Rockwell Fund, Inc.

Special Initiatives

Over the years, Rockwell Fund has developed long-term relationships with key grantees. We believe that we can best support these nonprofits by coupling our grants with strategic, hands-on support. As such, we practice a form of high engagement philanthropy with our Special Initiative grantees, which we define as working in partnership to provide not only financial support, but also adequate levels of networking, problem solving, planning and evaluation support. Our current Special Initiatives are:

  • Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries
  • Community Clinics Initiative
  • South Texas College of Law's General Civil Clinic

We invite you to browse through the following articles to learn about our current Special Initiatives.

Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries of Greater Houston (ACAM)

A Legacy of the Zip Code Assistance Ministries Organizational Development Program

Where do Houstonians go when they face an eviction or realize their groceries will run out before the end of the month or that they can’t afford school supplies for their children? Many go to their local community assistance ministries in their neighborhoods for a myriad of basic needs emergencies. Community assistance ministries are an important part of our city's “social service safety net,” preventing homelessness, meeting basic needs and helping people remain or become self-sufficient, by providing clients with food, clothing, employment services, adult education, rent/utilities assistance, and much more.

This is why Rockwell Fund is proud to partner with the Alliance of Community Assistance Ministries of Greater Houston (ACAM), a membership support organization committed to excellence in social services and capacity building for community assistance ministries (CAMs) in the Greater Houston area. Read more (PDF).

Community Clinics Initiative

Case Study of Houston Community Health Centers/Denver Harbor Clinic

Rockwell Fund’s (RFI) investment in the local network of community-based clinics serving uninsured and underinsured patients is two-fold. We support the Harris County Healthcare Alliance’s $12 million dollar campaign to expand and strengthen the primary care safety net system of Harris County, which includes participation in the Community Clinics Funders Collaborative. RFI also builds the capacity of individual community clinics through sustained, operating grants, and through attracting additional support for clinic expansions. Following is a case study on one of the community health centers RFI has developed a high engagement philanthropy approach with, and one process for leveraging our local dollars with those of a national funder.

Recognizing the significance of collaboration with local and national funders as one of Rockwell Fund, Inc. (RFI) values and strategies utilized to leverage their grantmaking dollars and deepen impact in their focus areas, Rockwell Fund ventured into their first strategic collaboration in 2003 with the Denver Harbor Clinic. Read more (PDF).

Houston Community Health Centers Grand Opening

South Texas College of Law

General Civil Clinic's Battered and Homeless Women's Program

Rockwell Fund, Inc. (RFI) has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with South Texas College of Law (STCL), a private, nonprofit law school founded in 1923. Its mission is to provide an accessible legal education, distinguished by its excellence, to a diverse body of students committed to serving their communities and the profession.

Since 1965, RFI has funded STCL projects ranging from scholarships to library expansion. In 2001, however, RFI approached the school with a proposal to augment the funding of STCL's General Civil Clinic, which has been providing representation to indigent residents of the Houston metropolitan area since 1990. While the Clinic traditionally had focused on indigent Social Security, disability and family law issues, RFI offered to fund the Clinic's expansion to include legal assistance to battered and homeless women. Read more (PDF).