St. David's Foundation

Sergeant. Workhorse. Advocate. Energizer Bunny. These are just a few ways people lovingly describe Janice Bruno, the executive director of Career Tracks in Smithville, Texas. Her work is grounded in a mission: empower the rural workforce and provide local employers with job-ready talent.

Removing economic barriers is central to improving health outcomes. By investing in collaborative, region-wide efforts to create pathways to employment opportunities in the healthcare sector, we can address critical workforce shortages and foster economic stability – particularly for individuals from historically marginalized communities.

The January ribbon-cutting ceremony for Career Tracks marked more than a new building, the Smithville community celebrated a vision and commitment to expanding education and workforce opportunities. St. David’s Foundation awarded an initial grant in 2020 to Career Tracks to help launch Bruno’s vision and support staffing for the future center. Today, students from the four-surrounding counties are served by Career Tracks and the program partners with 160+ companies.

Learn more about Career Tracks’ impact at stdavidsfoundation.org/news-and-stories/career-tracks-smithville/.

This week, Dr. Edward Burger joined the Leadership Austin Essential Program’s Health and Environment session to share insights into effective thinking, leadership, and change management. To illustrate these practices, he offered a deep look at the work of the Foundation and explored barriers to health facing many Central Texans. What followed was a thoughtful conversation with the impressive cohort of this year’s class about access to care and opportunity to thrive in our community.

Thanks to Leadership Austin for building a space where leaders in Central Texas can connect, learn, and grow.

Earlier this year, St. David’s Foundation launched an open call funding opportunity to support local media organizations and community-centered journalism, with a focus on strengthening coverage of health and social issues impacting Central Texans—particularly those experiencing the greatest health disparities.

The "Strengthening Local Media to Advance Community Health" initiative awarded over $3M in grants to 21 organizations to deepen local coverage of health and social issues in Central Texas.

Read the full announcement here: https://stdavidsfoundation.org/news-and-stories/2026-grantmaking-announcing-recipients-of-strengthening-local-media-to-advance-community-health-funding-opportunity/

New Funding Opportunity 📣 We All Benefit 2.0: Building Economic Stability

Through this new open call funding opportunity, we seek to invest in community-informed organizations providing core economic stability services (income supports, food security, healthcare access) for historically marginalized communities, with a focus on increasing enrollment in public benefits that foster economic stability.

To apply, organizations must submit a Letter of Intent by April 27 at 5 P.M. CT. If your LOI demonstrates a strong alignment with the goals of the funding opportunity, your organization will be invited to submit a full application due by June 18 at 5 P.M. CT.

More information and FAQs are available now at stdavidsfoundation.org/funding.

Starting high school is a major transition for any teenager, but for Wayde Sali, it was especially difficult. Having emigrated from the Philippines, Sali entered high school as a junior in 2022 after his parents moved to America in search of better economic opportunities.

By 2024, Sali not only graduated from high school but also earned the distinction of becoming a recipient of the St. David’s Neal Kocurek Scholarship Program. Now a sophomore at Austin Community College, he is pursuing a nursing degree and participated in the 529 College Savings Pilot, a forward-thinking initiative aimed at addressing scholarship displacement by accelerating access to funds and providing students with the flexibility to use their awards beyond tuition and books.

St. David’s Foundation proudly operates the Neal Kocurek Scholarship Program, the largest health care scholarship initiative in Texas. Over the past 20 years, the Foundation has disbursed over $27 million dollars of scholarship to students in Central Texas pursuing healthcare education. More than 850 scholarships have been awarded. The program is committed to eliminating economic barriers for students from marginalized communities to foster pathways to pursuing financially stable careers in healthcare.

Scholarship displacement occurs when an external scholarship, such as the Neal Kocurek Scholarship, reduces other forms of student financial aid—including grants, loans, federal work-study, or additional scholarships. Institutions may trigger displacement by considering a student “over-awarded” if their total aid exceeds the school’s cost of attendance.

Sixteen Neal Kocurek scholars were invited to participate in the pilot program and 100% of the students were satisfied with their experience using this approach, with most finding the flexibility of the pilot program especially valuable.

Learn more about Sali's experience with the 529 College Savings Pilot at stdavidsfoundation.org/stories (link in bio).