Nora Annunziato’s Path to Shaping Her Family’s Legacy

Steering a Legacy

When Nora Annunziato’s father-in-law, Tony Annunziato, approached her and her husband, Brett, inviting them to take a more active role in the Annunziato Family Foundation (Family Foundation), they felt honored—and a bit humbled. It was a thrilling opportunity to make a meaningful impact through philanthropy, but they also recognized the profound responsibility that comes with stewarding family resources.

“We knew we had been given a fortunate position. Brett and I were really excited, but we wanted to ensure that if we are in a position to give away this amount of money, we do it the right way—strategically and with impact.” — Nora Annunziato

Charting the Course Ahead

To shape their next steps, Nora and Brett turned to their professional advisor, who introduced them to the Next Gen Donor Institute (Institute) at Greater Houston Community Foundation. The Community Foundation’s Institute is a year-long program, where donors can develop a deeper understanding of their philanthropic identity and learn from peers and community leaders about philanthropic trends and possibilities. For them, Nora describes the Institute as “fun, easy, simple, and nothing was over-complicated.” Nora and Brett had the opportunity to engage with other participants in a supportive and private community, leaving the program with new tools, resources, and a network to help shape their giving and community leadership. She continued, “I was really appreciative that we were able to go through the grantmaking process with other Institute participants through the Next Gen Giving Circle—it was great preparation for eventually leading our family’s giving.” 

The annual Next Gen Giving Circle is a forum for alumni of the Institute, where members collectively focus on one area of need, solicit and examine grant applications, perform site visits, and ultimately select one or more organizations to support as a group. Through participating in the Next Gen Giving Circle, Nora learned how to evaluate nonprof-its through a formal grant application. She took these skills back to the Family Foundation’s Grants Committee and was better able to facilitate discussions around different organizations they considered supporting.

Nora and Brett are both native Houstonians living in Chicago and enrolled in the virtual version of the Institute amid the pandemic. “I had not been heavily involved in charitable giving before,” Nora noted. “I’d volunteered with causes I loved, but this was the first time I was thinking about shaping a philanthropic strategy—how to make smart, impactful gifts, and ensure our grants aligned with our family’s mission.”

What she discovered went beyond strategic giving. The experience helped Nora realize how thoughtful and deliberate one needs to be if they really want to ignite impact. Nora shared, “I loved learning about the due diligence process, which is one of the most important steps, and seeing how it helped the Family Foundation choose the best organizations to support.” 

Tony created the Annunziato Family Foundation with the intention of involving the next generation. Tony explained, “I started the Family Foundation to give back to those less fortunate than I had been. But also, so that I would set an example for my children to follow if they chose to be involved.” Initially, Nora shared that Tony was really steering his family’s charitable efforts, but as he started to think about passing his values to the next generation, he wanted his children, nieces, and nephews to become more involved. Nora noted, “Tony is a big believer in giving back to the communities we live in. He established the Family Foundation so we could all participate and make a difference within our communities and for causes we are passionate about.” 

Jennifer Touchet, Vice President of Personal and Family Philanthropy at the Community Foundation, often encourages families to begin preparing the next generation early. “It’s critical that wealth inheritors are not only educated financially, but also rooted in values,” Jennifer explains. “With the right support, young philanthropists like Nora and Brett are able to carry those legacies forward with clarity and confidence.”

Nora spoke about how participating in charitable giving has been a surprisingly meaningful way to stay connected with Brett’s extended family, even though everyone is scattered throughout the country. Nora admitted, “Having a reason to connect during a season of life where we are all busy with careers and family has been a real silver lining. It’s also allowing me to get to know some of the cousins on a deeper level as I learn more about the causes and issues that matter most to them.”

Fresh Ideas, Rooted in Family

Nora’s passion for giving back became evident to her family, eventually leading her to assume the role as President of the Annunziato Family Foundation. Tony noted, “Nora has indeed stepped up in a leadership role not just for my children but for all my relatives. If there is to be generational success in philanthropy it seems to be led by the women in the family.” Nora confessed, “There was a lot of work involved in making grants while we were operating as a Family Foundation, and we wanted to find a way to get more family involved in our giving. A lot of them were balancing careers and family life and were worried about the time commitment to the Family Foundation  each year.” 

This desire to have more family involved led to a strategic philanthropic change under Nora’s leadership. In 2024, the Annunziato Family Foundation shifted into a donor advised fund (DAF), the Annunziato Family Fund (Family Fund), with services at Greater Houston Community Foundation. Nora explained, “By switching over to a DAF, it made the grant-giving process so much easier, we can now give to a wider variety of organizations, and it requires much less time out of our busy day-to-day lives.” Tony, added, “We closed the Family Foundation and moved the assets to a DAF because it is more time and tax efficient, allowing us more time to focus on learning how to give.”

Today, more family members are involved with the Annunziato Family Fund as the commitment is more streamlined. Additionally, the Family Fund can support more family members’ interests and causes they are passionate about. Currently, if a member of the family is involved with an organization and recommends a grant, the Grant Committee can approve the recommendation and support of the organization. 

So, what does a DAF with services look like? For this Family Fund, the Community Foundation provides philanthropic advising to Nora as she is the chairperson of the Family Fund. The Community Foundation helps her plan committee meetings and to continually improve the grantmaking process for her family. Additionally, the Community Foundation helps to facilitate the Family Fund’s Finance Committee meetings in partnership with their third-party financial advisors and Grants Committee. Essentially, the Community Foundation tracks the Family Fund’s official business, so Nora and her family can focus on their impact. 

“I started the Family Foundation to give back to those less fortunate than I had been. But also, so that I would set an example for my children to follow if they chose to be involved.” — Tony Annunziato

As needed, the Community Foundation is available to provide strategic input about how to have an impact and how to best evaluate nonprofit organizations. Nora explained, “The Community Foundation is guiding us through our first year of operating as a donor advised fund. We love our team at the Community Foundation as they are always available when we have questions, need help, or want to throw out ideas. I value the team and what they’ve helped our family accomplish over the years.”

The Community Foundation’s Center for Family Philanthropy exists to help families with the support they need to bring families together while enriching the communities they care about. All families are unique, and the Community Foundation is here to help families ensure their charitable efforts are the most impactful and efficient they can be. 

Living the Legacy of Giving

For Nora, her commitment is clear: continue to deepen her understanding of different causes, stay grounded in purpose, and help carry on Tony’s legacy of giving for many generations to come. Nora closed with, “When you are working with family, you must be open and flexible. See who comes to join you at the table and be open to other’s ideas. Ultimately, the main goal is to have fun because creating a positive impact is what truly matters.”

Ready to take the first step toward creating a lasting legacy that reflects your values and makes a meaningful difference in our community. Connect with Jennifer Touchet, Vice President of Personal and Family Philanthropy at 713-333-2228 or reach out directly to get started. Your impact starts here!

More Helpful Articles by Greater Houston Community Foundation:

• Lily Johnson: A Young Changemaker Sharpening her Philanthropic Toolkit
• How Charitable Giving Can Enhance Your Legacy Planning
• What to Do with an Inheritance
• The Future Is Now: What Is Next-Gen Philanthropy?

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