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 August 2025 BFI Monthly Minute. Reach out with any questions! ~Ann
SECTION 1 – KEY DATES
A. BFI Month-At-A-Glance
We have officially kicked our Fiscal Year 2026, BFI’s 75th year of operation. Here are the meetings happening this month at BFI, and, as a reminder, meeting materials and minutes are housed in the Atrium.
- Sept 4, Education Committee
- Sept 5, Civic Assets Committee
- Sept 9, Arts Committee
- Sept 10, BFI Investment Committee
- Sept 11, Human Services Committee
- Sept 16, Board of Trustees meeting
B. 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.
C. 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 and on Saturday evening, we will host a family dinner at the Bayou Club. A special, behind-the-scenes tour at the Menil Collection will be offered as an optional activity on Saturday afternoon.
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.
SECTION 2 – LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
Family Philanthropy Day:
Engaging the next generation of Brown Foundation members can never start too early! For those who live in Houston, you may be interested in this event: The Greater Houston Community Foundation hosts an annual “Family Philanthropy Day,” to help children learn about volunteerism, service, and giving back to the community. If interested, please use this link to register.
SECTION 3 – UPDATES FROM THE BOARD & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee had its first meeting of the fiscal year on August 19. Notably, the Committee decide to award two special grants to help with counseling for those affected by the flooding in Kerrville in July. Please feel free to review the Executive Committee minutes to read more.
Chambers County ranch.
As many of you know, the Brown Foundation has long owned a 6,000-acre piece of land on the upper Gulf Coast, in eastern part of Galveston Bay. Our priority is to conserve this land and its ecologically significant habitat. Recently, the Board decided to evaluate whether BFI ownership/management of this ranch is the best way to achieve our ultimate conservation goal. The Board voted to authorize John O’Connor, Chair, to create an ad-hoc committee to analyze options and explore alternatives for ownership, including sale or donation of the land to a nonprofit conservancy. The ad-hoc Committee will be chaired by Herman Stude, and members include Andrew Abendshein, Holbrook Dorn, and Will Mathis. Any final decisions will be made by the full Board of Trustees. For now, we simply wanted to inform the broader Foundation members of this initiative. Please contact John, Ann, or Herman with any Qs.
SECTION 4 – FOUNDATION BUSINESS
Denial Memo.
The second cycle of pre-applications for the Foundation’s 2026 fiscal year has closed. Please review the attached denial memo and let Robert know if you would like more information on any of these pre-applications. If you would like a request to be taken into consideration at a future meeting (with the support of an additional foundation member), please let Robert know by Sept 4th, 2025. After that date we will assume you concur with the recommendations, and we will communicate the application status to the applicants.
Travel policy
As the year kicks off, we know that some Foundation members will be traveling to Houston for BFI service. As a friendly reminder, here is the Brown Foundation travel policy. The Board recently has increased some of the limits, recognizing the increased cost of hotels, ground transportation, and dining. Please feel free to contact Jacklyn with any questions.
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, and have a wonderful Labor Day weekend.
