Central Texas Community Foundation opened applications Monday for Travis County Cares and Wilco Cares — two relief funds intended to deliver direct financial help to residents affected by the July 5 floods that hit parts of Travis and Williamson counties, foundation executive director Amy Meridia said.

The foundation has raised about $1.2 million as of the morning of the press conference — roughly $950,000 designated for Williamson County and $250,000 for Travis County — and announced a matching grant from Saint David's Foundation of up to $100,000, Meridia said. The foundation said its long-range fundraising goal for the region is $10 million.

"We will trace every dollar," Meridia said. "We will make sure we won't be a cautionary tale. You won't hear a podcast about how 10,000,000 went missing. We'll trace every dollar." She said the application is available in English and Spanish and that the foundation will use shaded impact maps to determine whether an address is in the eligible area.

Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Williamson County Judge Steve Snell joined the foundation at the announcement and described the scale of the damage and local recovery work. "This has been a time of immense heartache and disruption, but it has also been a time of outstanding resilience and solidarity," Judge Brown said, noting that lives were lost and homes destroyed along Big Sandy Creek and Cow Creek.

Judge Snell credited early private donations for helping get Wilco Cares started and named several major contributors: Todd and Sherry Nelson of Kalahari, Niall and Nancy Maxwell, Susan and Michael Dell, Saint David's Foundation, NRG Energy, Texas Mutual and the Georgetown Health Foundation. He said Williamson County has a disaster recovery center open through Aug. 17, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., at 3189 Southeast Inner Loop in Georgetown for in-person help with forms.

Meridia said the foundation will manage the funds, track donor records and work with county staff to ensure assistance is targeted to the hardest-hit households. She described a vetting process and said case managers will help applicants gather required documents: photo ID, proof of residency in an impacted area, insurance information and estimates of damage.

On distribution timing, Meridia said immediate direct financial assistance is expected to begin within four to five weeks after the foundation verifies applications and gives applicants time to submit necessary documentation. She said distribution amounts will depend on applicants' income and the documented extent of loss.

Reporters asked whether renters and homeowners without flood insurance could apply. "It does not prevent you from applying if you do not have insurance," Meridia replied, adding that even insured households may have uncovered losses.

Officials and the foundation stressed that short-term housing remains a complicated need. Judge Brown said Travis County Health and Human Services and emergency management personnel are working on housing placements and door-to-door outreach, and cautioned that donated temporary housing (for example, RVs) can affect federal assistance eligibility.

Meridia said fundraising continues, noting a benefit concert planned for Aug. 17 at the Moody Center with proceeds designated for regional relief. She reiterated the foundation's goal to maintain transparency and accountability for donor funds.

The application and donation portal is at ctxcf.org (the foundation directs applicants to ctxcf.org/FloodRelief2025 for the flood-relief application). The foundation asked applicants to verify their address on the interactive impact maps and to choose the correct county when applying.

Community and county leaders said the path to recovery will be long and include mental-health services, temporary housing support and other long-term needs beyond immediate cash assistance.