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Purpose. Giving for higher education at The University of Texas at Austin College of Engineering; support also for cultural programs, social services, youth services and health care.
Brief History. Trust established in 1957 in Texas; incorporated in 1966. Funds donated
by Ernest Cockrell, Jr. (deceased), Virginia H. Cockrell (deceased).
Eligibility. Grants are made only to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. To be eligible, an organization must have received a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service indicating that it is an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is not a private foundation within the meaning of Section 509(a) of the Code. The Foundation specifically supports scholarships and professorial and academic chairs through an annual grant to The University of Texas at Austin College of Engineering, but does not give scholarships directly to individuals.
Fields of Interest. The Foundation’s special emphasis is The University of Texas at Austin. Other fields of interest are the arts, health, civic, religious and social services.
Types of Support. The Foundation makes grants for support for annual campaigns, building funds, capital campaigns, endowment funds, general purposes, matching funds, and special projects.
Deadlines. There are no deadlines for making a request to The Cockrell Foundation. The Foundation meetings are in the late spring and late Fall. An application form is not required. (See Recommended Procedures for Making Application
below.)
Geographic Restrictions. Grants are made primarily in Houston, Texas. No grants are made to organizations outside of the United States or out of Texas unless the purpose of the grant is to benefit a Texas project. Limited funds are available for grants outside of Houston, and such grant requests are discouraged.
Other Restrictions. The Foundation generally makes grants for only one-year periods. An organization should apply only once during any calendar year. If a grant request is denied, the applicant must wait until the following year before submitting a new request. The Foundation does not participate in feasibility studies and generally does not make grants for the following:
- Individuals
- Mass appeal solicitations
- Medical or scientific research projects
- Organizations outside of Houston, Texas and the United States
Grant Size. In 2005 the
Foundation made a total of 30 grants ranging from $1,000 to $2,937,279.
Of the 29 grants, only 5 were $50,000 and above;
5 were from $25,000 to $49,000; the remaining 19 were from $1,000 to $20,000. The
median award was $12,000.
Response. The Foundation makes every effort to respond as soon as possible to inquiries. The staff reviews all proposals to determine whether they fall within the Foundation’s current areas of interest and funding priorities. Approval and denial letters are mailed within two weeks after a grant-decision meeting. Generally, grant checks are mailed by December 31 of the year the request was made.
Recommended Procedures for Making Application. A written description of how the grant money will be used must be submitted covering the following items:
(There is a five-page limit on this description.)
- A brief description of the need or problem
- A simple statement of what is hoped to be accomplished
- A budget for the project, giving the total cost
The amount raised to date toward the project or program—the sources from which it has come, including private, religious organizations and/or government sources, and, in particular, the amount contributed by the individuals on the Board of Directors - Plans for raising any uncovered balance
- An explanation of why it is necessary to seek outside support
- The current status of the project—where it stands now and how long it will take to complete
- The specific sum being requested of The Cockrell Foundation
- Plans for putting continuing projects on a self-sustaining basis and an estimate of when this will occur
- Name and address of tax exempt organization which will be the recipient if a donation is made and a copy of the exemption letter from the U.S. Treasure Department
- A copy of the organization’s current annual budget
- A copy of the organization’s latest IRS-990
- A copy of the organization’s latest audited financials
- A list of the members of the Board of Directors
- A list of the officers of the organization
- An Executive Summary Sheet
It is important that the essential facts be stated briefly. There is no need for elaborate presentations.
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