Georgetown, Texas, November 12, 2024. The Anna+Anton Olson Legacy Foundation (Anna-Anton) 
recently distributed $150,000 to a variety of local nonprofits serving the Georgetown, Hutto and Taylor communities. This year Anna-Anton shifted from supporting both programming and operational support, to focusing solely on the operational aspect of nonprofits. Both short-term unexpected needs/upgrades as well as long-term operational capacity building projects were funded.
A few of the unexpected needs that are being addressed include:
- Covering a drastic increase in the cost of insurance for the vehicles of a transportation program;
- Gap funding due to loss of government grant funding;
- Financial software upgrades;
- Website updates for better security and customer/client service; and
- Upgrading an HVAC system in an aging food storage facility.
Capacity building needs being addressed include a strategic leadership project to build a sustainable & adaptive organization, the creation of a fundraising and development plan, and leadership training for a nonprofit’s board, staff and volunteers. According to the founder of the Anna-Anton Foundation, Larry Olson, “The decision to focus on organizational sustainability appears to have been the type of innovative philanthropy local nonprofits are looking for. Anna-Anton received almost twice the number of grant applications this year with its new approach, than last year’s grant cycle.”
Established in 2021, Anna-Anton provides philanthropic grants to help strengthen the Georgetown, Hutto, and Taylor communities through a life cycle of caring by focusing on 3 key areas:
- Giving underserved children more opportunities to grow and thrive;
- Fostering a spirit of entrepreneurship with youth and young adults in underserved areas; and
- Providing independence and dignity to seniors trying to live at home.
Larry Olson also stated that “whether it is short-term emergency needs or long-term capacity building projects, Anna-Anton seeks to create long-lasting impact by helping build an organization’s operational health, vitality, and sustainability. Anna-Anton is committed to continuously enhancing its efforts to strengthen nonprofit organizations in our communities.”
Grants were awarded to the following nonprofit organizations:
Exceptional Georgetown Alliance
Dickey Museum/Multipurpose Ctr.
Georgetown Area Parkinson’s Group (GAPS)
The Institute for Excellence in Nonprofits
Larry Olson stated, “Based on feedback from the nonprofit community and previous Anna-Anton grant cycles, we recently made a major decision to restrict Anna-Anton grants to help strengthen the internal operational capabilities of nonprofit organizations, instead of the traditional approach of funding new programs or expanding existing ones.”
“In 2021, when Anna-Anton began providing grants to local nonprofit organizations, we made a commitment to be creative and pioneering in our efforts to maximize impact in the Georgetown, Hutto, and Taylor communities. Each year, we have tried to find new and more creative strategies to achieve that objective. This year’s sustainability grants are coming close to reaching that goal.”
