The Jordan Award was established by Dr. Wylie Jordan, a longtime fundholder and advocate of Austin Community Foundation, to elevate stories of service and shine a light on those working behind the scenes to build a better Central Texas. Dr. Jordan passed away on April 10, 2025. In honor of his memory, the Foundation will host one final grant cycle for the Jordan Award.
Since 1999, the Jordan Award has recognized the power of volunteers to transform communities—and the nonprofits that make that transformation possible. In its final year, ACF will award two grants of $11,500 each to Central Texas nonprofits that effectively leverage the time and talents of volunteers to effect positive change throughout our communities.
Originally created to recognize individual volunteers and the nonprofits they served, the Jordan Award evolved over time to focus on the organizations themselves—those that creatively and effectively mobilize volunteers to meet community needs. What began as a single $2,000 grant has grown into a program that has distributed 22 grants totaling approximately $122,000 to nonprofits across Central Texas.
In recent years, award recipients have been selected based on:
- Creativity in volunteer engagement strategies
- Effectiveness in achieving community impact
- Storytelling that communicates the value of volunteer contributions
