Children, Youth and Family Services in Houston

Miss Ima Hogg was a charismatic civic leader and visionary philanthropist who called Houston home for 60 years. She also cared deeply about the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of children, serving on the Houston school board and supporting a variety of children's programs and services in the arts, in health and in education.

Ima Hogg Endowment

Before she died, Miss Ima established an endowment at the Hogg Foundation to provide mental health services for children, youth and their families in Houston and Harris County. The fund was activated after her death. Since 1976, the Ima Hogg endowment has funded 167 grants totaling more than $28 million.

As directed by Miss Ima, the fund may only be used to support mental health services for children, youth and their families in Houston and Harris County. The Hogg Foundation awards grants from the Ima Hogg endowment through a competitive proposal process.

In 2009, the foundation awarded eight three-year grants totaling $7.8 million to provide mental health prevention, early identification and intervention, and treatment services in schools and community settings such as day care and transitional living centers. The programs involve 27 local nonprofit and government agencies and will serve an estimated 10,000 children and youth in high-need areas of Houston and Harris County. For more information about the grant recipients, see the documents showcased in the spotlight to the right.

In 2012 the eight grantees received one-year of additional funding through a continuation of the 2009 Ima Hogg Children’s Mental Health Grants program. The original eight grantees that were selected received a fourth year of funding totaling $2,056,000 to continue offering services to children, youth and their families to help build capacity and focus on sustainability efforts.

The grants address many issues identified by the Houston community in a 10-year strategic plan to improve delivery of children’s mental health services. The plan was developed by the Harris County Joint City/County Commission on Children with a $99,970 grant from the Hogg Foundation. During the 18-month process, community stakeholders said children and families need better access to quality services that promote mental health and quickly identify, intervene and treat mental health needs. They also said services could be delivered more effectively in schools and community settings such as pediatric offices, day care centers and social service agencies.

2010 Houston Conference on Children's Mental Health
In June 2010, more than 300 therapists, teachers, parents and others who work with children in the Houston area attended a one-day conference in Houston hosted by the Hogg Foundation. "Young Minds Matter: Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Children, Youth and Families" highlighted recent trends and strategies for meeting the mental health needs of children, youth and their families. Click here to view the conference presentations.