Night Sky Fund
On January 21, the Hill Country Alliance (HCA) announced the recipients of its second annual Night Sky Preservation Fund. Spanning eleven counties, the selected projects will improve regional night sky quality by enhancing outdoor lighting, educating communities about the benefits of night sky preservation, and measuring changes in sky quality across the Hill Country over time.
With generous support from the Coypu Foundation and individual night sky advocates across the region, HCA invited applications during last October’s annual Hill Country Night Sky Month. The Night Sky Preservation Fund supports regional nonprofit organizations, local governments, and small businesses working to protect the Hill Country’s starry night skies. By reducing light pollution, these efforts conserve energy, protect wildlife and migratory pathways, improve nighttime safety, and support night-sky-driven recreation and tourism across the region.
The 2026 HCA Night Sky Preservation Fund received 22 applications and selected 14 organizations and projects to support across 11 counties in the Hill Country, including Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Hays, Kendall, Lampasas, Real, Travis, and Uvalde—an increase from the Fund’s inaugural year, when 9 organizations and 11 projects were supported.
“We are proud to support these projects and grateful to every organization that applied to the fund this year,” said Katherine Romans, Executive Director of the Hill Country Alliance. “The Night Sky Preservation Fund’s second year reflects a commitment shared by the Hill Country Alliance, partners, and communities across the Hill Country to protect our night skies and celebrate them as part of our region’s heritage. By expanding the Fund’s reach to more organizations and more counties, we are strengthening our collective ability to safeguard the starry skies that define this region—now and for years to come.” Click here to read the full press release.
2025 Hill Country Alliance Night Sky Preservation Fund Recipients:
- Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky, will expand night sky preservation awareness through targeted multi-media engagement
- Camp Riverview, will implement sky quality monitoring, modeling night sky stewardship, and supporting regionwide data collection
- City of Wimberley Parks and Recreation Department, will establish sky quality monitoring at Blue Hole Regional Park and promote dark sky awareness through education, outreach, and community engagement
- Comal County Friends of the Night Sky, will expand upon and enhance their existing sky quality monitoring network
- Friends of Guadalupe River/Honey Creek, Inc., will improve on non-compliant street and parking lot lighting through fixture retrofits, supporting their applications for International Urban Night Sky Place designations
- Friends of Lost Maples, will establish sky quality monitoring throughout the park in support of their application for a designation as an International Dark Sky Park
- Friends of San Antonio Natural Areas, will advance education and outreach through the development of Dark Sky Adventure Kits that will be made available for checkout through the local public library system
- Hays County Friends of the Night Sky, will expand upon their sky quality monitoring network and enhance their education and outreach efforts through the development of portable lighting demos that will rotate through the county’s libraries, schools, and civic buildings
- Jonestown Night Sky Advocacy, will expand upon its existing sky quality monitoring network to continue supporting its International Dark Sky Community designation and regionwide data collection
- Keep it Real Beautiful, Friends of the Night Sky, will implement sky quality monitoring, model night sky stewardship, and support regionwide data collection
- Kendall County, will establish sky quality monitoring in support of their application for countywide designation as an International Dark Sky Community
- Smithwick Mill Estates Property Owners Association, will advance night sky preservation education and outreach to its residents and local commercial enterprises
- Travis County Parks Foundation, will improve non-compliant lighting with fixture retrofits at the Bee Creek Sports Complex in support of their application to be certified as part of DarkSky International’s Dark Sky Friendly Sports Lighting program
- Vision Lampasas, will provide night sky preservation outreach and education, resources, and networking opportunities through their annual Stars at Night Event.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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Who can apply?
The application process is open to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, sole proprietorships, local governmental entities, and independently owned and operated small businesses that provide products and services in some or all 22 eligible counties.
What are the 22 eligible counties?
The 22 eligible counties are Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Burnet, Comal, Edwards, Gillespie, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, Medina, Real, San Saba, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, and Williamson.
What is the application window?
The application window opens October 1 and closes October 31.
Is there somewhere I can review all of the questions on the application form?
Click here to see a list of all the fields of the HCA Night Sky Preservation Fund Application Form.
Can an organization submit more than one application form?
Yes, an organization can submit more than one application so long as the additional applications are for different projects/requests.
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What documents are required to apply for the Fund?
You must complete the Hill Country Alliance Night Sky Preservation Fund Form.
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Where do I go to find acceptable night sky friendly outdoor light fixtures?
DarkSky International’s DarkSky Approved program provides objective, third-party certification for products, designs, and completed projects that minimize glare, reduce light trespass, and don’t pollute the night sky. Click hereto search their Luminaires Program for approved products by company, use, retailer, color temperature, and residential.
How can I donate to the fund?
To donate to the Hill Country Alliance Night Sky Preservation Fund, please click here.
2024 Hill Country Alliance Night Sky Preservation Fund Recipients:
Learn more about the Importance of Starry Skies
There is something magical about the starry night sky in the Hill Country. Stepping outside on a crisp, clear night to gaze at the stars helps us escape from the fast pace of our daily lives and connect with the natural world around us. The experience of a dazzling night sky inspires art, literature, photography, curiosity, and space exploration. It is a part of human heritage and a special part of the region’s identity. However, little stands in place to preserve this experience for future generations. According to the State of the Hill Country Report, the population is currently at 3.8 million, growing by nearly 50% in the last 20 years. Additionally, the Hill Country is expected to grow another 35% over the next 20 years, with a population of 5.2 million expected by 2040. As more people move to the Hill Country, they bring more development and inherently, more light. In fact, recent studies show that we are losing our night skies at an alarming rate of up to 10% each year.
Click to learn more about Night Sky Month
Here in the Hill Country, we believe the best way to preserve our night skies is through community involvement. For more than a decade, the Hill Country Alliance and our Night Skies Team of volunteers and partners have been working to minimize the impacts of light pollution. We collaborate with elected officials and local businesses, electric cooperatives and state parks, schools and chambers of commerce, and anyone else who cares about the beauty and value of our starry nights. We believe that when we plan for the future, we can create a Hill Country where starry night skies can always be enjoyed.
October is our annual, month-long celebration of the region’s most dazzling night-time feature — the star-twinkling, planet-glowing, comet-crossing night sky — where beauty and wonder abound.
Hill Country Night Sky Month is a celebration of our region’s night skies and of the hard work that Hill Country communities do to preserve it! Hill Country Night Sky Month is an opportunity to elevate the regional effort to ensure star-filled skies for future generations across the Hill Country. We encourage counties, cities, school districts, and others to officially recognize Night Sky Month through proclamations, but the best part is all the ways communities will come together to celebrate! Click the button below to explore night sky resources, identify the Friends of the Night Sky group in your region, and to join the Night Sky Month fun.
Contact Us:
Hill Country Alliance is a 501c3 non-profit established in 2004, bringing together a diverse coalition of partners to preserve the open spaces, starry night skies, clean and abundant waters, and unique character of the Texas Hill Country.
For more information, email info@hillcountryalliance.org with the subject line Night Sky Fund.