Address: 1303 San Antonio St, Suite 600, Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 512.879.6600
Web: www.stdavidsfoundation.org
Email: info@stdavidsfoundation.org
St. David’s Foundation was founded in 1924 as a hospital in Austin, Texas. Today, it is one of the largest health foundations in the United States, funding over $100 million annually throughout a five-county area of Central Texas (Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties). Through a unique partnership with St. David’s HealthCare, the Foundation strategically reinvests proceeds from the hospital system into the community, with the goal of advancing health equity and improving the health and well-being of the most underserved Central Texans. Beyond its grantmaking work, the Foundation operates the largest mobile dental program in the country providing charity care and offers the largest health care scholarship program in Texas, the St. David’s Neal Kocurek Scholarship Program.
Program Information:
St. David’s Foundation grantmaking is focused on three intersecting goal areas:
- Access to Care—Increase access to quality care designed to advance health equity
- Economic Stability—Remove economic barriers to improve health outcomes
- Community Driven Change—Equip communities to achieve their health priorities
Beyond its grantmaking work, it operates the largest mobile dental program in the country providing charity care and offers the largest health care scholarship program in Texas, the St. David’s Neal Kocurek Program.
Financial Information:
Amount Dedicated to Health-Related Grant: $133M in 2025 and more than $1B since 1996.
Special Initiatives and/or Representative Health and Human Services Grants
- Culturally Responsive Mental Health Support—The Culturally Responsive Mental Health Support funding opportunity sought to increase the number of Central Texans from historically marginalized communities receiving culturally responsive mental health and well-being supports that honor their racial and cultural identities in trusted spaces in community. In addition to the grants, an additional $415,000 will be used to provide technical support to grantees for sustainability and to enhance regional infrastructure. ($4.2 million)
- Healthy Births, Healthy Communities—The goal of the Healthy Births, Healthy Communities funding opportunity was to increase regional capacity in Central Texas to provide culturally responsive, community-informed perinatal health support within and beyond clinics to improve maternal health and birth outcomes. ($7.3 million)
- Pathways to Economic Stability for Healthcare Workforce—The Pathways to Economic Stability for the Healthcare Workforce funding opportunity was focused on supporting collaborative, region-wide efforts to create pathways to employment opportunities in the health care sector that foster economic stability for those struggling to make ends meet. It built on the foundation’s significant history of investment and action in healthcare workforce development, which illuminated structural barriers that prevent many Central Texans from accessing pathways to health care credentials. ($10.1 million)
- Investing in Impact—The Investing in Impact funding opportunity was designed to strengthen the capacity of intermediary organizations to re-grant foundation resources through a community-directed and participatory process that reflects the needs, voices, and priorities of communities with the greatest health needs. ($4.5 million)
- Community-Driven Change—The Community Driven Change funding opportunity focused on elevating organizations engaging community members in decision making and leadership to foster healthier communities in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties in Texas. ($9.1 million)
- St. David’s Foundation Dental Program—Through the foundation’s dental program, 50 staff members and a fleet of ten mobile clinics serve over 5,550 students each year at Title I elementary schools and community centers around Central Texas. ($10.3 million)
Healthy Communities Foundation and GIH
Grantmakers In Health (GIH) has been a key source of inspiration, connection, and learning for the St. David’s Foundation. As the foundation seeks to have an impact in Central Texas, GIH is a trusted resource. Through programming, publications, and peer exchanges, GIH supports its team and board to gather with peers, share ideas, seed collaboration, and feel a sense of community with other changemakers across the country.
Strategic Changes in Grantmaking Direction/Orientation for the Organization
“The greatest health challenges we face today are rooted in deep inequities—not only in access to care, but in opportunity, agency, and voice. Our most recent Community Health Needs Assessment highlights our research upon which we build our impact work. At St. David’s Foundation, we are committed to removing barriers, investing in community-led solutions, and working alongside our partners to build a Central Texas where everyone can thrive.
“Only by listening and learning from the communities we serve can we better understand the experiences, priorities, and challenges of those facing the greatest health needs. We will continue to invest in solutions led by those most affected, because true health equity can only be achieved when power and partnership are aligned.”
–Edward B. Burger, PhD, President and CEO