Our mission is to meet basic human needs while building individual and social resiliency. Established in 1987, the Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation has dedicated over $70 million in grants to improve the social fabric of life. The Foundation seeks innovative solutions to intractable and persistent problems and strives to cultivate emerging talents and promising models. The entire Rapoport family is actively involved in the Foundation’s operations, which has touched many lives in the areas of education, arts and culture, health, community building & social services, and democracy & civic participation. This commitment is rooted in generations past and continues to mold our future.
The Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation concentrates its funding on five primary areas: Arts & Culture, Community Building & Social Service, Democracy & Civic Participation, Education, and Health. It supports artistic and cultural programs that enrich the lives of children and disadvantaged community members, emphasizes education from early learning through elementary years and includes adult education and professional enhancement for teachers. In health, it aims to improve the quality and delivery of services, especially for underserved populations. Community-building efforts focus on improving life quality, job training, and providing social services for disadvantaged citizens. The Foundation also encourages civic participation and governmental responsiveness. It designates one-third of its annual grants to projects in Waco, Texas, with discretion for funding throughout the United States and specific commitments to the University of Texas at Austin Rapoport Service Scholarship program, the Jerusalem Foundation, and the Jewish Federations of North America. The Foundation's approach to funding decisions is flexible, prioritizing the quality of the grant request and alignment with current interests over strict policy adherence regarding operating versus program/project support or indirect costs.