Cody Knowlton: Grantmaking with Purpose—Funding Health, Faith & Community
A FREE NON-PROFIT EMPOWERMENT WEBCAST SERIES
Led by Jim Eskin, Fundraising Trainer/Consultant
In this inspiring episode of Non-Profit North Stars with Jim Eskin, we spotlight Cody Knowlton, President and CEO of the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio. Since 2012, Cody has led the foundation in awarding grants to nearly 100 nonprofits annually, impacting healthcare, food security, and faith-based initiatives. With a background in higher education fundraising, Cody brings a unique perspective on both sides of philanthropy—soliciting and granting funds. He shares insights into the challenges of fundraising, the foundation’s most impactful grants, and how faith and strategy drive their mission.
Key Takeaways:
Fundraising vs. Grantmaking: Cody reflects on his years in fundraising and grantmaking, explaining why soliciting gifts is often more challenging than deciding who receives funding.
✅ The Power of Strategic Giving: The foundation has awarded over $100 million in grants while growing its endowment from $150M to $270M, showing the impact of responsible financial stewardship.
✅ Transformative Grants: Learn about the foundation’s first $1M grant to UT Health’s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s, setting a precedent for high-impact giving.
✅ Faith as a Guiding Principle: The foundation’s mission is deeply rooted in faith, ensuring their work supports not just health initiatives but also the greater good of the community.
Tune in to hear how Cody and the Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio are making a lasting difference, one grant at a time.
Non-Profit North Stars with Jim Eskin
The focus is on unsung heroes. We cherish those who make large donations that empower philanthropy to thrive, but in this instance, we are looking for your suggestions on those who make a difference in their communities more by their service, commitment and leadership to the rich missions in the non-profit sector that touch, improve and save more lives.
Please provide the information requested below and we will follow up with your nominees and make appropriate selections. A priority is to highlight truly a diverse cross-section of men and women who fuel the aspirations and achievements of non-profits from different sectors and all different parts of the country. Nominees may be professional staff, board members, volunteers, donors or others who propel the mission of the non-profit forward by their inspiring examples.
We will be announcing selections and sharing podcast interviews through our monthly e-newsletter and other Constant Contact communications, plus social media.
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Nominate Your Non-Profit North Star by clicking here.
Our thanks to our non-profit partners for so enthusiastically joining us in forming this learning community. We share wisdom, experience and personal insights so that we can grow together. Other educational vehicles include monthly e-newsletters, webinars and TV webcasts. For more information, email Jim Eskin at [email protected] or call him at 210-415-3748.
Visit our website at www.eskinfundraisingtraining.
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