Described in the following paragraphs are five areas of funding selected to illustrate some of the different approaches the Foundation takes to grant making. We recognize these grantees as examples of the good work being done in many nonprofit agencies serving our communities. See the "Awarded Grants" section of this Website for a complete listing of Foundation Grants.
Grants in Honor of Albert Kronkosky, Jr. and Bessie Mae Kronkosky
From inception through December 2010, the Foundation has made grants totaling $163.4 million. The impact of the generosity of the Kronkoskys on the area nonprofit community has been simply tremendous. The Foundation honors each of its founders annually by making an unsolicited, unrestricted grant in his or her honor to a nonprofit previously supported by the Foundation.
In May 2010, Alpha Home received a $50,000 grant in memory of Mr. Albert Kronkosky, Jr. in support of its services to women recovering from substance abuse.
In September 2010, Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, Inc. received $250,000, a special grant
in memory of Mrs. Bessie Mae Kronkosky who passed away in early September 2010.
In the early years of the Foundation,
Mrs. Kronkosky served on the Distribution Committee which was a fun time for her and a special experience for all of us. Bessie Mae was a delightful and generous person who was especially fond of young children and had a special place in her heart for animals. Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, located in Kendall County, cares for injured or abandoned wild animals returning them, if feasible, to the wild once they recover from their injuries.
Grants Funding Services related to Illnesses
Services for persons with illnesses were a major funding area in 2010. A total of $1.8 million of grants were awarded to 14 organizations. The largest single funding area amounted to $550,000 for Autism, including $400,000 awarded to the Autism Community Network and $150,000 to Any Baby Can.
These two agencies work hand in hand to serve families of children with autism. The Network provides assessment and therapy services (it serves about 250 families each year) and educational seminars for families and service providers. Any Baby Can provides case management services and support groups for affected families.
Medical services for the homeless was another major area in 2010 with $500,000 awarded to Haven for Hope in San Antonio and $25,000 awarded to I Care San Antonio to fund eye exams for homeless persons while at Haven for Hope. Obesity prevention, another high priority for our communities, was awarded $217,116, including $175,000 to the San Antonio Food Bank to fund nutrition education presentations and demonstrations for small groups throughout the Foundation’s four counties. Agencies active in providing services in community health centers, prescription assistance, cancer, substance abuse, alcoholism, dental services, epilepsy and HIV/AIDS also received grants in 2010.
Grants Funding Services for Disabled Persons
Agencies serving persons with disabilities were awarded 20 grants for total of $1,000,000. Organizations engaged in mental health promotion included the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health which received $175,000 to help fund counseling services for the people in need of help but lacking resources.
The Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas was awarded $75,000 to help fund it counseling services for children, who have experienced a death in their lives, and their families. Another $150,000 went to Methodist Mission Home, San Antonio Family Endeavors for its Fairweather Lodge for women, the House of Neighborly Service and the San Antonio Clubhouse all of which work with individuals and families experiencing mental illness issues. Organizations serving the physically handicapped included Morgan’s Wonderland, Horses Helping the Handicapped and Project Mend.Agencies active in serving persons with severe mental and physical disabilities included Kinetic Kids, TEAMability, HandsOn and Operation Comfort.
Arts Activities
Arts funding continued in 2010 at its usual level since most such funding is related to general operations. A total of $958,800 was granted to twelve organizations. The San Antonio Symphony and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center were each awarded $250,000 in support of their operations. The Symphony completed another fiscal year in August with a balanced budget thanks in part to cost reductions supported by the Orchestra members in the prior year. Guadalupe Cultural Art Center has continued its stepped up programming and interactions with its many audiences and its youth arts programming.
Eight organizations received $50-75,000 in operations support, including ArtPace, Jump Start Performance Company, the Nutcracker collaborative, San Anto Cultural Arts, San Antonio Opera, Say Si, the Southwest School of Art & Craft and Youth Orchestras. In addition, agencies providing other theater and musical opportunities were supported in 2010.
Other Funding of Prevention of Child Abuse
In addition to the Precious Minds, New Connections Initiative, the Foundation awarded $939,000 in grants to thirteen agencies focused on prevention of child abuse. Residential and treatment programs for abused children were awarded $450,000. Child Advocates San Antonio was provided operating funding totaling $125,000. Avance was awarded $181,500 to help fund the parenting education portion of its Parent-Child Education Program.
Grants for Elderly Services
On June 16, 2010, Kronkosky Place in Boerne, Texas held its grand opening. Kronkosky place is the new senior center facility for Kendall County and replaces the former Rainbow Senior Center. The Foundation funded $4.5 million of this $8 million project prior to 2009. Kronkosky Place is a 20,000 square feet facility which houses meeting, dining, exercise, card playing, dancing, kitchen and other services for adults 55 years and older. It has 1,300 members and regularly serves daily meals to 150 seniors and provides meals on wheels to another 85 seniors daily throughout Kendall County. Kronkosky Place is named for the Foundation’s founders and joins the Albert and Bessie Mae Kronkosky Library of Bandera County and the Kronkosky Tiny Tot Nature Spot at the San Antonio Zoo as the major named project for those three counties served by the Foundation.
Agencies serving the elderly were provided funding in 2010 totaling $810,000.Grants of $400,000 were awarded to Christian Senior Services and Kronkosky Place in Boerne for operating funding for meals on wheels programs.
Senior centers in Bandera, Bulverde and New Braunfels were awarded operating funding totaling $205,000. The Foundation initiated money management program was provided an eighth year of funding ($75,000) so volunteers will continue to be supported in their work to help with budgeting, bill paying and other financial services to elderly persons who need assistance, but not full guardianship. Also, for the thirteenth consecutive year, the Foundation has been the lead supporter of Project Cool, a program to provide fans for elderly and disabled persons who do not have or cannot afford air conditioning in their homes and apartments.
Accountability and Evaluation
Each of the grants made by the Foundation has accountability requirements. Financial reports, including budget to actual comparisons on project budgets and annual financial statements are required on all grants and are timely submitted by our grantees. In addition, all but the smallest grants require an evaluation report, a self-assessment of the effectiveness of the grantees work funded by the Foundation. The sophistication of the evaluations varies with the size and experience of the organization. Summaries of the evaluation reports are shared on our website in the Evaluation Section.
We have implemented a requirement in 2010 that requires nearly all of the Foundation’s applicants be GuideStar Exchange Program Members to be eligible for grant consideration. The purpose of this requirement is to increase the transparency of area nonprofit organizations and to reduce materials normally requested as a part of grant proposals. The Foundation is also a GuideStar Exchange Program Member. Ours and our grantees’ reports may be accessed at www.guidestar.org.
At the end of 2010 the Foundation's investments totaled $335 million, up $101 million from last year after grant payments and operating expenses. In late 2010, $75 million was received by the Foundation from certain trusts following the death of Mrs. Kronkosky. At December 31, 2010, the Foundation had 74% of its investments in equity securities and 26% in fixed income securities. The Foundation experienced a 14.89% overall total return on investment after fees. Bank of America manages the investment portfolio.
At the end of 2010, the Foundation had $1.2 million of committed and contingent grants all scheduled for payment in 2011. New grants to be awarded for 2011 are expected to be about $11 million, including the Foundation’s Precious Minds, New Connections initiative. Audited financial statements are included on this website shortly after the audit is completed each year.
We work hard to make the Foundation a friendly place where every potential grantee feels welcome. At the same time, we carefully evaluate each grant to ensure that Foundation funds are well spent and used in ways that are consistent with the wishes of the Kronkoskys. I thank our Distribution Committee and staff for their excellent efforts on behalf of all of us who live in the four-county area.
We are excited about the programs that were funded in 2010 and look forward to seeing their results. We continue to learn and refine our procedures and processes to improve our responsiveness and effectiveness.
While we are actively assessing grant requests received almost daily, we are also analyzing areas within the Foundation's charitable purposes where proactive efforts may be desirable and consistent with our Mission … to produce profound good that is tangible and measurable … by funding programs that support the Kronkoskys' charitable purposes.
Palmer Moe
Managing Director
February 2011
