The Greehey Family Foundation's emphasis is on supporting health and human welfare issues, children's causes, education, and the homeless. And because the needs of the community are wide, the Foundation is set up and positioned to meet an almost unlimited range of needs within these areas. In its brief history, the Foundation has already granted nearly one billion dollars to hundreds of causes, ranging from a new stove so that a struggling grandmother raising her 10 grandchildren could provide warm meals for them, to a $25 million grant to the University of Texas Health Science Center to fund children's cancer research and treatment.

Funding is provided to non-profit organizations throughout San Antonio and Bexar County. However, the Foundation may consider requests from outside Bexar County as long as they meet the funding goals of supporting health and human welfare issues, children's causes, education, and the homeless.

The Foundation's Board of Directors meets biannually to consider grant requests. For the spring funding cycle, requests should be submitted by April 1. The deadline for the fall funding cycle is September 30. Therefore, the review process can take approximately six months.