Mission:

Its mission is to make Waco a better or more desirable city in which to live. This is realized through support of experimental projects, research, surveys, and special community needs for which normal financing is not available. Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit organizations. The Foundation will not provide funds for continuing operational costs, and no advance commitment of funds can be made.

About Us:

The Cooper Foundation was established in 1943 as a nonprofit, unincorporated trust wholly for the purpose of benevolent public usefulness.

For more than 70 years, the Cooper Foundation has been awarding funds to make Waco a better place in which to live. Hundreds of grants and millions of dollars have been given to support the arts, education, health care, social services, historical preservation and tourism, recreation, public safety, city beautification, and feasibility surveys.

The Foundation also serves an important role as convener and, at times, leader. For years Cooper has sponsored Waco Leadership Forum, which brings together the heads of important civic institutions. By convening five times a year, the Forum ensures items of common concern may be explored from a variety of perspectives.

Madison Cooper, Jr. established the Cooper Foundation in 1943 as a tribute to his parents Madison A. Cooper and Martha Roane Cooper. His vision was to “make Waco a better or more desirable city in which to live.” Over the years, Cooper Foundation has contributed over $23 million to fulfill his wish, reminding us of the powerful impact just one person can have on a community.

Cooper Foundation has been making a difference in Waco since its first grant, a lifeboat for the Fire Department. Subsequently, grants, made exclusively to qualifying nonprofits in Waco, Texas, have paid for all manner of community improvements ~ everything from nurses and bloodmobiles to concerts, classrooms, counseling and consultants. The Foundation has an interest, as well, in research studies and experimental projects that suggest fresh hope.