Mary Bivins Foundation

Mary Bivins Foundation

Mary Elizabeth Bivins founded the eponymous Amarillo-based foundation in 1949, endowing it with a fortune derived from the ranching and oil operations she managed with her husband, Lee Bivins, a former Mayor of Amarillo. Today, her great-grandson Mark Bivins serves as Vice Chair, anchoring multi-generational family governance. The foundation remains singularly focused on its geographic and demographic mandate: the northernmost twenty-six counties of the Texas Panhandle and the well-being of its older residents. The foundation’s capital flows through two primary channels. Grantmaking targets nonprofit organizations and public entities, prioritizing programs that address senior hunger, food security, and nutrition through its Senior Hunger Solutions initiative. Concurrently, it funds the Bivins Scholars Program, which supports Panhandle residents pursuing theological education for Christian ministry. Its marquee direct investment is Bivins Village, a low-income housing community providing supportive services for older adults. The foundation’s real assets also include the historic Bivins Building at 1000 S. Polk St. and ranching land across the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico. CEO Katharyn Wiegand directs a lean team of four staff members, with program officers dedicated to grants, scholarships, and senior hunger. The board, chaired by Julie Attebury, includes multiple Bivins family descendants. While the foundation’s AUM is not publicly disclosed, its operational footprint is visible through its real estate holdings and consistent regional grantmaking. The Bivins family maintains parallel ranching interests, with Mark Bivins active as a partner in Corsino Cattle Company and a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Unlike a general-purpose charitable vehicle, the Mary Bivins Foundation operates with a narrow, mission-critical structure: its articles of incorporation obligate it to prioritize care for the elderly above all other causes. This legal architecture — blending a grantmaking foundation with a direct-service housing provider — makes it more akin to a vertically integrated philanthropic enterprise than a traditional check-writing charity. The result is a rare model where the foundation both funds and delivers services to its target population within a defined geography.