Mayor Ortiz Jones Is Asking Business and Philanthropic Leaders to Replace City Funding That Supports 15 Community Organizations
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is asking business, foundation and philanthropic leaders to consider three-year funding commitments for 15 community organizations as the city prepares to confront an estimated $158 million gap in its fiscal year 2027 budget.
The organizations currently receive nearly $6.52 million combined from the city’s General Fund. The list includes DreamVoice, the Black-led organization that produces DreamWeek, and the San Antonio Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, which organizes the city’s annual MLK March.
DreamVoice received $175,000 in the fiscal year 2026 budget, while the MLK Commission received $300,000.
The letter does not state that either organization will lose its city funding. However, their inclusion raises uncertainty about whether the city will continue supporting programs that have become major parts of San Antonio’s cultural and civil rights calendar.
Mayor Seeks Three-Year Funding Commitments
In a July 24 letter addressed to business, foundation and philanthropic leaders, Jones asked recipients to consider supporting any of the listed organizations at a level matching or exceeding their fiscal year 2026 city allocations.
“Our community is fortunate to have many worthwhile organizations that strengthen our city,” Jones wrote. “However, the economic environment has changed.”
Jones asked potential donors to consider a three-year commitment beginning in fiscal year 2027 and directed interested organizations to contact her chief of staff, Andrew Fuentes, at andrew.fuentes@sanantonio.gov by Aug. 21, 2026.
The largest allocation on the list belongs to the San Antonio Education Partnership Scholarship and Outreach Program, which received $2,477,814. The San Antonio Botanical Garden received $1.08 million, making it the only other organization listed with a General Fund allocation exceeding $1 million.
Other organizations listed in the letter include:
- Avenida Guadalupe Association, $142,000
- BioMed SA, $100,000
- Diez y Seis de Septiembre Commission, $40,000
- LiftFund, $500,000
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation, $250,000
- San Antonio Book Festival, $150,000
- San Antonio Parks Foundation, $125,000
- SAWS Plumbers to People and Laterals to People programs, $750,000
- Siclóvia, $80,000
- Supply SA, $200,000
- Hiring Our Heroes, $150,000
The San Antonio Book Festival also receives $97,725 through the city’s Hotel Occupancy Tax, according to the letter.
City Weighs Options to Close Budget Shortfall
San Antonio officials are considering several options to address a projected two-year deficit of approximately $157.7 million. City expenses are expected to grow faster than revenue, and officials project San Antonio could collect $8.2 million less in property tax revenue next year.
Jones and some City Council members have indicated they do not support raising property taxes to close the gap.
During an earlier budget discussion, Jones asked city staff to examine which events and organizations receive taxpayer subsidies. She specifically referenced the Botanical Garden and San Antonio Book Festival while questioning whether organizations that charge admission or generate revenue should continue receiving General Fund support.
Jones has also asked city officials to explore whether tens of millions of dollars dedicated to Ready to Work could be redirected to create additional budget flexibility. The voter-approved workforce training program has struggled to meet some of its original enrollment and job-placement targets.
Moving that money would require voter approval. City Council faces an Aug. 17 deadline to place a proposed change before Bexar County voters in the November election.
