The mission of the Foundation is to nurture and advance activities which contribute to the following core values: helping break the cycle of poverty, assisting people to help themselves, nurturing support and love for Catholic institutions, developing the Catholic faith, learning, spirituality, respect, and cooperative / collaborative partnership.

 The Foundation gives grants in two distinct categories, Sectarian and Non-Sectarian. Nearly 90% of the total charitable contributions given are to Sectarian entities, primarily Catholic schools and churches. As the pie charts demonstrate, education has been strongly favored in recent grant-giving cycles, including Catholic schools, Catholic universities and public universities, all within the State of Texas. Health and human services are also favored, in keeping with the Foundation's core values.

The John G. and Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation makes grants to non-profit organizations that  are 501(c)(3) charitable organizations under the Internal Revenue Service Code. To be considered for a grant, an applicant must be listed in the IRS Publication 78 or the Official Catholic Directory, as appropriate.

The Foundation does not lend or grant money to individuals.  The Foundation makes grants to organizations only within the State of Texas. 

The Grants Advisory Committee meets twice per year, in May and November, to consider grants. The deadline for grants to be considered in May is December 15th. The deadline for grants to be considered in November is July 1st. Other than fundraisers, which is discussed in the fundraiser section, there are few exceptions to the deadlines. Please see the Grants Policy for details on requests that may be considered outside of the normal grants cycle.