Hope, made practical.
To strengthen communities and support families through compassion, service, and meaningful action—creating lasting impact when and where it matters most.
We started with a question: what does a family need most?
The Cotton Foundation was founded in Houston in 2006 by Pete Bell and James Scaife, partners who had spent their careers showing up on the worst days of other people’s lives.
Pete and James came up with the idea for the Foundation together with Susan Link, their former chief of staff. It grew out of something they had learned on those days that never left them: a structure can be rebuilt, but a family’s time together cannot be replaced. When a family hears the hardest news, what they need is not another appointment. They need a few days that belong to them. A porch. A pond. A kitchen big enough for everyone. Somewhere the phone doesn’t ring and nobody is in a hurry.
That is why the Foundation exists, and why, twenty years on, everything we do points to one place.
Our mission and vision
Our visionThe Cotton Charitable Foundation’s mission is to bring comfort, connection, and hope to families facing serious illness and to individuals and communities affected by area-wide disasters.
Our vision is a world where families facing serious or terminal illness have the opportunity to be together, create lasting memories, and experience moments of joy, connection, and hope—and where individuals and communities affected by area-wide disasters have the support they need to recover, rebuild, and move forward.
Taylor’s Place is the heart of the Foundation.
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A house on the water
Phase 1 is the main house and grounds: fishing on the pond, a backyard pool, horses and the barn, basketball and pickleball courts, and a playground. Phase 2 adds a music hall, a chapel, a fishing pier, and a fire pit.
- 02
One family at a time
Taylor’s Place welcomes one family at a time so the whole property is theirs. Families come to us through a simple application and a personal conversation.
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Built by donors and friends
The land, the house, and every stay are funded by donors, sponsors, and CrawFest, our annual crawfish fundraiser benefiting Taylor’s Place.
Pete Bell & James Scaife
Pete Bell
Founder of Cotton HoldingsCo-Founder of the Cotton FoundationChairman of the Board
Pete Bell is an entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist who has spent his career building organizations, developing people, and creating opportunities for others. He is best known as the founder of Cotton Holdings, which he built from the ground up into a nationally recognized company with operations spanning the United States and internationally.
In 2006, Pete co-founded the Cotton Foundation with James Scaife on the belief that the success of a business should create opportunities to serve others. What began as a way to give back has grown into a lasting commitment to supporting families and communities during the moments when they need it most.
Today, Pete serves as Chairman of the Cotton Foundation and is leading its next chapter through Taylor’s Place. His vision is to create a place where families can step away from the pressures of everyday life, spend meaningful time together, and create memories that last far beyond their stay.
Taylor’s Place represents much of what Pete has valued throughout his life: family, the outdoors, bringing people together, and using what you have built to make a difference for someone else.
For Pete, the Foundation’s mission is ultimately simple—give families something that no amount of success can buy back once it is gone: time together.
Time together is the one thing that cannot be replaced.
James Scaife
Longtime Partner, Cotton HoldingsCo-Founder of the Cotton FoundationPresident of the Board
James Scaife is a co-founder of the Cotton Foundation and serves as President of its Board of Directors, helping guide the Foundation’s mission, growth, and continued commitment to the families it serves.
James has been closely connected to the Cotton story for decades. As a longtime partner at Cotton Holdings, he played an important role in helping build and grow the company alongside Pete Bell, contributing to the leadership and culture that shaped Cotton into the organization it became.
That same spirit of leadership and service carries into his work with the Cotton Foundation. As Board President, James works alongside Pete and the Foundation’s leadership to ensure its mission continues to grow while remaining grounded in the values on which it was founded.
Today, much of that focus is centered on Taylor’s Place and the opportunity to create something lasting for families—a place built around connection, time together, and experiences that can be carried with them for years to come.
For James, Taylor’s Place represents more than the Foundation’s next chapter. It is an opportunity to take what was built through years of partnership and turn it into something that can positively impact families for generations.
Together for Something Bigger.
Seven directors set the Foundation’s direction and hold Taylor’s Place to its promise. A small staff carries it out every day.
Board of Directors
Co-founders Pete Bell, Chairman of the Board, and James Scaife, President of the Board, with directors Bob Wallace and Kristen Stubbs.
Staff
Executive Director Kristen Stubbs and the team who keep the Foundation, Taylor’s Place, and its horses running every day.
