About the Our Texas, Our Future Grants
Keep Texas Beautiful and H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future Grants support new and existing programs across Texas that focus on community and environmental impact. Funded projects span areas like beautification, litter prevention, recycling, waste reduction, water conservation, and wildlife protection.
Last year, 12 programs received funding—check out a few standouts that made a big impact!
Litter Prevention
Angelina Beautiful Clean (Keep Angelina County Beautiful)
Project Goal: To support Angelina Beautiful Clean’s mission of educating and empowering youth in East Texas to take responsibility for their community environment through hosting an EcoCamp for kids.
What Happened:
Angelina Beautiful Clean partnered with the local Boys and Girls Club to host a free, four-day EcoCamp. Thanks to grant funds and local donations, 47 campers attended and participated in interactive lessons on environmental topics.
EcoCamp Activities by Day
Day 1 – Trees
Campers explored tree anatomy and forest ecosystems through games and STEM projects. They made “tree cookies” and learned what might happen if trees disappeared.
Day 2 – Pollinators
Kids learned about bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and their role in biodiversity. They created pollinator art and conducted mini science experiments. The students replicated pollination using pipettes, recycled paper flowers, and colored water. They also built bee hotels out of recycled material. Finally, they went on a pollinator scavenger hunt where they looked for evidence of pollinators in the park.
Day 3 – Recycling
Campers cleaned up the local park– collecting over 100 pounds of trash by the end of camp. Campers learned how to make paper out of old paper. They also learned what the local recycling facility can and cannot recycle.
Day 4 – Wetlands & Wildlife
Students explored Morris Frank Park, talked with a local game warden about the dangers of litter, and toured the Lufkin Solid Waste facility.
Camper Competition and Celebration
Throughout the week, students competed to collect the most recyclables. One camper brought in 36.4 lbs! The week ended with a tour of the facility and a pizza party awards celebration.
”"There were so many rewarding moments throughout the week, but one of the most powerful was witnessing those 'lightbulb' moments in our campers. You could see it on their faces, the realization that they can make a difference, that their actions matter, and that they are part of something greater than themselves."
Wildlife Restoration and Habitat Protection
Keep Duncanville Beautiful
Project Goal: To support the conversion of parkland and green spaces into native wildflower and grass habitats, reducing maintenance costs while enhancing Duncanville’s ecological and aesthetic landscape.
Implementation:
Keep Duncanville Beautiful launched a city-wide effort to replace turf with Blackland Prairie species. The project aimed to demonstrate how native plants enhance both beauty and sustainability in public spaces.This initiative is part of a broader objective to convert 15% of the city’s landscaped areas into native species.
Steps in the Restoration Process
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Site Prep: Dig tests and 811 surveys
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Seed Procurement: Native American Seed provided wildflower and grass mixes
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Ground Tilling & Seeding: Completed in November
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Watering Support: Parks department used trucks for manual watering
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Educational Signage: Installed to explain the ecological value of native landscapes
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Seasonal Growth & Maintenance: Blooming from Feb–Sept; late summer mowing encouraged reseeding
”"As the wildflowers began to bloom and the restored areas came to life, residents not only expressed appreciation for the natural beauty but also showed increased interest in learning about sustainable practices and native ecosystems. Seeing the community take pride in these spaces and begin to understand that "beautification" can include native, natural designs was a powerful and lasting impact."
Recycling
Keep Snyder Beautiful
Project Goal: To support the expansion of community recycling access in Snyder through the installation of student-decorated recycling containers at local businesses.
Keep Snyder Beautiful sought to enhance community recycling accessibility by installing visually engaging recycling containers at high-traffic businesses. The project funded the purchase of green side-load recycling containers and art supplies. Snyder ISD students created educational and visually appealing murals for these containers, promoting both recycling awareness and community engagement. Snyder connected with local artists to transform the students’ designs into real-life murals on the containers.
Along with the increased accessibility with new containers, Snyder also launched a recycling campaign. The campaign created awareness of the new recycling containers and taught residents best practices for waste reduction and recycling.
The project consisted of a number of steps and milestones:
During the initial weeks, locations for container placement were finalized, and student artwork was carefully reviewed and selected for decoration. Recycling containers were researched, procured, and delivered on schedule, followed by the acquisition of paints and art supplies.
Over the next several weeks, the chosen student artwork was skillfully applied to the front of the recycling containers, resulting in educational, vibrant designs. The local artists also added Keep Snyder Beautiful, Keep Texas Beautiful, Keep Texas Recycling, and H-E-B on the sides and backs of the containers.
Finally, Snyder held an event to promote the project and educate the community on best practices for recycling. The initiative not only enhances public spaces but also strengthens community engagement and environmental awareness.
”"The project brought the community together to celebrate environmental sustainability, youth creativity, and civic pride. The completion of the project was celebrated by a well-attended "Coffee with the Chamber" event, where the community gathered to recognize Snyder’s innovative approach to recycling through student-led art. The event’s most meaningful moment came when the STEAM students led an engaging lesson on recycling—demonstrating not only the impact of the project but also the lasting educational value and leadership it inspired in the next generation."
More Information
The 2025-26 Our Texas, Our Future Grants will be open to applications August 4- September 18, 2025. KTB Affiliates in Gold Star, Silver Star, and Good Standing are eligible to apply for grants of $1,000 -$5,000 to support projects that address a community need in the areas of:
- Beautification
- Litter Prevention
- Recycling
- Waste Reduction
- Water Conservation
- Wildlife Protection and Habitat Restoration
To learn more, visit ktb.org/grants.
Not a KTB Affiliate? Learn more about how your city, town, or county can join over 200 communities across Texas to keep Texas beautiful!
KTB’s Our Texas, Our Future Grants are Funded by
