$150 million gift to university from Ross Moody, Elle Moody, and Francie Moody-Dahlberg; family plans to invest $1 billion in local education

In a move that has sent ripples through the world of higher education and philanthropy, the Moody Foundation — led by siblings Ross Moody, Elle Moody, and Francie Moody-Dahlberg — has given Huston-Tillotson University a record-breaking $150 million gift.

The donation, announced during the university’s Fall Convocation marks the largest single contribution ever made to a historically Black college or university in the United States.

The Moodys, a third-generation Texas philanthropic family whose foundation has long championed education and community development across the state, described the gift as both a celebration of Huston-Tillotson’s 150th anniversary and a long-term investment in the future of higher learning in Texas.

The Foundation, headquartered in Galveston and Austin, has already committed to investing $1 billion in education statewide by 2035, and the Huston-Tillotson gift stands as the flagship of that effort.

Ross Moody, a trustee of the foundation and CEO of Austin-based National Western Life Group, appeared alongside his daughter Elle Moody, who serves as a senior vice president and trustee. Together with Francie Moody-Dahlberg, the foundation’s CEO and executive director, the Moodys have been steering the family’s philanthropy into a new era of impact-driven giving, emphasizing transformational projects that create access and equity.

At Huston-Tillotson, the funds will help reshape the university’s future by building new student housing, modern classrooms and laboratories, and expanding scholarships for generations to come.

Located in the heart of East Austin, the school is the city’s oldest institution of higher education and its only historically Black university — a place whose mission of opportunity and empowerment aligns closely with the Moodys’ belief in education as the great equalizer.

“This is more than a donation,” said Dr. Melva K. Wallace, Huston-Tillotson’s president. “It’s a transformational partnership that will allow us to dream bigger, serve more students, and secure the next century of Huston-Tillotson’s story.”

For the Moodys, the gesture reflects a legacy of Texas philanthropy rooted in family but evolving with a modern sense of purpose.

Their focus is not on naming rights or monuments, but on creating lasting infrastructure — physical and social — that allows students to thrive.

As Austin continues to rise as one of America’s leading college cities, the Moody family’s gift ensures that Huston-Tillotson will stand at the center of that story, not as a bystander to the city’s growth, but as a vital part of its promise.