History of The Kempner Fund

The Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund is a private family foundation founded in 1946 to honor the philanthropic legacy on Galveston Island by Eliza and Harris Kempner. Initially known as the Galveston Fund, the foundation was created to support local charities and community members when that support would be most needed, such as war or economic depression.

Since its inception, the Kempner Fund has distributed over $70 million, with the vast majority of these funds granted to local or Galveston-serving organizations. Today, the Kempner Fund’s board consists of nine family descendants and two Galveston-based community directors dedicated to investing in the long-term success, sustainability, and well-being of Galveston and its residents.

The Kempner Fund is building on its long history of charitable giving and public service by embracing a trust-based approach to philanthropy and launching a new grantmaking strategy informed by the community.

Kempner Fund Timeline

The impetus for starting a foundation in 1946 came from the family’s concern for the many local charities they supported. They realized that conditions that typically follow economic depressions and wars could affect their ability to support charities in time of greatest need.

  • 1946

    • Trust Indenture creating the Galveston Fund is signed by the five donors (I.H. Kempner, Daniel W. Kempner, R. Lee Kempner, Stanley E. Kempner and Harris L. Kempner) and the five founding trustees (Daniel W. Kempner, R. Lee Kempner, Harris L. Kempner, I.H. Kempner, Jr., and Frances A. Lynch).

    • Asset value began at $38,500; trustees approved grants to seven churches totaling $1,300.

  • 1950s

    • Galveston Fund name changed to Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund to honor progenitors (1950).

    • The Last Will and Testament of Daniel W. Kempner established the Jeane B. Kempner Fund to provide fellowships for graduates of The University of Texas Medical Branch to pursue advanced studies. (1956).

    • The Last Will and Testament of Gladys Kempner established the Kemper Park Fund for repairs and improvements to Kempner Park (1958).

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  • 1960s

    • The Family Matching Gifts Program began. Since its inception, the Fund has matched more than $7.5 million in charitable contributions by family members (1963).

    • The Harris L. Kempner Memorial Award was established to benefit organizations selected by his widow, Ruth Levy Kempner. After the death of Mrs. Kempner in 2008, resources were merged to the main fund for general purposes (1987).

    • The Gladys and R. Lee Kempner Professorship in Child Psychiatry was established at The University of Texas Medical Branch (1968).

  • 1970s

    • The Harris L. Kempner Professorship in Humanities in Medicine was established at the University of Texas Medical Branch (1972).

  • 1980s

    • The Jennifer L. Ezell Memorial Scholarship Fund was established (1983).

    • The Harris L. Kempner Memorial Award was established to benefit organizations selected by his widow, Ruth Levy Kempner. After the death of Mrs. Kempner in 2008, resources were merged to the main fund for general purposes (1987).

  • 1990s

    • In recognition of Leonora K. Thompson’s service as chair of the Fund, a Community Enrichment Award was established in her name with a revolving fund to provide seed money for an annual benefit event for The Grand 1894 Opera House (1990).

    • The Fund initiated Program Related Investments to provide low-interest loans for residential and commercial community development projects (1992).

  • 2000s

    • The University of Texas Medical Branch established the Fannie Kempner Adoue Professorship on Cognitive Rehabilitation in appreciation of a grant from the Fund toward that initiative (2000).

    • Changed from the Galveston Fund Trust to a non-profit corporation, private foundation named the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund. With assets valued at $43 million, the Fund continues to provide small grants that fill a gap, act as a catalyst, give new ideas a jump-start, and help existing, well-run organizations continue to operate (2001).

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  • 2010s

    • In 2010, the Fund initiated “Green Grants” to assist non-profits in lowering energy costs and consumption. The last Green Grant was awarded in December 2019.

    • In another disaster response in 2010, the Fund collaborated with the Moody Methodist Permanent Endowment Fund (PEF) and provided 26 PRI loans to 10 non-profits on the island that had also collaboratively (40 organizations collectively applied) secured Social Service Block Grant funding. The loans ensured access to $40 million in disaster relief. The program closed in 2011.

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  • 2020s

    • The first next-generation family members joined the board of directors, representing sixth generation of Kempner descendants (2020).

    • The Fund approved the following strategic changes: using citywide outreach metrics, data, and community voice to inform grantmaking, developing a more focused grantmaking strategy, and embracing a trust-based philanthropy approach (2020).

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Origin Story

The Kempner Fund today still embraces Harris Kempner's charitable values. His donations to local charities included all races and creeds, even at a time of segregation and division. He gave to help others, not to draw attention to himself.

  • 1853

    Harris Kempner left Poland at age 16 and arrived in New York where he worked as a day laborer and studied English at night.

  • 1858

    Harris traveled to Cold Springs, Texas, and first peddled goods to outlying farms and then opened a small general store; he continued to perfect his English, develop his business skills, and build a strong reputation for integrity and dependability.

  • c. 1868

    After his service in the Confederate Army, Harris moved to Galveston, the commercial distributing center for all of Texas, and founded a mercantile enterprise.

  • 1872

    He married Eliza Seinsheimer of Cincinnati and continued to expand his interests to include banking, farm and timber lands, and cotton.

  • 1873

    The first of his eight surviving children was born.

  • 1894

    Mr. Kempner’s early death left a widow with eight children, aged 1 to 21. The oldest, Isaac Herbert, took over responsibility for the family and the various commercial endeavors.

    In succeeding years, the four sons (Isaac Herbert, Daniel Webster, Robert Lee and Stanley Eugene) joined together to expand the businesses their father began and develop others. Three of the daughters married (Hattie to Henry Oppenheimer of San Antonio; Sara to David Westheimer of Cincinnati; Fannie to Louis Adoue of Galveston). Gladys, the youngest, lived with her mother and joined in her numerous charitable activities.

  • 1947

    Eliza died at the age of 97.

  • 2024

    Now in its 6th generation, living descendants of Eliza and Harris Kempner number over 100 and range in age. They live in three different continents and all over the United States.