Our Community Investment
Overview
For more than twenty years, Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM) offered invitation only grants focused on access to healthcare. To expand on this work, and to introduce our health equity framework, we began seeking new and innovative ways to impact community-level conditions and address root causes of health inequity. In 2022, MHM offered the first competitive program grant cycle for 2023 awards, encompassing the full scope of social determinants of health. In 2025, based on grantee feedback and established best practices, MHM awarded our first general operating multiyear grants. Each year, we continue our improvement journey to advance MHM’s health equity framework and respond to feedback from our grantees.
2026 Grant Cycle
The next chapter in Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ grant cycle has launched.
Last year, the Community Investments department reviewed philanthropic best practices, identified service-area gaps, and considered how grants can best support the least served.
Thanks to feedback from stakeholders like you, MHM has introduced new approaches to grantmaking for the 2025 grant cycle. We incorporated equitable grantmaking principles to reduce administrative burdens and provide more flexible funding. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to health equity and continuous improvement.
The 2026 Grant Cycle closed on August 15, 2025. Check back in spring 2026 for information on our next grant cycle.
Grantmaking
$445M in grant funding since inception through 2023
-
-
Streams of Care Funding
Up 16% – Mid 66% – Down 17%
|
12% Rural / 88% Urban
156 Grantees across 74 counties
2026 Giving Areas
Methodist Healthcare Ministries Community Grants are rooted in partnerships that support access to care, integrated delivery systems and patient-centered models. MHM’s goal is to create measurable impact at the community and regional levels to further establish health care networks. Community grants are awarded in seven core areas of investment.
Access to Care – Mental & Behavioral Health
Equitable healthcare access that addresses the mental and behavioral needs of underserved youth and adults, especially in Mental Health Providers Shortage Areas.
Food Security
Approaches that improve food security in communities by improving access to healthy, culturally appropriate and/or affordable foods. To create equitable and sustainable food systems, this includes supporting community-led food initiatives that are linked to local food production, distribution, and labor practices.
Digital Equity
Efforts to ensure communities across 74-county service region have access to reliable, affordable broadband service and the skills and opportunities to use this technology safely and effectively to support their economic and social needs. Through grantmaking, capacity building, strategic partnerships and advocacy, we are working to improve the digital equity ecosystem, increase devices access, improve digital skills, and support public benefit adoption.
Housing
Efforts that provide fair and equitable housing to low- and moderate-income individuals.
Access to Care – General
Efforts to promote equitable access to holistic approaches to health care for the underserved, especially those who reside in Medically Underserved Areas or Health Professional Shortage Areas.
Economic Mobility
Financial Independence: Efforts that focus on strengthening low-income people’s financial inclusion, knowledge, behaviors and opportunities through financial information, education, and coaching opportunities, along with capital and asset building to develop financial capability and security.
Education & Workforce Development
Efforts that provide education and workforce development opportunities to increase the earning potential of low- and moderate- income individuals.
This impactful partnership will increase the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs) and community anchor institutions in Texas to provide critical digital resources, training services, curriculum and support.
MHM Grantee
2026 Grantees
Community grants are awarded annually to organizations who share in our mission of providing health care services to the uninsured and underserved. Our model embraces a holistic approach to health care: mind, body, and spirit. Funds provided by Methodist Healthcare Ministries to partner agencies are intended to improve access to quality care in South Texas. Funding decisions are based on an organization’s ability to effectively demonstrate successful outcomes and program measurement which are reviewed annually by our board of directors.
Capacity Building Services
Capacity Building is a process of working with individuals and organizations to help develop and strengthen their abilities. Capacity building forms a thought partnership between MHM team members and nonprofits that values co-creation, trust, equity, shared learning, and collaboration. To ensure we meet nonprofit partners where they are, we use an asset-based approach—recognizing an organization’s strengths first before identifying opportunities for strengthening. Capacity building is customized with the nonprofit partner in mind and usually focused on a specific operational area(s) such as, but not limited to, fundraising, finance & accounting, and human resources, or a program. Capacity Building services for our partners include peer learning and leadership development cohorts, 1:1 coaching & technical assistance in areas that might need uplifting, online learning platform services, access to resources, and connection to consultants.
Capacity Building Blog Series
The capacity-building team developed a blog series covering a wide range of topics that may interest nonprofit organizations. Check out the latest entry in this ongoing series.
Grant Seeking Resources
The following resources feature funders and organizations who have websites that allow grant seekers to find up-to-date information about foundations and their respective grant opportunities as well as offer updates, subscriptions, e-newsletters, listservs, podcasts, and alerts for funding opportunities and the nonprofit sector.
Capacity Building Resources
The following resources are designed to help nonprofits with organizational strengthening. These resources are available at no cost and can be viewed or downloaded by clicking on the featured topics or “Resource Library” link below. Be sure to bookmark this page as capacity building resources are added and updated periodically.
