Van Alstyne, Texas — One year after floodwaters swept through the Texas Hill Country and killed more than 130 people, a community foundation says it has distributed about $82 million in recovery aid to survivors across the region.
The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, a Kerrville-based nonprofit founded in 1982, launched its relief fund the same day the Guadalupe River surged on July 4, 2025. Donations eventually topped $150 million, making it one of the largest privately led disaster-recovery efforts in state history.
Foundation CEO Austin Dickson, who lost loved ones in the flooding, said the anniversary brought both grief and a measure of hope. He said the group moved quickly and deliberately to direct money toward emergency assistance, housing repairs, and mental-health services for survivors.
Within 45 days of the disaster, the foundation distributed $15 million to more than 50 local nonprofits providing direct financial help and crisis support, Dickson said. As immediate needs eased, the organization shifted focus to long-term recovery, with roughly one-third of all grant funding going toward housing assistance. About 130 individuals and families have returned to repaired homes, while another 98 households were being moved into permanent housing, according to the foundation.
The group also funded free access to licensed therapists through the Hill Country Mental Health and Developmental Disability Centers after a January assessment found surviving adults and children were three to four times more likely to experience post-traumatic stress. The foundation has set aside $10 million for a readiness and resilience fund to strengthen regional preparedness for future disasters.
