Coastal Bend Community Foundation Milestones:

Over the decades, the Foundation has awarded over $138 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and scholarships to individuals. Here are a few highlights:

1980s

• Awarding the first Annual Grants — $20,303 to 18 area organizations — in August 1983
• Opening the first scholarship fund — by Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Woodman, Jr. in memory of their daughter Laura in 1983 – still actively awarding scholarships
• Attaining milestone of $1 million in total assets — 1985
• Growing of unrestricted assets through the first large donation to CBCF — from the late Starr Pope, Sr., in honor of his son, Starr Pope, Jr. (Together with monies left to the Foundation by Starr Pope, Jr. upon his death, these comprise a significant portion of the unrestricted assets of the Foundation)

1990s

• Ed and Janet Harte entrust the Foundation to assist them in donating $20 million to many local nonprofits as well as national organizations
• Taft Hospital District donates a building and funds to CBCF in 1990, with funds continuing to improve the quality of life in Taft; a recent grant funding renovations to the new City of Taft Police Department
• CBCF assists many in opening Agency Endowment funds, encouraging area nonprofits to plan for the future

2000s

• Awarding first Spring Grant for $100,000 to the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Foundation’s “Learning on the Edge” project — equipping local teachers to better teach students about the environmental treasures of the Coastal Bend – remaining active today at the Nueces River Delta Preserve
• Bringing together area foundations and citizen philanthropists through the Coastal Bend Day of Giving, a one day, annual event to raise funds for nonprofits serving the neediest of our neighbors, initiated in 2009 in response to the severe downturn in the economy and growing in participation each year since inception
• Receiving confirmation as “in compliance” with National Standards as set by the Council on Foundations in 2009. These are “philanthropy’s most rigorous standards – evidence that community foundations seek excellence for their communities and donors” (http://www.cfstandards.org)

2010s

• Celebrating the 30th anniversary of CBCF in 2011-12 with “Spring for the Arts!” featuring innovative art projects throughout the Coastal Bend and culminating in “Pops in the Park!” — the Corpus Christi Symphony’s rousing performance in March 2012 at Whataburger Field
• Exceeding total assets of $50 million for the first time, CBCF reached over $52 million in 2012
• In 2014, the Coastal Bend Community Foundation for the first time in its history awarded over $1 million in Annual and Special Grants directed by its Board from unrestricted funds