit of collaboration and responsiveness. In 2025, the organization awarded $10 million in grants to 37 nonprofits as part of the Future Ready Bexar County Plan, a collective initiative to increase postsecondary enrollment in Bexar County to 70 percent by 2030.
“This year, we were able to drive forward on everything we had planned while remaining responsive to what the community needed,” said Chief Impact Officer Ryan Lugalia-Hollon. “That was an example of us being responsive to community needs in real time while driving forward on bigger priorities.”
Looking Ahead
These moments reflect just a glimpse of an extraordinary year of service and impact. As we look to the year ahead, the Area Foundation will continue serving as your most trusted and impactful philanthropic partner — building a stronger, more connected community together.
