Mary Kay Ash Foundation Awards More Than $2.5 Million in 2026 Grants as It Marks 30 Years

A split focus: shelters and laboratories

The Mary Kay Ash Foundation, the charitable organization of Mary Kay Inc., has awarded more than $2.5 million in grants in 2026, divided between cancer research and organizations working with victims of domestic violence. The package spans national programs, local community support in North Texas and individual grants to academic researchers.

The announcement arrives at a symbolic moment for the Foundation. The 2026 grants coincide with its 30th anniversary and with a total giving figure that has now surpassed $100 million.

Domestic violence funding: $1.27 million across four commitments

The largest single line item is $1,020,000 in unrestricted grants distributed to 51 domestic violence shelters. Because the funding is unrestricted, recipient organizations can direct it toward mental health and post-traumatic counseling, childcare, financial assistance and transitional housing.

A further $100,000 goes to four North Texas domestic violence shelters as local support aimed at immediate community needs.

The Foundation is also putting $75,000 into an expanded collaboration with the National Domestic Violence Hotline and loveisrespect. The money funds a digital and social media campaign directed at teenagers and young adults, covering healthy relationships and the warning signs of abusive ones.

Another $75,000 makes the Foundation the lead sponsor of The Conference on Crimes Against Women, the annual event held in Dallas, Texas, that focuses on combating crimes against women.

Research grants and patient support services

On the cancer side, $1,000,000 has been divided among ten recognized cancer researchers at leading U.S. universities, who each receive an individual grant of $100,000. The work centers primarily on cancers that affect women.

The Texas Cancer Interception Institute receives $134,000 as part of a five-year, $500,000 commitment, supporting an early detection program built on biomarker technology.

Two grants are directed at support services rather than research. A $75,000 award continues a partnership with CancerCare that has run for more than 25 years, funding free professional support services for people facing a cancer diagnosis. A further $25,000 goes to Cancer Support Community North Texas, which provides free programs and support services — including counseling, yoga and health and wellness classes — for cancer patients undergoing treatment.

Three decades of giving

Michael Lunceford, chair of the board of directors of the Mary Kay Ash Foundation, framed the grants as an investment in hope and in the future for women in difficult circumstances.

According to Lunceford, the Foundation has invested more than $100 million in researchers and organizations over its 30 years of operation.