OneStar Foundation

AmeriCorps VISTA is a highly professional and rigorous volunteer service program, administered nationally by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), through which national service members serve with organizations full-time for one year. VISTA projects focus on building permanent capacity and infrastructure to help more effectively bring individuals and communities out of poverty. OneStar Foundation is a statewide VISTA Intermediary Project of CNCS and partners to place members at host nonprofit organizations and government agencies that provide member supervision ad develop focused projects. OneStar provides overall project supervision and logistical support and helps absorb oversignt and project management costs. VISTA members receive a modest living allowance and benefits, including an end of service stipend or education award. Investment by the sponsoring organization and the community is fundamental to the project, as the VISTA resources are intended to be short-term.The primary focus of all VISTA programs nationwide is anti-poverty, with four focus areas: Education, Veterans and Military Families, Economic Opportunity, and Healthy Futures.

Our state is vast and the issues our communities face are deeply rooted and complex. With thousands of nonprofits—including many faith-based & community organizations—and dozens of state and local government agencies, collaboration across sectors for public benefit can be challenging. That is why OneStar champions the Texas Faith-Based & Community Initiative, a series of activities that support government and nonprofit working side by side as true partners in addressing our social problems.

Leadership in Texas passed unprecedented legislation in 2009 and additional legislation in 2011 and 2013, which created an important framework for supporting collaboration between government and faith-based & community organizations groups. View Texas Government Code Chapter 535 for most current legislation and information guiding the Texas Faith-Based & Community Initiative.

In its 38th year, the Governor's Volunteer Awards honor the extraordinary service of individuals and organizations in Texas that have made a difference in their communities through service and volunteering. Since 2004, the awards have been led by and presented in conjunction with OneStar Foundation.

For over 40 years, OneStar (and our legacy organizations) has hosted annual nonprofit leadership conferences in different cities throughout the State of Texas that each engage hundreds of public sector leaders. These summits are locally driven, content-rich convenings that showcase each region’s capacity-building efforts, foster cross-sector partnerships, catalyze strategies to address local issues, and create lasting collaborative relationships within the community.

When disasters strike Texas communities, the Rebuild Texas Fund connects your helping hand to Texan communities in need. As the organization designated by the Office of the Governor to receive private donations following a disaster, we strategically collect and distribute funding and additional resources to eligible organizations in impacted areas to build resilience.

We work with local leaders to identify community-driven priorities, unmet needs, and funding gaps in affected regions. We provide local leaders and organizations with the financial and technical expertise needed to recover stronger than before. Our community-centered approach is swift and purposeful – providing the greatest possible impact for Texans rebuilding lives and livelihood.