BFI members,
Please enjoy the October 2025 Brown Foundation Monthly Minute. As a reminder, these emails are designed to give you an efficient, one-stop summary of everything you need to know about the Brown Foundation for this month. You can see the archive of prior communications here (password = tbf2025). Reach out with any questions! ~Ann
SECTION 1 – KEY DATES
BFI Month-At-A-Glance
Meetings completed in October. Reminder that you can review meeting materials and minutes once they are posted.
- Oct 3, Civic Assets Committee, which awarded just under $700,000 in grants to 9 organizations focused on parks, animal welfare, conservation, and more.
- Oct 14, Executive Committee
- Oct 24, Arts Committee meeting, which awarded $1.8 million in grants to 27 performing, visual, and literary arts organizations in Houston, San Antonio, and beyond.
- Oct 28, Audit Committee
Meetings upcoming in November:
- Nov 8, Human Services Committee
- Nov 11, Education Committee
- Nov 18, Board of Trustees meeting
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 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. Reminder that family members ages 21 to 25 also are warmly welcome as observers; if you have children, siblings, or cousins in this age range, please encourage them to attend as this will be a wonderful chance to be immersed in the history of the Foundation and learn about four generations of Brown family service to the community. We’ve created an event landing page, so you’ll have all of the information at your fingertips. (password = tbf2025).
PLEASE RSVP at this link!
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. (password = tbf2025) 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
Next BFI “Lunch and Learn” – Date TBA soon.
Over the past few years, we’ve used a new format for learning and engagement: a series of “lunch and learn” conversations. Recent speakers have included former Mayor Bill White and HISD Superintendent Mike Miles. Our loose goal is to offer two events per year, and we are actively planning for our next lunch-and-learn. We have a tentative commitment from George Kaiser, founder and principal of the George Kaiser Family Foundation in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their foundation, like BFI, has adopted a “place-based” giving strategy that spans education, arts, parks and public spaces, and strengthening neighborhoods. Some of their signature initiatives include the Gathering Place, a riverfront park project, and extensive work in early childhood education in Tulsa. Mr. Kaiser and their Chief Program Officer will discuss these initiatives and more. The date has not yet been finalized but will be announced soon, so please keep an eye out for a future announcement. As always, we will offer in-person and Zoom options for participation.
Arts Events in Houston
For those of you who live in Houston or if you have any plans to visit family in Houston, we have created a calendar of arts-and-culture events happening in Houston this fall (password = tbf2025). This calendar highlights local music, theatre, and dance performances for organizations that are Brown Foundation grantees. We’ve created this calendar as a pilot, and, if well-received, we will continue to maintain this tool and expand it to include visual arts, exhibitions, community events, and more.
SECTION 3 – UPDATES FROM THE BOARD & EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Goals for FY2026.
Some of you have seen these already, but if not, you might like to take an opportunity to review the annual goals that the Board and staff have set for FY2026. As the Brown Foundation has grown in scale and in complexity, it is increasingly important that we prioritize where to dedicate Board and family discussion time as well as how to effectively invest our staff resources. You’ll also see discussions of these goals summarized in the meeting minutes for the Board and Executive Committee. Feel free to review the goals, and, if you have questions or would like to learn more, feel free to call Ann.
SECTION 4 – FOUNDATION BUSINESS
DAFs and Matching.
As a reminder, you may make distributions from your DAF at any time. The final deadline to distribute your annual DAF allocation will be June 30, 2026, so you have plenty of time remaining. 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 or if you have any constructive feedback to offer about the DAF process.
Thank you for your service and dedication to the Foundation.
Ann