American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Missions
The mission of the American Indians in Texas (AIT) at the Spanish Colonial Missions is to work for the preservation and protection of the culture and traditions of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and other indigenous people of the Spanish Colonial Missions in South Texas and Northern Mexico through education, research, community outreach, economic development projects, and legislative initiatives. Family wellness programs include our San Antonio Fatherhood Campaign, counseling, restorative practices programming for youth, as well as other educational programs and events.
AVANCE - San Antonio
Established in 1973, AVANCE is a national, nonprofit organization, primarily serving Texas, that meets hard to reach, low-income families where they are. Meaning “advance” or “progress”, AVANCE serves as a trusted guide to support parents and their children in a family-oriented, non-judgmental environment. Programs yield measurable learning outcomes while building community and social capital. The Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP), an evidenced-based model of early intervention, focuses on the interdependent welfare of children, families, and the community. AVANCE offers a multitude of wrap-around services and programs including PCEP, Early Head Start, Head Start, Services to Fathers, Health Clinics, and Caminos al Futuro (adult education and workforce development programs).
Bexar County Health Collaborative
Since its inception in 1997, the Health Collaborative has worked to improve the health of the community through partnerships and collaborations that leverage resources to enhance positive community health outcomes. It is a powerful network of citizens, community organizations, and businesses taking a more synergistic approach to solving critical community health needs.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas
Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. The single most critical factor that determines if a child grows up successfully is whether or not they have a strong, positive, consistent, caring adult role model in their lives. Through mentoring and training, Big Brothers Big Sisters builds the developmental assets youth need to grow up successfully. Thousands of volunteers serve as mentors each year helping youth overcome challenges and reach their full potential.
Black Outside
With the knowledge that only 1% of Texas state park participants identify as Black/African-American, Black Outside, Inc. was founded with the mission of expanding access, programming, and relevancy to both Black and Brown communities across Texas. Black Outside seeks to not only diversify the outdoors, but unleash a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts reflective of our country and state’s beautiful diversity. The Bloom Project aims to create a space of communal healing for youth impacted by incarcerated family by facilitating healing-centered outdoor experiences and culturally relevant environmental education that will help them envision new possibilities for their lives, their communities, and for our world.
Blueprint Ministries
Founded in 2005, Blueprint Ministries is a non-profit organization in the heart of San Antonio that provides servant leadership training for youth and adults while restoring homes for elderly, disabled and low-income residents.
Boy With a Ball San Antonio
Boy With a Ball was founded in San Antonio in 2001, working with youth on the city’s southside, on military bases, and in churches. Today, Boy With a Ball San Antonio continues to base its efforts on the Southside where Love Your City walkthroughs and the Velocity Cross Age Mentoring program are growing. Students from across San Antonio’s vibrant universities and colleges are a constant source of volunteers for our work, and help the young people of San Antonio reach their dreams.
Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas
As the sole provider in South Texas dedicated to providing grief support programs for children through young adulthood, the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas addresses the grief and loss needs of children from every culture and social circumstance to help them heal and move forward. Services are provided at no cost to families.
Classical Music Institute
CMI’s mission is to cultivate classical music education and performance as a gateway to the arts. Established as the education program of the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, CMI debuted in summer 2016. CMI provides classical music education to Bexar County’s youth during a two-week and year-long outreach program. With the success of our summer education program, the long-term goal is to partner with local school districts to establish a year-round, accredited institute. CMI is a resident company of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
Ella Austin Community Center
The Ella Austin Community Center has evolved over the years since its inception in 1897 into a neighborhood-based, multi-social service, non-profit agency providing assistance to individuals and families. Individual and family services programs provide emergency assistance to help meet basic food needs. Senior services provide nutrition as well as recreational and education group activities. Their early childhood development program prepares children to be ready for school and their youth service programs include year-round after-school, reading, and summer enrichment programs for children 6-14 years of age.
Empower House
Empower House (formerly Martinez Street Women’s Center envisions a world where all women and girls are empowered to transform themselves, their families, and their communities. Our organization provides transformative community health services, youth development programs, and advocacy opportunities that empower women and girls of color. Founded in 1999, Empower House has now grown to include two locations on the East and West Sides of San Antonio, creating a closer connection to the community we serve.
Girls, Inc.
Girls, Inc. of San Antonio inspires girls to be strong, smart and bold. The evidence-based, girl-serving program helps girls reach personal, educational and career goals by looking past discriminatory messages and embracing their internal self-worth. Trained facilitators meet girls with age-appropriate and hands-on learning opportunities inside and outside of school. Girls can dip their toes in a diverse array of activities, including life skills, STEM studies, leadership training, economics and social action. Dreaming big and exploring possibilities happens at Girls, Inc. through a safe and empowering environment fostered in each program.
Girls on the Run of Bexar County
Girls on the Run is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams. Girls on the Run inspires ALL girls to build confidence and make intentional decisions, while fostering care and compassion for self and others. Trained volunteer coaches use evidence-based curricula that incorporate physical activity and dynamic discussions to build social, emotional, and physical skills in every girl while encouraging healthy habits for life.
Good Samaritan Community Services
The mission of Good Samaritan Community Services (Good Sam) is to serve as a catalyst for change, supporting youth, individuals and families by providing excellent community services to overcome economic poverty. The Center was established as a downtown mission of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in 1951 by the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, under the leadership of Bishop Everett Jones. Since then, Good Sam has grown to become a private 501(c) 3 nonprofit that provides comprehensive services to more than 5,000 individuals and 1,600 families in six South Texas locations. Good Sam actively serves as a place of change, reaching out to support thousands of people working to improve their lives and to overcome the challenges of poverty. Its vision is to “Empower Communities to Thrive.”
Healthy Futures of Texas
Healthy Futures of Texas is a statewide nonprofit organization that works to reduce unplanned and teen
pregnancies through science-based education and advocacy that empower youth, women, and families
to make the best decisions for their futures. Our vision is that every youth has access to evidence-based sexual health education, and access to the health care they need to protect their health and avoid an unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV.
- In 2006, we began dissemination of Big Decisions, an evidence-informed sex ed curriculum, throughout Texas, which is now approved for use in more than 40 Texas districts.
- In 2012 we formed the Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition, which advocates for preventative healthcare access for women and families across Texas. In 2014, a group of students we served wanted to advocate for more resources and medically accurate sex ed and formed our Youth Advocacy Council.
- In 2015, we began BAE-B-SAFE, our outreach strategy at four Alamo Community Colleges that provides sex ed and clinical referrals. In 2021, we expanded BAE-B-SAFE to two Austin Community Colleges campuses.
House of Neighborly Service
Over 100 years ago, a refugee and Presbyterian missionary fled the Mexican Revolution and came to the West Side of San Antonio to encourage other refugees leaving behind desperate situations. Soon after, The House of Neighborly Service (HNS) established to support families building new lives, providing social services to a neighborhood in need. Now, helping the neighbor has become a way of life for HNS. From early childhood development to senior services, the organization meets the holistic needs of the community. A breadth of resources is provided through the Family Support Program, including diapers, food security, emotional support, housing, medical and legal needs.
JOVEN
A rise in juvenile crime unsettled founders of the Juvenile Outreach and Vocational Education Network (JOVEN). For almost 30 years, the group has combatted youth crime in Bexar County through education and support services, collaborating with local organizations and churches to assist high-risk youth. A holistic approach to programming meets youth in all stages- health education, prevention, intervention and counseling services. Leaders of America, a summer youth-intern opportunity, offers first-hand knowledge of necessary workforce ethic and skills. Character and resiliency are woven into each program to help children make positive changes toward a better-quality life and a successful future.
Latched Support
Founded in 2017, Latched Support is a nonprofit committed to providing expert clinical breastfeeding services, parenting education, and free diaper assistance. The organization is dedicated to working with families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals in the communities to improve breastfeeding rates. Their mission is to promote sustainable health that begins at the first latch. Latched Support serves mothers, children, families, and communities in Bexar County with the mission to break through cultural barriers, bring education, and support for breastfeeding during prenatal and postpartum periods. They seek to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding within communities which currently reflect a low percentage of breastfeeding mothers, specifically, African American and Hispanic communities.
Maestro Entrepreneur Center
The mission of Maestro Entrepreneur Center is to grow small, minority, woman, and veteran-owned businesses beyond the $1 million mark in revenue to promote economic mobility. Their programs include a 12-week cohort program for small businesses; support groups for cohort entrepreneurs; a women in leadership panel; and a one-week youth program introducing the spirit of entrepreneurship and leadership skills to the next generation of entrepreneurs that they are working to expand over a longer period of time.
Madonna Center
The Madonna Center helps individuals and families improve their daily lives through education, connections to resources, healthy aging, and creating a sense of community. Early childhood programs are designed to educate young children and prepare them for success in school. From after-school programs to senior services, Madonna Center has activities and programs meant to build community among all age groups. The Center also hosts summer camps and the Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) early childhood program.
NAMI San Antonio
The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. When Eve Oliphant placed a newspaper ad in 1974 inviting people into her home who had concerns for mentally ill family members, she started a movement. NAMI San Antonio continues the movement using a “pay it forward” model to stop stigma and provide hope. NAMI provides free, peer and caregiver led classes and support groups for adults struggling with a mental health condition and their loved ones. Presentations are offered to faith groups, service providers, businesses, community groups, schools and law enforcement agencies. A person with “lived experience” – a peer or a caregiver who is living well – is trained to lead their own class or group or to speak in the community. This is how NAMI San Antonio brings hope!
Presa Community Center
Presa Community Center improves lives by providing access to needed resources and tools for social and personal transformation. The Center provides comprehensive programs that foster independence, personal growth, and empowerment for youth, older adults, and families. In addition to resources and referrals, community members can access educational support, free tax assistance, computer lab, emergency food, transportation for older adults and people with disabilities, plus various classes and activities. We base our approach to service on or core values:
- Holistic approach to serving the community; touching all aspects of their lives.
- Humanity: care for the individual, with dignity and respect.
- Community Ownership: priorities & approaches driven by the community, rather than management.
- Advocacy: for our community’s improvement.
- Collaboration: with partner organizations to uncover root causes of problems.
- Value: believe in the potential of each member of our community; help each person see and believe in their own value and potential.
Project Transformation - Rio Texas
Project Transformation connects three communities—children, college students and churches. All three C’s are combined in one interconnected mission, to change lives through relationship. The Rio Texas Chapter, formed in 2015, starts by addressing the needs of students challenged by low income and other related adversity risks. A summer camp emphasizing literacy improvement is implemented by college students, who live in intentional community together, building relationships while learning a unique, meaningful skillset. All of this takes place in churches, aimed to be re-anchored through dynamic and relational connections.
Prosper West
Prosper West is a nonprofit organization that includes a coalition of community members and area partners working together to make the Westside of San Antonio a more prosperous place for families and businesses through our “Big Six” model which includes housing and real estate, small businesses, cultural preservation, community engagement, promotion and marketing, and placemaking and activation. Prosper West aims to implement planning and economic development initiatives that promote growth, revitalization, and economic opportunities while also preserving existing residents and businesses, enhancing our local culture and history, and creating a viable, sustainable, and thriving urban community.
Prospera Housing Community Services
For over 25 years, PROSPERA Housing Community Services has provided safe, high-quality, affordable housing and supportive services as a starting point for pursuing goals, fulfilling dreams, restoring spirit, and building self-endurance. PROSPERA has a proven business model to serve residents who aspire to rent affordable, secure homes by maximizing life-stabilizing, transformational services.
Restore Education
The founder of Restore Education, John F. Rhodes, believed that single parents and disadvantaged youth, who struggled in a traditional education setting should have the opportunity to achieve their dreams. In 1997, he and his staff began curating unique pathways to and through college, as well as developing workforce training to form self-sustaining careers.
Serving over 9,000 San Antonio individuals since 2008, the nonprofit operates three programs to help transform lives—an individualized GED program, a college readiness and support service, and multiple career training programs. These services give San Antonio learners the tools needed to be self-supporting adults, exemplar parents, and productive community members.
Rise Recovery
Rise Recovery helps teens, young adults, and families overcome the effects of drug and alcohol and partner with the community in education and prevention. For over 40 years, Rise has served youth and families in Bexar County ranging in age from twelve through thirty-five, in addition to support groups for family and loved ones. They walk with participants through their recovery journey with a keen sense of love and understanding. Programs and services range from individual counseling to support groups to social activities. There are no time limits on participation and there is no shame in walking through their doors.
San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative
The San Antonio Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative was founded in 2019 by a group of nonprofits wanting to provide a holistic approach to mental wellness by breaking barriers and bringing services right into the schools. The group works with school districts to provide individual and group counseling, psychiatry, education, and more to students, as well as their parents, teachers and district staff. In partnership with Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, organizations in the Collaborative include Jewish Family Service of San Antonio, Family Service Association, Clarity Child Guidance Council, Rise Recovery, and Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas.
SA Hope Center
The mission of SA Hope Center is to love people well by empowering them to meet their needs through in-depth case management and wrap-around social services. Founded in 2001, SA Hope Center’s program model shifted in 2014 from a food pantry program to a multi-faceted social service agency that addresses the root causes of poverty to help the community become holistically sustainable. SA Hope Center’s programs are relationally focused and provide program including case management, financial literacy, job training, senior services, nutrition assistance, health and wellness screenings and classes, parenting classes, spiritual programs and many more.
SA Youth
SA Youth’s prime focus is helping high-risk youth and youth adults to achieve their full potential by providing quality educational programming in a safe environment. SA Youth’s vision is for all San Antonio youth and young adults to have equitable access to educational opportunities, graduate from high school, and become successful community-minded adults, regardless of circumstance.
San Anto Cultural Arts
San Anto Cultural Arts was founded in 1993 with the mission to foster human and community development through community-based arts. A focus on art through community engagement led to the creation of our community-based arts programs: the Community Mural Program, El Placazo Community Newspaper, and our After School Arts Program. These dynamic programs engage residents and foster the talents of youth by educating them on the history.
San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM)
The San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed to collect, preserve and share the African American cultural heritage of the San Antonio region. SAAACAM reclaims San Antonio’s Black history by engaging individuals to curate their own archives and cultivate a community-driven museum of digitized, audiovisual exhibits housed in the SAAACAM Collection at the Texas A & M San Antonio Digital Library. SAAACAM also develops partnerships with other nonprofits to increase access to community wellness programs and healthcare by helping families learn and document their own health history and connecting them to beneficial low-cost health programs. Additional programming includes the Black History Film Series, the Black History Riverboat Tour, Cemetery Tours, pop-up exhibits, and a racial education program and an exhibit space open 7 days a week in the La Villita Historic Arts Village.
San Antonio Education Partnership
For more than 30 years, the San Antonio Education Partnership (SAEP) has been a pillar in the San Antonio community. Originally founded in 1989, SAEP’s mission is to create college opportunities, access, and success for our community. We provide students, no matter their place in life, the opportunity to access higher education through our four programs: Cafécollege is a centrally-located “one-stop-shop” dedicated to providing college access information, resources, and opportunities to students of all ages:
- the Road to Success (R2S) program serves students at 35 high schools from 10 school districts across San Antonio and Bexar County. Advisors provide direction in achieving college access and success;
- The SAEP Scholarship is offered to all graduating seniors at 34 partnering high schools, awarding $2.1 each year; and
- The Upgrade program utilizes a case-management approach to assist adult students who have previously stopped out of school to return and complete an undergraduate credential.
SAY Sí
The vision of SAY Sí is for all young people to have equitable access to opportunities to develop their worldview and creative potential, empowering them to live rich, full lives and develop the critical learning and life skills they need to become active contributors to their communities. SAY Sí ignites the creative power of young people as forces of positive change and values artists, empowers marginalized communities and advances culture. Programs include on-site year-round, long-term youth programs as well as community-based programs hosted throughout the city. On-site programs feature high school studios for visual arts, media arts, theatre arts and new media, with corresponding multidisciplinary Saturday middle school programs.
Students of Service
Students of Service (SOS) is dedicated to education through service and travel by providing students with the opportunity to learn abroad in order to better their own communities and serve back home. Our vision is to see a world in which all young people – no matter their background – believe in their power to make a positive difference in their communities. We have also expanded our programs to provide year-round opportunities for students to conduct community service. At least half of all students who participate in our learning abroad program are supported through scholarships.
UP Partnership
Founded in 2009, UP Partnership (formerly P16Plus) has been the leader in collective impact for young people in Bexar County for more than 10 years. In that time, it has helped to facilitate progress across major population-level change indicators, from early grade reading to high school completion. In 2018, UP Partnership expanded its mission statement to focus on all child- and youth-serving institutions in Bexar County, not just educational ones. Its new mission is “to ensure all young people across Bexar County are ready for the future.” To deliver on this mission, UP Partnership coordinates data, aligns pathways, and promotes policy change that can help to unlock the full potential of our young people, our communities and our region.
Urban-15
Urban-15 creates. We cultivate talent, inspire imagination, and bring joy to our community through Music, Movement, and Media. Our programs create: art that merges traditional Latino culture, contemporary aesthetics, and creative technologies; educational programs that develop skills and imagination; life-long participation in artistic exploration for both arts and the community. We are transforming our community through a philosophy of inclusion that breaks prejudicial barriers of size, age, gender, class, religion, ethnicity, race; targeting economic and social disparity; and revolutionizing access to Music, Movement, and Media. Programs include: The Cultivation Project for youth and seniors, a free, year-round Music, Media, and Movement program; Carnaval de San Anto, a multi-generational drum and dance ensemble; and the Center for Creative Arts, a 3-building complex at 2500 S. Presa.
Voices for Children of San Antonio
Voices identifies critical issues that impact child well-being in San Antonio and Bexar County, then collaborates with local and state organizations to improve programs, practices, and policy. Voices partners with over 200 organizations on its various initiatives in focus areas of Early Care and Education, Child Abuse/ Neglect and Children’s Health and Mental Health. Working with city and state government and leaders, as well as with the health, education, and human service sectors, Voices for Children works to keep the wellbeing and the future of children at the forefront of planning and discussion.
