Billionaire Hunt Makes a Donation to the El Paso Children's Museum

Screenshot of El Paso Children's Museum created on Canva

An El Paso billionaire Woody Hunt and his spouse Gayle announced they would donate 5 million donation under the Hunt Family Foundation to the El Paso Children’s Museum. The museum broke ground as part of the 2012 Quality of Life bond initiative.

Though Hunt is not popular like other Texas billionaires such as Mark Cuban, Jerry Jones, or Michael Dell, he is making an impact for the city of El Paso. The city of El Paso does not get the attention that bigger cities in the state receive such as Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, or Houston. El Paso, or the Sun City, receives about 302 days of sun each year.

Hunt graduated from Ysleta High School in El Paso, University of Texas in Austin, and is the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors for Hunt Companies, Inc. 

As the Executive Chairman,Hunt employs over 1,700 direct employees nationwide and 3,400 people across the United States and Europe through different affiliates. 

The President and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation, Eric Pearson said, “Sincere thanks to the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation for its stalwart belief in this project. This interactive venue will be world-class, and it would not have happened in this way had the Hunt Family and others not stepped up.” 

El Paso’s Children Museum is expected to open in late 2022.

El Paso Children Museum screenshot created on Canva by writer

After the 2012 Quality of Life bond initiative, the children’s museum is one of the three signature downtown projects. Dollars from the bond and donations from the private sector will help fund the $60 million project. 

The children’s museum will have nine-themed zones with a focus on Science, Technology, Education, Arts, and Math. El Paso has a lot to offer but is lacking a science museum for kids. The exhibits will base their exhibits on air, water, weather, and sounds of the Southwest desert. 

Hunt Family Foundation made donations in the past

Woody Hunt screenshot created on Canva by writer

As Chairman of the Hunt Family Foundation, a private family foundation he and his wife Gayle, established in 1987, the Hunts have made other donations to the El Paso community in the past. 

“Our family has been for 100 years in El Paso and our headquarters of our business is here, and even though most of our business operations are outside of El Paso, our focus from a charitable standpoint is the Paso del Norte region, which includes Juárez and Southern New Mexico,” said Woody Hunt. 

The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation recently invested $500,000 in a partnership with El Paso County and a nonprofit organization that will help families struggling with poverty from the coronavirus that hit the city in 2020. 

In a news release, Hunt stated, “Families in El Paso are resourceful, innovative, and bring so many assets to the fight against poverty, but have lacked the support and investments needed to turn their financial goals into reality.” 

In 2016, the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation established a $500,000 program to award scholarships for students at Ysleta High School. Woody Hunt is a 1962 graduate of Ysleta High. 

The Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation was established in 1987. The Foundation supports organizations and initiatives in the Borderplex region, which includes El Paso County, Texas, Southern New Mexico, and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México.

Since the Foundation’s establishment by Woody and Gayle Hunt, the foundation is now lead by their son, Josh Hunt. The Foundation has supported over 600 organizations with 2,671 grants and commitments of about $111 million since December 2019. 

El Paso is fortunate to have this billionaire working on their side.