Barbara Fish Daniel, President 1976-2010
The Ray C. Fish Foundation was established in 1957. Under the terms of its Charter, grants are limited to qualified charitable purposes for the support, operation, establishment, or advancement of any exclusively educational, scientific or other charitable activity in the State of Texas. Federal tax laws prohibit private foundations from making loans and gifts to individuals.
Over 350 Texas institutions have received support from the Foundation. The diverse group includes universities and colleges, hospitals, medical research programs, children's aid groups, museums, schools, libraries, parks, and many others.
Education and health care are the Foundation's primary focus. Gifts were relatively small in its early years until the Foundation was fully funded in 1966. The first major gift of five million dollars was the seed money for Houston's Texas Heart Institute.
Many education and health programs have benefitted from the legacy of its Founder and his desire to help people develop their talents to better themselves and the community in which they live.