The Moody Foundation is a charitable foundation incorporated in Texas and based in the island city of Galveston. W.L. Moody, Jr. and Libbie Shearn Moody established the Moody Foundation in 1942 as a way to share their good fortune and to make a difference in the lives of the people of Texas. Over the years, the Moody Foundation has made more than $1.2 billion in grants throughout the state to organizations that have educated, healed, nurtured, and inspired generations of Texans.
Grants and Initiatives
The foundation commits the majority of its grants and funding to the foundation-initiated projects of Moody Gardens and the Transitional Learning Center, both located in its home city of Galveston. However over the past decade, it has begun expanding the scope of its grants to include projects across Texas, as long as they fall within its field of charitable focus.
Moody Scholars Program
Graduating seniors from eligible Galveston County High Schools and selected schools in Dallas and Austin may apply for the Moody Scholarships to aid in their undergraduate education. Since its inception in 1969, The Moody Scholarship Program has awarded more than $12 million in scholarship funding to assist students attending college in Texas.
Moody Gardens
Moody Gardens was conceived in the 1980s to augment Galveston’s tourism sector with facilities that would attract visitors year-round, extending the economic impacts of local tourism beyond the summer months. The attractions now generate annual revenues in excess of $36 million, and indirect revenues to Galveston businesses totaling several times that amount. The complex now includes a one-acre rainforest environment, the Discovery Pyramid of science exhibitions, a 3-D IMAX theater, and one of the country’s largest aquariums. The Moody Gardens Hotel and Convention Center, built by the Moody Foundation and owned by the City of Galveston, bring many visitors to the island. Moody Gardens’ environmental education programs are used by teachers at all grade levels.
Transitional Learning Center
The Transitional Learning Center was established to offer comprehensive rehabilitation services to survivors of traumatic brain injury, and outstanding research opportunities for scientists working in the fields of neurology, physical therapy, internal medicine, and other disciplines involved in the recovery from brain injury.