GREATER TEXAS FOUNDATION | Annual Report 2021
ABOUT GREATER TEXAS FOUNDATION
Vision
Greater Texas Foundation’s vision is for all Texas students to have equal opportunity to access and succeed in postsecondary education.
Mission
Greater Texas Foundation supports efforts to ensure all Texas students are prepared for, have access to, persist in, and complete postsecondary education. We put particular focus on helping underserved and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. We pursue our mission by forming partnerships, supporting research, sharing knowledge, and making grants.
History
Greater Texas Foundation is built on a long history of service to the students of Texas. The organization from which Greater Texas Foundation evolved was founded in 1981 as the Greater East Texas Higher Education Authority. At the time, students borrowed from private lenders to pay for their higher education under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Greater East Texas incentivized this practice by serving as a nonprofit secondary buyer for loans in southeast Texas and by providing information to schools and students about the FFELP. Over time, the organization grew, adding a loan servicing arm and acquiring a loan portfolio. In 2001, the board elected to expand the organization’s charitable purpose by splitting it into two entities. Greater Texas Foundation would function as a public charity, while LoanSTAR Funding Group would hold the organization’s loan-related assets.
In 2005, the foundation sold its stock in LoanSTAR and invested the proceeds to create an endowment. Over the next several years, the foundation awarded millions of dollars in grants to educational programs, particularly those focused on math and science. Over time, the mission and strategy of Greater Texas Foundation evolved with an improved understanding of Texas students. Today, we function as a private foundation with a vision for all Texas students to have equal opportunity to access and succeed in postsecondary education. The foundation’s mission is to support efforts to ensure all Texas students are prepared for, have access to, persist in, and complete postsecondary education. The foundation is guided by a five-year plan focused on specific goals and strategies to optimize our impact on students. To learn more, please visit greatertexasfoundation.org/priorities.
Board of Directors
Chair
Vice Chair, Finance & Investment Committee Chair
Secretary, Audit & Accountability Committee Chair
Charitable Activities Committee Co-Chair
Charitable Activities Committee Co-Chair
Strategy & Learning Committee Chair
Director
Director
Director
Advisors
Advisor to the Strategy & Learning Committee
Advisor to the Finance & Investment Committee
Advisor to the Charitable Activities Committee
Advisor to the Audit & Accountability Committee
Staff
President & CEO
Senior Accountant
Chief Financial Officer
Director of Programs & Strategy
Office Manager
Director of Grants Management
Programs & Strategy Associate
Project Associate
Chris Woodruff
Senior Grants Management Associate
Student Assistants
Laurel Kelley
Meredith Moore
Peyton Hanna
Alyssa Muceus
Kirsten Ruby
Mariah Vasquez
