Our Founder
Before he ever considered it philanthropy, Jerold B. Katz was a tough, successful businessman who regularly and quietly helped people in need of assistance.
He would reach into his pocket to send underprivileged kids to summer camp or write a check for a young person to enroll in evening college classes. His generosity was not widely known— which is exactly how Mr. Katz wanted it.
Quietly Helping People
Mr. Katz operated with a self-motivated sense of urgency. With the success of his business, he began to expand his giving, donating anonymously to health institutions in his adopted home city of Houston. Mr. Katz loved Houston and believed in its promise of opportunity to those with motivation, focus, and a nimble mind.
He was a great believer in the idea that practical advice, a sense of direction, and hard work were the building blocks that endowed a person with confidence in their abilities.
Mr. Katz spent the bulk of his time and energy devoted to his businesses.
GC Services, an accounts receivable management company he founded in 1957, grew to have extraordinary success, and First Community Bancshares still operates hundreds of bank locations throughout Texas and the Southwestern part of the United States.
Our History
Jerold B. Katz Foundation was established in 1980 as a non-profit legal entity solely for charitable purposes. Mr. Katz’s continued with his manner of giving, which was to “quietly help people.”
During its early years, Mr. Katz led the Foundation with a small board. Over the next three decades, he directed gifts to local and national institutions and organizations, emphasizing grants around brain injury research.
This line of giving stemmed from a tragic personal incident— a car accident in which Lenny Katz, Mr. Katz’s youngest son, barely survived. Lenny emerged from the accident with a traumatic brain injury. The young Mr. Katz existed in a minimally conscious state from July 1988 until his passing, finally succumbing in April 2018. The Katz family never left the young Mr. Katz’s side, caring for him for the final 30 years of his life. Over this period, the Foundation funded significant gifts into research involving various aspects of the brain. In addition, the Foundation gave generously to other areas of health care such as cardiology, endocrinology, dermatology, health quality and outcomes, internal medicine, nursing, and stem cell research.
As the Foundation marked its 35th anniversary, Jerold B. Katz completed a significant contribution of assets to the Foundation. With this act, Mr. Katz stepped down from the Board, and his son and longtime trustee, Evan H. Katz, was elected to succeed his father as Chairman.
Over the next 24 months, the Foundation saw rapid expansion in the range and magnitude of its contributions. The Foundation deepened its investment in areas such as community and economic development. The Board also emphasized fewer, larger grants with long funding terms to increase the Foundation’s impact.