Grantees create pathways to hope through meals, healing, worship, and belonging

Texas Methodist Foundation (TMF) has awarded $920,000 in grant funding to 68 churches and nonprofit ministries across Texas and New Mexico. Selected as part of TMF's Fall 2025 grant cycle, these life-giving ministries are cultivating ecosystems of generosity and improving the lives of those living in poverty. Grantees are nurturing places where neighbors are welcomed and fed, where healing begins, and where people experience God’s love, reflecting the heart of what TMF believes: that when we invest in faithful leaders and communities, hope thrives.

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Texas Methodist Foundation grant recipient Runnin’ WJ Ranch in Texarkana, Texas, helps children and youth with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges build confidence and skills through therapeutic horseback riding.

Fall 2025 grantees we’re proud to support: TMF Partners in Ministry

“Our grantees are serving their communities in ways that usher in the spirit of truly loving one’s neighbor,” said Wendolyn Abel, TMF’s vice president of Grants Ministry. “Whether it’s a hot meal, a pathway to stability, a safe place for children to grow, or a vibrant worshiping community for deaf students, these ministries remind us that hope is abundant.”

The churches and nonprofit ministries selected are strengthening relationships, fostering belonging, and building stability through faithful service. These grantees include:

• Corpus Christi Metro Ministries, Inc. in Corpus Christi, Texas
  
  Each year, Corpus Christi Metro Ministries helps more than 4,000 neighbors move from crisis toward stability through a continuum of care. By providing over 8,000 hot meals each month, no-cost medical services, and transitional housing, CCMM meets urgent needs while building pathways to dignity, health, and long-term hope.

• First United Methodist Church in Port Lavaca, Texas
  
  First United Methodist Church of Port Lavaca launched Harvest Kitchen 12 years ago to ensure no neighbor goes hungry. What began as a single weekly meal has grown into an ecumenical ministry in which congregations serve together, offering consistent nourishment and strengthening community connections.

• Howard Chapel AME Church in Gallup, New Mexico
  
  Howard Chapel AME Church walks alongside people experiencing homelessness with steady care and respect. Through weekly worship, shared meals, and practical support, the congregation creates space for belonging, healing, and hope among indigenous and unhoused neighbors.

• Runnin’ WJ Ranch in Texarkana, Texas
  
  At Runnin’ WJ Ranch, children and youth with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges build confidence and skills through therapeutic horseback riding. As a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International Premier Accredited Center, the Ranch partners with schools and community agencies to promote healing, resilience, and growth in a safe, welcoming environment.

• SEEDS/Deaf Mission Church UMC in Dallas, Texas
  
  SEEDS/Deaf Mission Church UMC strengthens the Deaf community through worship, leadership development, and educational support. In collaboration with the Horizon Texas Conference, SEEDS supports about 80 individuals, fostering belonging, spiritual formation, and emerging leaders.

“These ministries show us what faith looks like when it’s lived out every day,” said Justin Gould, TMF’s chief philanthropy officer. “They are responding to real needs with compassion, commitment, and care, and we’re honored to come alongside them as partners in this work.”

About Texas Methodist Foundation’s Grants Ministry

Texas Methodist Foundation’s Grant Ministry empowers innovative churches and nonprofits that provide evangelism with social impact and community programs and services that improve the conditions of those living in poverty across Texas and New Mexico. Our ministry is made possible by a cycle of generosity that begins with investors and donors who provide funds that support churches and nonprofit ministries serving the needs of their communities and doing Christ’s loving work in the world. In 2025, the ministry distributed over $1.8 million in grants to 99 churches and nonprofits, supporting individuals and families and strengthening local communities. To learn more, visit texasmethodistfoundation.org/grants.

About Texas Methodist Foundation

Texas Methodist Foundation is a ministry partner to the church, the body of Christ, helping bring about the loving world God imagines through cultures of purpose, generosity, and courage. Founded in 1938, Texas Methodist Foundation helps strengthen churches and nonprofit ministries through Impact Certificate and market-based investments, loans, gift planning, endowment services, and grants. Texas Methodist Foundation's leadership ministry, which began in 2002, is known nationally as a convener and conversation partner on the future of the church, courageous leadership, and innovation across the spiritual landscape. Texas Methodist Foundation serves organizations throughout Texas and New Mexico. Based in Austin, Texas, the organization is led by President & CEO Rev. Lisa Greenwood, who is also President & CEO of Wesleyan Impact Partners. To learn more, visit texasmethodistfoundation.org.

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“Our grantees are serving their communities in ways that usher in the spirit of truly loving one’s neighbor.”