In a state as big as Texas, and a system as big as public education, there are no silver bullets for creating more equitable and prosperous outcomes. To make meaningful progress requires multi-faceted and collaborative approaches, constant exploration and iteration, and regular sharing and learning about what’s working and what needs to change.
We begin our work with an asset-based approach, asking what successes already exist before we ask what’s missing. Building on existing foundations serve as accelerants to our work.
We serve as partners in capacity-building, working deeply with communities to empower them, their work, and their learning.
We seek effective action and positive impact through systems-focused approaches. We work with partners to determine root causes, create targeted strategies, and reveal solutions.
We dig deeply into issues or challenges so our approaches unfold from research-informed insights and lived experiences of those directly affected.
We are committed to helping those we support build scalable and sustainable structures, processes, and organizations that live on and replicate long past our partnership engagements.
The Charles Butt Foundation invests significant time and resources in the following areas to fulfill our mission.
The Charles Butt Foundation is committed to being research-informed in all we do. As an essential first step in any new initiative or partnership, we deeply examine issues or challenges, and are informed by both formal research as well as the lived experiences of those most directly affected.
Our team conducts, creates, and commissions public opinion research, research reports, and benchmarking of our programmatic endeavors.
Our statewide programs address persistent system-level challenges by piloting research-informed solutions that can be scaled and sustained beyond philanthropic investment. Our vision includes a strong principal at the helm of every school, an effective teacher in every classroom, and empowered and engaged families and communities. We work to realize that vision through the following programs.
The Charles Butt Foundation provides seed funding and grants to a number of causes and entities focused on addressing challenges and leveraging opportunities facing Texas communities. These initiatives include support for organizations working in early childhood education and workforce development, groups seeking more informed communities, and those committed to bridging the digital divide.
Stories connect us all. They have the power to build empathy, transform mindsets, shape best practices, and inspire action. We produce videos and articles that feature Texas’s remarkable public school leaders, students, and communities. Through narratives focused on people and communities, we explore the impact of our programs and promising practices.
Grant applications are accepted on an invitation-only basis.