Dear Brown Foundation members,
As described previously, we have introduced a new structure to streamline communications about the Brown Foundation. The Monthly Minute is designed to be a monthly “round-up” of things happening at the Brown Foundation, such as announcements, key dates, engagement opportunities, links to meeting minutes, and other updates. Our goal is to give you a single, comprehensive monthly email, a “one-stop shop” for things you need to know about BFI. You can use this link to refer to previous Monthly Minutes.
Please enjoy the September 2025 BFI Monthly Minute. Reach out with any questions! ~Ann
SECTION 1 – KEY DATES
MARK YOUR CALENDAR for Jan 30 & 31: BF3 2026, Celebrating 75 Years of BFI
Please be sure that you have your calendar marked for Friday, January 30 and Saturday, January 31, 2026. We will gather for the Brown Foundation Family Forum (BF3) for a very special opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary legacy of 75 years of your family’s philanthropy. All BFI members, along with their spouses/significant others and families, are encouraged to attend. We’ve created an event landing page, so you’ll have all of the information at your fingertips. This page will be updated regularly as more details are confirmed. We are pleased to announce that our meeting will take place at the Hotel Saint Augustine, with an optional behind-the-scenes tour at the Menil Collection as an optional activity on after the meeting on Saturday afternoon. On Saturday evening, we will host a seated family dinner at the Bayou Club, featuring a special video capturing the stories of your family’s shared philanthropic work.
If you are ready to book your travel now, we have a special block of rooms reserved, and you are welcome to reserve at any time using this link. These rooms will be directly billed to BFI, saving you the trouble of submitting receipts. If you prefer to stay somewhere else, that is up to you, but please keep in mind the parameters of BFI’s travel reimbursement policy.
BFI Month-At-A-Glance
We have officially kicked our Fiscal Year 2026. In the past two weeks, we’ve held a “kickoff” meeting for each of the four Grant Committees as well as meetings of the Board of Trustees and Investment Committee. Here are the meetings upcoming in October. As a reminder, meeting materials and minutes are housed in the Atrium if you’d like to see them.
- October 3, Civic Assets Committee – Grant decision meeting
- October 14, Executive Committee meeting
- October 21, Arts & Humanities Committee – Grant decision meeting
- October 28, Audit Committee meeting
BFI Year-At-A-Glance
If you would like to have an overview of the overall Brown Foundation calendar for the year, we’re created several one-pagers. Feel free to access those here.
SECTION 2 – UPDATES FROM THE BOARD & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees had its first meeting of the fiscal year last Tuesday, September 16. Please feel free to review the Board meeting minutes (also attached) for a full summary of the meeting. We wanted to draw your attention to one exciting update: the Board has now adopted a new strategic plan for our proactive/strategic grantmaking for the next three years. As most of you know, for the past three years, the Foundation’s strategic grants have been focused on parks, with nearly $80 million in grants awarded and more than 1,000 acres of parks created or improved. The Board has selected to focus on PreK – 12 education for our next three years of strategic grantmaking, based on the extensive family feedback gathered through focus groups. We will use a “four-pillar” education strategy, ranging from early childhood to postsecondary transitions. If you’d like to learn more, we invite you to review the attached summary (“Strategic Grant Priority_PreK12 Education”). We’ll also share regular updates with all Brown Foundation members as our strategic grantmaking unfolds.
SECTION 3 – LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Arts and Culture Happenings Around Houston:
Just for fun, we’ve included here two links that summarize some museum exhibition openings and performances around Houston! Many of these organizations are supported by the Arts Grant Committee, which has a strong commitment to supporting a diverse mosaic of arts organizations across the city. Enjoy.
- Glasstire’s Preview of Museum Exhibitions in Houston this fall
- Houston Chronicle’s Guide to Must-See Productions in theater, dance, and music
SECTION 4 – FOUNDATION BUSINESS
DAFs – Replenished and ready for use.
As noted in July, we are happy to let you know that your donor-advised fund at JP Morgan Charitable is now funded with your FY2026 study group allocation. BFI members may begin making distributions from their DAFs at any time. You have nearly a full calendar year (until June 30, 2026) to distribute your funds, giving you lots of flexibility about how and when you direct funds. You are also welcome to submit your receipts at any time for matching funds. Please feel free to contact Jacklyn or Ivanna with any questions.
Thanks for reading!