Supporting community-directed giving through initiatives and institutions to advance health equity.
Communities across Central Texas, especially those facing the greatest health challenges, are often underrepresented in traditional funding processes, leaving local priorities and solutions overlooked. When funding is directed by those closest to the issues, it is more responsive and more likely to drive lasting change. There is a growing need for a stronger regional infrastructure that brings resources closer to communities and broadens geographic representation in grantmaking. Community-directed giving offers a pathway to foster regional dialogue and ensure communities can more effectively advance their own health priorities.
Driving Impact
By 2030, St. David’s Foundation seeks to shift the funding landscape in Central Texas by increasing the percentage of resources directed by communities with the greatest health needs. We aim to help build a funder ecosystem in which decision-making power is shared with those closest to the issues, ensuring that funding across our region is more effective by directly focusing on local priorities and lived experiences.
Approach
St. David’s Foundation’s approach centers on developing capacity and catalyzing communities to shift power and funding closer to communities.
We will invest in:
- Strengthening the effectiveness of community-rooted organizations that are well-positioned to direct resources to areas with the greatest health needs and include residents in deciding how funding is used to improve health
- Sector infrastructure—such as pooled funds and collaborative models—to make it easier for both individual and institutional funders to support community-identified priorities
This approach recognizes that communities have the insight and expertise to guide solutions—and that improved community health grows out of trusting and resourcing those closest to the challenges.
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Article
December 17, 2024
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