We
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Local Changemakers

We are committed to serving the poor and breaking the cycle of poverty.

Glimmer|Austin has a deep desire and renewed focus on improving the lives of those impacted by the severe challenges of living in poverty.

Glimmer|Austin invests in local Nonprofits and Organizations that care and uplift those who suffer from homelessness, hunger & poverty

We offer three types of grants:

Early-stage / Seed Grants

These are one-year grants of around $20,000 invested in startup and/or early-stage nonprofits who have started to show potential and have established momentum and are looking for funding and support to get off the ground or expand. Equally, this funding is available for new programs within established organizations.

Growth Grants

Glimmer|Austin looks to identify leaders and programs that possess the capacity to grow – and need funds to do so. In addition to funding, the foundation seeks to offer or introduce professional mentorship opportunities, as well as fund relevant training and workshops for executives within those organizations.

Strategic Grants

These grants are multi-year and less frequent, ranging from $100,000 to $350,000. In most cases these types of grants are made in conjunction with Donor Partners who co-fund the grant.

Caring for those suffering from poverty

Homelessness

Over 2500 people will sleep on the streets, various shelters, or transitional housing in Austin tonight. Many of the long term chronically homeless can be seen beneath the bridges, outside the ARCH, and in encampments all around the city. Yet, in many ways, this is the tip of the iceberg.

There are large numbers of families living in temporary accommodation, shelters, and other part-time, interim housing. It’s not just adults – an ever-growing number of youth emerge when they “age out of the foster system.” Women are particularly exposed and at risk on the streets. In most cases, these are single mothers and their children. All need a place to stay and few have the means to secure accommodation. Affordable housing is a major part of the solution.

Glimmer|Austin supports both the “Housing First” concept as well as services and support for those who suffer homelessness. Housing First is a homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, serving as a platform from which they can improve their quality of life. The Housing First approach views housing as the foundation for life improvement and enables access to permanent housing without prerequisites or conditions beyond those of a typical renter. The Community First Village operated by Mobile Loaves and Fishes is an exemplary example of Housing First as well as the Esperanza Community operated by The Other Ones Foundation.

Glimmer|Austin also supports an array of programs which include emergency shelters and housing, programs for children exposed to homelessness, as well as, youth aging out of the foster care system. Such programs include Lifeworks, Street Youth Ministry, Saint Louis House, Jeremiah Program, Central Texas Table of Grace and Casa Marianella.

Hunger

Over 150,000 people in Austin and Travis county do not know where their next meal is coming from. They rely on food trucks, pantries, kitchens, and centers to receive a free meal. 

So many of these are children and families. It’s hard to imagine that in a city brimming with food trucks and restaurants of every sort and variety, that at the other end of the street people are suffering from hunger. These are largely the people who are living at or below the poverty line. In Austin, 250,000 people (about 1 in 8) live at that poverty level, meaning they earn $1000 or less a month, or $2000 for a family – which makes it very difficult when you are trying to eat, live, provide shelter, and care for loved ones. A meal at a food kitchen at lunchtime, a sandwich from a food truck, a few cans and packages from the pantry, or a bag of food to take to school or work might be the only meal of the day or even week.

Glimmer|Austin has supported Caritas of Austin, Central Texas Food Bank, Keep Austin Fed, Hungry Souls, Hope Austin, Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, Meals on Wheels, and more. These agencies collect and distribute food, prepare and serve meals throughout the day in kitchens and pantries, and deliver meals to seniors at their homes. Keep Austin Fed is an example of how innovation and technology can be combined to take food “waste”  from restaurants and supermarkets and get it to people in need – connecting surplus food with the hungry.

Women & Children’s Shelters

Organizations partnering with single mothers and their children experiencing poverty. Glimmer|Austin has partnered with the local organizations below in their continued support to further both child and parenting development. 

Addiction Recovery

Many individuals seek assistance with alcohol and substance abuse. There are millions striving to achieve sobriety and with help from organizations which provide services through several means of rehabilitation.

Glimmer Austin is proud to be in partnership with The Phoenix ATX and similar local non-profits focused on sobriety through programming and special events.