Dear friends,
I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well. I am delighted to share some updates about the San Antonio Area Foundation’s significant impact in our city.
At the Area Foundation, we’re proud to lead by example. We gather partners with common passions and pool our resources to change lives. Here are a few examples of our work in action.
Our Recovery Fund for the Arts is up and running. We received dozens of applications and will award several grants to local arts nonprofits in October. Speaking of the arts, we sponsored the Celebration for the Arts, a showcase of outstanding performances from five arts organizations: Ballet San Antonio, The Public Theater of San Antonio, San Antonio Chamber Choir, San Antonio Museum of Art, and Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA).
We teamed with UP Partnership to provide nearly $500,000 for our first-ever Youth Leadership Development and Artist Fellowship grants. It’s part of a $8 million investment from national funder Blue Meridian. These 15 nonprofits will create new opportunities for future success for our most vulnerable young people.
We are pleased to announce that our new San Antonio Area Foundation Legacy Scholarship applications will be available soon. Thanks to the incredible generosity of an anonymous donor, Bexar and Webb County students will have a pathway to higher education in Texas for generations to come. This truly magnificent bequest will award $2 million over four years to 50 students – that’s a renewable gift of $10,000 per student per year. Please find more information about this and other scholarships on our website.
Special congratulations are in order for our staff member Lisa Brunsvold and Board member Lorenzo Gomez III. Lisa won the dance competition at the recent Renaissance with the Stars Gala and she raised more than $30,000 to support our San Antonio Area African American Community Fund. What a fun way to encourage support for this amazing cause! Lorenzo’s latest book, Tafolla Toro: Three Years of Fear is a touching memoir that reflects on youth mental health. CAST Tech students put his story to life in a recent live play performance.
We enthusiastically announce two special sponsorships. The San Antonio Report’s Nonprofits and Philanthropy section is now made possible by the Area Foundation. This holiday season we invite you to Lightscape, presented by the John R. and Greli N. Less Charitable Trust. This luminous display at the San Antonio Botanical Garden runs November 19 through January 2 and promises to be a great event for everyone. Get your tickets soon!
Stories of Impact
Our blog includes many inspiring stories that show how harnessing community investment – even in our virtual environment – can be a powerful force for good.
Investing in a New Generation of STEM
This first-generation college graduate became a NASA engineer, military veteran and college math teacher. Now Ed Esparza and his wife Sonia, a science teacher, have started a scholarship fund to further invest in local students.
When Leadership and Service Make a Legacy
After a promising young airman’s life was cut way too short, the Donn Kent McCorkindale Memorial Scholarship Trust has enabled more than 34 student leaders to live their fullest potential in his name.
This CPR Provides a Different Kind of Lifeline
Burst pipes from this winter’s big freeze led to an outpouring of relief in the form of hundreds of contributions to the Community Pipe Repair (CPR) Program Fund, helping thousands of area residents with more than $1.1 million. We could not do this without your support as our advocates. You are our “secret sauce” to helping our community members thrive and prosper.
Stronger together,
