OVERVIEW: The McCombs Foundation, which is the philanthropic vehicle of billionaire Red McCombs and his wife Charline, is focused on the state of Texas and gives to education, arts and culture, human services, health, and more.
IP TAKE: This funder is partial to the San Antonio area and has become more accessible to local grantseekers here in recent years. The couple have signed the Giving Pledge. The foundation and McCombs family have contributed more than $125 million to civic causes in San Antonio and across Texas.
PROFILE: Founded in the early 1980s, the McCombs Foundation is the foundation of Billy Joe “Red” McCombs, the founder of the Red McCombs Automotive Group and co-founder of Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartCommunications). McCombs and his wife, Charline, move their philanthropy through the McCombs Foundation. Grants from the foundation “have no strings attached but require as much return as a regular business investment would.” Grantmaking areas of interest include education and youth, health, human services, arts and culture, San Antonio community.
Grants for Education and Youth
McCombs and his wife Charline, through the McCombs Foundation, have supported a number of education and youth organizations.
Grantees include Girls Inc. of San Antonio, Saint Mary’s Hall, Southwestern University, University of the Incarnate World, The Paisano Educational Trust, and Texas Lutheran University. The McCombs couple have also supported University of Texas-Austin, now the site of McCombs School of Business, and University of Texas-Houston. A component of this philanthropy also involves supporting athletics.
Past grantees also include San Antonio Can Academies, Junior Achievement of South Texas, Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, Trinity University in San Antonio, Baylor University, and East Central School Foundation.
Grants for Health
The couple has supported MD Anderson Cancer Center. A $30 million grant in 2005 created the Red and Charline McCombs Institute for the Early Detection and Treatment of Cancer at MD Anderson. Grantees also include Texas Biomedical Research Institute, The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation, and the Texas Neurofibromatosis Foundation.
Grants for Human Services
The McCombs family, through their foundation, have supported organizations such as YMCA of Greater San Antonio, San Antonio Food Bank, and Haven for Hope, a nonprofit which provides services for the homeless.
Grants for Arts and Culture
San Antonio is home to the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre. Other recent grantees include Witte Museum, Texas Transportation Museum, and the Briscoe Western Art Museum. Other Texas grantees have included Texas Historical Foundation, the Bexar County Performing Arts Center Foundation, San Antonio Museum of Art, Witte Museum, Riverwalk Jazz, and Texas Transportation Museum.
Other grant opportunities:
The family has made grants to churches such as St. Pius X Catholic Church, Alamo Heights United Methodist Church and the First Baptist Church of San Antonio.
the Texas Economic Development Corporation, and San Antonio Sports Foundation.
Important Grant Details:
Foundation grants tend to range from $500 to $10,000. The couple’s philanthropy is very focused on the state of Texas and especially the San Antonio area.
McCombs accepts unsolicited grant requests via mail but not by phone or email. The foundation’s phone number to contact the staff is 210-821-6523.
PEOPLE:
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