The Cockrell Foundation traces its roots to 1957, when it was founded as a charitable trust by Dula Dashiell Cockrell. In 1966, her son and daughter-in-law, Ernest Cockrell Jr. and Virginia Harris Cockrell, transformed the trust into a private charitable foundation serving as a conduit for the family’s philanthropic giving. The Foundation was later funded through significant gifts upon their deaths, marking the beginning of their philanthropic legacy and establishing a vision that continues to guide the Foundation’s work today. Since that time, the Foundation has built a strong tradition of supporting nonprofit organizations - primarily in the Greater Houston Area and at the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin - with a focus on higher education, healthcare, medical research, youth initiatives and cultural institutions.
Upon his death in 1972, Ernest Cockrell Jr. left a bequest directing that income from The Cockrell Foundation be allocated annually to the College of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin to endow faculty chairs and student scholarships, ensuring long-term support for excellence in teaching, research and student opportunity. In recognition of this extraordinary commitment to advancing engineering education, the UT System Board of Regents unanimously renamed the school the Cockrell School of Engineering in 2007. The Foundation has now surpassed a milestone of more than 50 years of annual support for the engineering school, a reflection of the family’s long-standing dedication to the institution and its impact on students, faculty, research and innovation.
In addition to supporting the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin, The Cockrell Foundation’s other major focus organizations were thoughtfully selected based on their personal significance to the founding donors of The Cockrell Foundation, Cockrell family members and Foundation Board Members. These include long-standing support and partnerships with Houston Methodist Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Houston Museum of Natural Science – organizations that reflect the family’s values, interests and philanthropic vision. Through these ongoing partnerships and a thoughtful, mission-driven approach, the Foundation continues to honor and advance the philanthropic vision and intent of its founding donors, Ernest Cockrell Jr. and Virginia Harris Cockrell.
As the Cockrell family expanded across generations, the Foundation’s board recognized the value of creating a complementary fund that would allow broader family participation, including members outside the direct line of descent. In response, the Cockrell Family Fund was created in 1998 through a gift from The Cockrell Foundation, serving as a second channel for the Cockrell family members to engage in philanthropic giving. The Cockrell Family Fund was established to extend the family’s philanthropic reach while maintaining alignment with the Foundation’s core values.
The Cockrell Family Fund is a donor-advised fund established at the Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity. In accordance with IRS regulations, GHCF retains exclusive legal control over all assets contributed to the Cockrell Family Fund. The Cockrell Family Fund is guided by an Advisory Committee that upholds the philanthropic principles of the Cockrell family and observes the geographic focus on the Greater Houston Area set forth by The Cockrell Foundation.
To learn more about The Cockrell Family Fund, please visit their website.