Each year, The Junior League of Houston, Inc. provides Community Assistance Grants to worthwhile organizations that do not receive ongoing volunteer support or financial assistance through the League’s Community Projects. The League’s Community Assistance Committee reviews the grant requests based on their alignment with member-determined impact areas and conducts site visits before making recommendations for funding. When selecting recipients, the committee considers whether an agency request would address a critical or basic need, fund a pilot project or expand a significant service to the community.

Community Assistance Grants are funded, in part, by the Barbara and Roy Adams Endowed Community Grant Fund held by the Junior League of Houston Foundation. This endowed fund was made possible through a generous estate gift from Barbara Beardmore Adams (1940 – 2014), a Junior League member from 1982 – 2014. This funding focuses on children’s health and well-being initiatives and literacy/education enrichment.

For 2021 – 2022, the League awarded $150,000 in Community Assistance grants to the following agencies:

$10,000 to Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans: To support the organization’s Early Childhood Center by providing them with a die-cut machine, laminator, supplies and professional development courses for the staff. The Early Childhood Center provides affordable, quality care for low-income families in the predominately Spanish-speaking East End community, through a bilingual program.

$20,000 to Chance for Hope Foundation: To support the organization’s Residence Program, which provides rent-free, one-bedroom, fully furnished apartments in the Medical Center for out-of-town families whose children are being treated in the Texas Medical Center.

$15,000 to FACES Autism*: To support the organization’s Applied Behavior Analysis therapy scholarship program. By providing scholarships for ABA therapy, children with autism are taught new functional strategies that improve outcomes across home and school life.

$10,000 to Foster Care Advocacy Center: To support the organization’s pilot program of preventative legal advocacy services. This program preserves families in Houston by helping individuals navigate legal processes, address barriers and get court orders that eliminate safety risks and the need for removal of the children into foster care.

$10,000 to Girls Empowerment Network: To support the organization’s expansion of its Girl Connect program to another Title I school in Houston Independent School District. The Girl Connect program partners the agency with HISD schools to improve educational outcomes for girls, parents and teachers and to assist with social-emotional recovery in the wake of the pandemic.

$10,000 to San Francisco Nativity Academy: To support the organization’s Breakfast Program. The families served at SFNA are low-income and providing a healthy breakfast, lunch and a snack before they head home in the evening, not only gives the parents one less expense but also helps the agency ensure that each student is provided with nutritious meals each day.

$10,000 to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Inc.: To support a Bed Build Day! for the organization – which will allow 40 beds to be built and delivered fully equipped to Houstonian children in need.

$10,000 to St. Bernard Project, Inc.: To support the organization’s rebuilding program in Houston to assist homeowners with home repairs after Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri.

$20,000 to The Children’s Assessment Center Foundation: To support the organization’s “Every Child Has Access Fund” which provides families with assistance for services such as food, transportation, internet, housing, protective orders and domestic violence intervention.

$20,000 to The H.E.A.R.T. Program: To support the organization’s 2022 Summer Youth Internship Program, which provides a valuable educational opportunity, combined with some work experience, for up to 50 low-income teens with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

$10,000 to YES Prep Public Schools*: To support the organization’s Elementary Literacy Program which provides curriculum approved books for classroom libraries and personalized reading bags for students to bring home to encourage daily reading.

$5,000 to Young Women’s Preparatory Network: To support the “To and Through College Path” program. This program helps students build the academic resume and develop skills/confidence to allow them to be successful in any collegiate setting (starting in the 6th grade).

*These agencies were funded in part by the Barbara and Roy Adams Endowed Community Grant Fund.