Greater Houston Community Foundation partners with some of Houston’s top businesses to support company giving through corporate donor advised funds, employee engagement programs, disaster relief funds, scholarship funds, and more.
Corporate Partners
How We Support Corporate Philanthropy in Houston.
Maximize your organization’s charitable impact within our Houston community and beyond.
Businesses Making a Difference
“The partnership we have with Greater Houston Community Foundation allows our employees to live out our core values and achieve our mission to unlock energy for the betterment of our employees and our communities. With Greater Houston Community Foundation, we developed the Hilcorp Giving Program with the goal of helping our employees become life-long givers. They are taking ownership and delivering tremendous support to our communities.”
Mike Brezina, Senior Vice President for HR at Hilcorp
“Greater Houston Community Foundation embodies the power of one community and the power of people coming together for the greater good. Through the collaborative work with donors, and through partnerships with nonprofit and corporate leaders, together, we are creating a lasting impact in our community.”

Ron Hulme (Governing Board Chair, CEO, Bluescape Energy Partners)
“Every company with a Corporate Citizenship strategy should prepare and plan to allocate dollars for a crisis so that the dollars are in place when they need them the most. Each company should develop criteria for funding ahead of time, differentiating what will be funded in the short term (the response phase) and the long term (the recovery phase). Greater Houston Community Foundation is a great partner for this with their Employee Disaster Relief Funds and other corporate giving vehicles.”
Joni Baird
“Partnering with the foundation allows us to concentrate on where we want to give and who we want to give to versus spending all of our time with the administrative burdens of giving.”
Dorothy Ables (Oil and Gas Consultant)
Why Businesses Choose Greater Houston Community Foundation
Our comprehensive approach to philanthropy ensures that a diverse selection of customized services are always available to help you maximize your return on investments for both the community and for your business.

Corporate Donor Advised Funds
A corporate donor advised fund is a tax-advantaged giving vehicle that allows your business to easily enhance its community investment through direct charitable gifts to existing causes you care about. By managing your corporate philanthropy through a donor advised fund rather than through a private foundation, you are able to focus on where you direct your philanthropic investments, leaving the often complex administration and governance to us.

Employee Engagement
Give your entire organization the opportunity to engage with the causes that matter to our communities. Greater Houston Community Foundation can help your business set up donor advised funds for executives and employees allowing employees to decide where they want their philanthropic dollars to go. Employees can choose to add their own funds via payroll deduction and you can match contributions to their funds. The Foundation also offers training to help your employees become more strategic givers.

Disaster Relief Funds
In times of great need, Greater Houston Community Foundation is here to help your business address both employee and community needs in the wake of a disaster. As your disaster relief partner, we empower you to distribute critical disaster relief support quickly and efficiently following a local or national emergency.

Corporate Scholarship Funds
Support your employees and your community by establishing a corporate scholarship fund. Our team offers full-service management to assist you in the decision-making process, removing the administrative burden of application and award processing. We handle everything from online application development to ensuring that the final award is distributed according to IRS rules and regulations, and more.

Research and Consulting
Greater Houston Community Foundation can serve as an efficient administrative solution to support corporate giving — working with you to understand your values, philanthropic interests, market position, and stakeholders. We can help you assess and manage your current corporate giving and engagement, creating a strategy that includes consulting services to maximize the impact of your investments in Houston and beyond.

Grants Management
Grants act as a powerful way to make a targeted impact in your community. When you make the decision to recommend a grant, we will work with you to create an efficient online grants management process for applicants to submit proposals and manage all reports so that you can keep your focus on expanding your philanthropic impact.
Engaging corporate philanthropy programs can allow your business to make an impact in your area, create organizational cohesion, and reap significant tax benefits. At Greater Houston Community Foundation, corporate giving is about a lot more than writing a check once a year, and the benefits of giving programs extend far beyond the financial.
For us, creating corporate philanthropy programs is about building sustainable, nourishing connections between corporations and the communities they serve, so that businesses and their communities can work harmoniously. That’s what we do: help businesses create fit-to-purpose charitable giving programs, turning philanthropic intentions into powerful, measurable community solutions.
How does corporate philanthropy work?
Corporate philanthropy involves strategically channeling an organization’s resources toward addressing community needs and important social challenges that align with the organization’s values. Corporate giving extends beyond simply donating to causes that shareholders value; companies can contribute assets, employee time and expertise through volunteering, or creating more in-depth partnerships with nonprofits.
Starting a corporate philanthropy program often involves the following steps:
- First, identify core social issues that align with your organization’s mission. Consider focusing on local issues first, and expanding into broader impact as your giving programs grow.
- Identify some local organizations that may serve as charitable partners.
- Design initiatives that encourage employee involvement.
- Measure and report your social impact.
- Refine your philanthropic approach.
This process can be complicated and resource-intensive. The Foundation can simplify the process as your trusted philanthropic partner, working alongside your corporate giving team to help maximize your impact.
What is corporate social responsibility?
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the broader conceptualization of frameworks that promote corporate ethics and social responsibility. CSR essentially posits that organizations have the responsibility to operate in a sustainable manner, economically, socially, and environmentally. There are four types of corporate social responsibility:
- Environmental
- Ethical
- Philanthropic
- Economic
But CSR goes far beyond things like ensuring investment in the community and fair labor policies, and balancing the interests of stakeholders while fulfilling these corporate responsibilities can be incredibly challenging.
What is the difference between CSR and corporate philanthropy?
Corporate philanthropy and corporate social responsibility, while often used interchangeably, are vastly different concepts. Some important ways in which the two topics differ may include the following:
Corporate social responsibility | Corporate philanthropy | |
Focus | Business ethics | Charitable giving |
Target | Broader systemic issues within business operations | Specific social needs |
Method | Integrates social considerations into core business strategy | Attenuates social concerns with resources and sustained giving |
Scale | Incorporates philanthropy as one component of a larger strategy | Mainly concerned with financial donations and resource contributions |
It can be helpful to think of corporate philanthropy as an essential element of corporate social responsibility. CSR aims to introduce sustainable practices into every element of an organization’s operations, and corporate philanthropy is a powerful tool in aiding that sustainability.
The many benefits of corporate philanthropy programs
All corporate philanthropy programs are not built the same. The more engaging and fulfilling your program is for employees and community members, the greater benefits your community and organization will reap. Successful corporate philanthropy programs can have innumerable advantages for businesses, but some of the most important include:
- Brand enhancement. Philanthropy improves public image, differentiates your company within its market, and creates compelling storytelling opportunities.
- Employee engagement. Interactive corporate giving programs can provide meaningful professional development, improve satisfaction for employees, and attract purpose-driven top talent.
- Community impact. You can shape the communities you serve by addressing social challenges and building local relationships.
- Financial benefits. Finally, the potential tax benefits and opportunities for networking with other like-minded organizations can be incredibly impactful for the future of your company.
Continue reading about how good corporate citizenship can benefit both your community and your stakeholders
Types of corporate philanthropy initiatives
Businesses can engage in philanthropy through several different approaches. Combining and creating new ways to engage your employees and your community is one of the things that makes corporate philanthropy so rewarding—and also so complex.
Some of the most popular ways for organizations to start giving include:
- Making direct financial contributions to nonprofits they choose, often selected by employees and stakeholders.
- Providing products, services, equipment, or other in-kind donations to local charities or nonprofit organizations.
- Offering pro-bono professional expertise.
- Creating structured funding programs to disburse grants over the long-term, often through donor advised funds.*
- Long-term collaborations with nonprofit organizations often turn into strategic partnerships for both parties.
- Gift matching and employee volunteer programs—which we will detail below.
Continue reading about how DAFs benefit donors and nonprofit organizations
Employee volunteer programs
Initiatives that engage employees can mean the difference between a program that fizzles out and sustained community engagement. Structured opportunities for staff to contribute time, skills, and energy to meaningful causes are some of the most impactful features of any comprehensive corporate philanthropy program.
Some key benefits of employee volunteer programs include:
- Professional skill development
- Team bonding and increased cohesion
- Opportunities for personal growth
- Seeing your hard work pay off makes giving tangible
Wondering how to get into corporate philanthropy? The Foundation can help.
Whether you’re wondering how to start a scholarship fund for your employees or want to get involved in disaster relief in Houston, Greater Houston Community Foundation can help build a perfect program for your company. We offer deep community knowledge, time-tested strategies, and comprehensive support to businesses seeking to develop meaningful programs for corporate philanthropy in Houston.
When you’re ready to take your first step towards a legacy of community impact, give us a call at 713-333-2210 or reach out directly to get started.
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