OVERVIEW: The Dan L. Duncan Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to health and human services, education and youth, the arts, and the environment. It also earmarks funds for other community-related causes in Houston.
IP TAKE: The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities.
OVERVIEW: Established in 2004 the Dan L. Duncan Family Foundation was created in the name of the late Dan L. Duncan, who was co-founder, Chairman and majority shareholder of Enterprise Products, a natural gas and oil pipeline company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The foundation’s president is his billionaire daughter Randa Duncan Williams, who is is currently non-executive chairman of Enterprise Products Partners. The foundation does not maintain a website, which makes it difficult to locate further information on its priority areas and grantmaking strategies. According to tax filings, the Dan L. Duncan Family Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to health and human services, education and youth, and the arts. It also earmarks funds for other community-related causes in Houston.
Grants for Public Health and Access, Community Development, and Arts and Culture
The foundation’s health grantmaking prioritizes the University of Texas Health Science Center, including its Children's Learning Institute, whose mission is to “enhance children's opportunities for successful living by providing them with individualized research-based clinical services.” The late Dan Duncan made a $10 million to the Children's Learning Institute at to create the Dan L. Duncan Children's Neurodevelopmental Clinic. The family also created the Dan L Duncan Programs at the Children's Learning Institute. The forces here are personal as Randa’s son received assistance at the Children's Learning Institute in coping with his dyslexia and improving his reading skills.
Past grantees include Memorial Hermann Foundation, KIPP Houston, Boys and Girls Harbor, Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, Greater Houston Community Foundation, and Houston Museum of Natural Science, whose board Randa once chaired.
Important Grant Details
Grants range from $5,000 to around $10.8 million. In a recent tax year, the foundation gave away approximately $21.6 million.
The foundation keeps a low profile and does not accept unsolicited proposals.
CONTACT:
Dan L. Duncan Foundation
PO Box 4735
Houston, TX 77210
(713) 381-6593