The Houston Endowment was founded in 1937 by Jesse H. Jones and Mary Gibbs Jones as an extension of their personal philanthropy. The organization gives grants to organization throughout the greater Houston area. ¹ Today, the endowment gives approximately $80,000,000 each year to organizations including some left-wing immigration and environmental groups. ²

Support of Left-Wing Immigration Policy

The Houston Endowment has taken liberal stances on immigration policy and has worked with other groups to support their left-wing views. In 2017, the Houston Endowment signed onto a letter from Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) opposing the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program,³ an Obama administration policy granting legal status to certain illegal immigrants which critics claim exceeded Presidential authority. ⁴ Other left-wing groups that signed the letter include the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Crossroads Fund, Hispanics in Philanthropy, and Liberty Hill Foundation. ⁵ In 2018, the Houston Endowment signed onto another GCIR letter opposing the Trump Administration’s zero-tolerance policy at the border, which liberal organizations such as the Ford Foundation, NEO Philanthropy, and The James Irvine Foundation signed as well. ⁶ The Houston Endowment also co-sponsored a 2018 GCIR trip that focused on how illegal immigrants were being affected by increased immigration enforcement and the administration’s rollback of the DACA and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs. ⁷

In 2018, the Houston Endowment cosponsored an event hosted by the Migration Policy Institute. ⁸ The event featured speakers from left-of-center groups Mi Familia Vota, Council on American-Islamic Relations Texas, and United We Dream. The speakers focused on how ending DACA and TPS would affect illegal immigrants. ⁹

In 2013, the Houston Endowment helped to form the in the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative (HILSC) which provides services to illegal immigrants. ¹⁰ One such service is the Immigrant Rights Hotline, which the Houston Endowment highlights on its website. ¹¹ The hotline is a project supported by various left-wing groups including the ACLU of Texas and United We Dream. ¹² HILSC encourages illegal immigrants to apply for Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and DACA. ¹³ From 2016 to 2017 the Houston Endowment provides $875,000 in funding to the HILSC. ¹⁴

Leftist Environmental Policy

The Houston Endowment helped to found the One Breath Partnership (OBP). ¹⁵ The OBP pushes left-wing environmental policies such as higher fuel efficiency standards, increased federal intervention in local environmental issues, and opposition to the Trump administration’s push to reduce the burden of environmental regulations on businesses. ^{16 17 18} The OBP gained national attention in the wake of Hurricane Harvey for its focus on how Harvey affected air pollution in Houston.

A notable left-wing partner of the Houston Foundation is the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). In 2016, the Houston Endowment gave $1,620,000 to the EDF for a public awareness campaign. ¹⁹ The campaign was also supported by left-of-center groups Environmental Integrity Project, Environment Texas, and Public Citizen. ²⁰

Democratic Party Connections

Lina Hidalgo (D) was sworn into office as Harris County Judge January 1^st, 2019. ²¹ One of her first actions in office was to announce a major community engagement program supported by the Houston Endowment and left-of-center Ford Foundation. ²²

During the 2018 election, the Democratic candidate for Texas’s 2^nd Congressional District was Todd Litton, a former employee of the Houston Endowment. ²³

1. “Overview.” Houston Endowment. Accessed January 07, 2019. http://web.houstonendowment.org/About/About.aspx.
2. “About.” Houston Endowment. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonendowment.org/about/.
3. “Delivering on the Dream: Joint Statement on the Cancellation of DACA.” GCIR | Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrant Refugees. October 09, 2018. Accessed January 10, 2019. https://www.gcir.org/news/delivering-dream-joint-statement-cancellation-daca.
4. Cooke, Charles C. W. “Fight the Power Grab.” National Review. November 18, 2014. Accessed January 10, 2019. https://www.nationalreview.com/2014/11/fight-power-grab-charles-c-w-cooke/.
5. “Delivering on the Dream: Joint Statement on the Cancellation of DACA.” GCIR | Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrant Refugees. October 09, 2018. Accessed January 10, 2019. https://www.gcir.org/news/delivering-dream-joint-statement-cancellation-daca.
6. “Philanthropy Responds to Inhumane Family Separation and Detention Policies.” Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. June 13, 2018. Accessed January 05, 2019. https://www.gcir.org/news/philanthropy-responds-inhumane-family-separation-and-detention-policies.
7. “Empowering Houston’s Immigrant Families: How To Make A Philanthropic Impact.” Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.gcir.org/programs/empowering-houston-s-immigrant-families-how-make-philanthropic-impact.
8. “The Real Story: Future Outlook for Greater Houston Region Immigrants.” Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative. September 20, 2018. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonimmigration.org/events/the-real-story-future-outlook-for-greater-houston-region-immigrants/.
9. “The Real Story: Future Outlook for Greater Houston Region Immigrants.” Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative. September 20, 2018. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonimmigration.org/events/the-real-story-future-outlook-for-greater-houston-region-immigrants/.
10. “Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative.” Houston Endowment. July 03, 2018. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonendowment.org/feature/houston-immigration-legal-services-collaborative/.
11. “Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative.” Houston Endowment. July 03, 2018. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonendowment.org/feature/houston-immigration-legal-services-collaborative/.
12. “Immigrant Rights Hotline.” Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonimmigration.org/hotline/.
13. “Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative.” Citizenship Corner. Accessed January 07, 2019. http://citizenshipcorner.org/join-the-collaborative/.
14. “Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative.” Houston Endowment. July 03, 2018. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonendowment.org/feature/houston-immigration-legal-services-collaborative/.
15. “One Breath Partnership.” Houston Endowment. July 03, 2018. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonendowment.org/feature/one-breath-partnership/.
16. Pelton, Tom. “Rollback of Fuel Standards Greenlights More Air Pollution.” One Breath Partnership. Accessed January 05, 2019. https://www.onebreathhou.org/rollback_of_fuel_standards_greenlights_more_air_pollution.
17. Tresaugue, Matt. “Houston Needs EPA’s Help to End Smog Problem.” One Breath Partnership. Accessed January 05, 2019. https://www.onebreathhou.org/houston_needs_epa_s_help_to_end_smog_problem.
18. Tresaugue, Matt. “Pruitt’s New Toxic Loophole.” One Breath Partnership. Accessed January 05, 2019. https://www.onebreathhou.org/the_epa_s_new_toxic_loophole.
19. “One Breath Partnership.” Houston Endowment. July 03, 2018. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonendowment.org/feature/one-breath-partnership/.
20. “Improving Greater Houston’s Air Quality.” Houston Endowment. December 16, 2016. Accessed January 07, 2019. https://www.houstonendowment.org/feature/environmental-collaborative/.
21. Despart, Zach. “Lina Hidalgo Sworn in as Harris County Judge.” Houston Chronicle. January 02, 2019. Accessed January 05, 2019. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Hidalgo-sworn-in-as-Harris-County-judge-13501665.php?utm_campaign=twitter-premium&utm_source=CMS Sharing Button&utm_medium=social.
22. Despart, Zach. “Lina Hidalgo Sworn in as Harris County Judge.” Houston Chronicle. January 02, 2019. Accessed January 05, 2019. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Hidalgo-sworn-in-as-Harris-County-judge-13501665.php?utm_campaign=twitter-premium&utm_source=CMS Sharing Button&utm_medium=social.
23. The Editorial Board. “For the 2nd Congressional District: Todd Litton.” HoustonChronicle.com. October 18, 2018. Accessed January 05, 2019. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/recommendations/article/2nd-House-District-Todd-Litton-Dan-Crenshaw-2018-13309238.php.