Hoblitzelle Foundation

Hoblitzelle Foundation was established by Karl and Esther Hoblitzelle in 1942 for charitable, scientific, literacy or educational purposes within the State of Texas.  Since inception, the Directors have approved over 3,500 grants, investing over $265 million in the social service, cultural, educational, and medical organizations in Texas. 

In addition to funding organizations that are of value to the Dallas community and Karl Hoblitzelle, we also make an effort to fund projects that telescope time. In his will, Mr. Hoblitzelle stated:  "A foundation may bring or help bring into being a project or program of great promise and worth which might fail or be long deferred because of lack of financial support from other sources.  I think this approach offers greater opportunities to the foundation to be useful than to making of contributions or recurring gifts to programs which have already been activated.”

During Mr. Hoblitzelle’s lifetime, the Foundation focused on agronomy, medical research and teaching, community affairs, and education.  Support was provided to both war bond and troop entertainment programs during World Wars I and II.  In addition to serving on many Dallas and State of Texas boards and commissions, Karl Hoblitzelle was co-founder of the Southwestern Legal Foundation and Southwestern Medical School, which later became The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.  Support was provided to the Texas “School of the Air” when radio was the newest means of providing broader educational opportunities to rural areas.  The Hoblitzelle's also built a significant collection of 18th Century English sterling silver that was donated to the Dallas Museum of Art.

For more information about the history of Hoblitzelle Foundation, please refer to the book published by Paul W. Harris, President and CEO from 1986-2017: