Dallas-based Communities Foundation of Texas has partnered with The Dallas Foundation to support nonprofits addressing systemic racial inequity in our communities with a total of $250,000 awarded across 20 nonprofits.

Supported programs include mentoring and tutoring for youth, social emotional and mental health services, access to healthy food, maternal healthcare, legal services for citizenship, and connection to living wage jobs.

“As we work to advance equity, we are eager to increase our understanding of the landscape and needs of equity-focused organizations across North Texas,” Communities Foundation of Texas Chief Philanthropy Officer Wende Burton said in a statement.

Grants to close gaps in outcomes

After hosting a Racial Equity grant process in 2022, The Dallas Foundation made 25 grants to nonprofits that are working to address ongoing disparities and systematic and persistent gaps in outcomes in Dallas for black & Hispanic residents.

CFT said it had the opportunity to continue the effort in fully funding or partially funding additional grant applications.

“We received more than 250 requests during the application stage of our inaugural racial equity funding cycle in 2022,” Dallas Foundations Chief Impact Officer Drexell Owusu said. “There’s a significant need for more donors and partners to work with us to close this gap. We appreciate the spirit of partnership from Communities Foundation of Texas in stepping up to support this funding cycle by making grants to additional nonprofits doing this important work. Our continued collaborative efforts across so many facets of our work are truly making Dallas a brighter place for all our neighbors.”

“CFT is grateful that we had this opportunity to help amplify the impact of The Dallas Foundation’s equity-focused efforts by fully funding or partially funding additional nonprofits who applied for grant funding,” said Burton. “Our goal from this collaboration is to learn from and elevate the nonprofits that are working hard, and often without adequate support or attention, to confront systemic racial inequity in our communities.”

20 nonprofits receive funding

POETIC co-founder and CEO Jennifer Tinker. POETIC is one of the 20 nonprofits to receive an award. [Photo: Marcy Meeks/United Way]

The 20 nonprofits that received funding from Communities Foundation of Texas are: Any Step Community Services, Big Thought, Community Does It, Dallas Bethlehem Center, Delighted to Doula Birth Services, Empowering the Masses, Firme DFW, Frazier Revitalization Inc., Harmony CDC, Heart of Courage, Homeward Bound Inc., Leadership Forward Mentoring Program, Light of Hope Immigration Law Center, POETIC, Rae’s Hope, Southern Dallas Link Inc., Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation, Viola’s House, Youth Believing in Change, and Youth Guidance.

CFT noted that 90% of the nonprofit grantees have an executive leader that is a person of color.

In 2022, The Dallas Foundation awarded $2.5 million across 25 nonprofits through its inaugural racial equity funding cycle to address the ongoing disparities and systematic and persistent gaps in outcomes in Dallas for black & Hispanic residents. 

Here are the 20 nonprofits, the amount they were awarded, and what’s being funded:

Any Step Community Services
$5,000
High nutritional foods for senior households

Big Thought
$25,000
A two-year, dual generation cohort model to support youth and their families in South Oak Cliff and Vickery Meadows

Community Does It
$15,000
Family mental health services in Pleasant Grove

Dallas Bethlehem Center
$15,000
Resources to build Fair Park neighborhood’s communication, collaboration, and resilience

Delighted to Doula Birth Services
$30,000
Community-based postpartum doula program, one year of support, at-home visits, and education

Empowering the Masses
$20,000
Personalized life skills, educational training, and access to healthy food in underserved communities

Firme DFW
$5,000
Scholarships and a four-year mentorship program to Oak Cliff high school students

Frazier Revitalization
$10,000
Restorative Farm’s Grow Boxes and Community-Supported Agriculture participation for South Dallas residents

Harmony CDC
$5,000
Career and financial pathways to increase earnings, job security and financial empowerment

Heart of Courage
$10,000
Parent peer mentoring program for mothers involved with CPS in Southern Dallas

Homeward Bound Inc.
$10,000
Internships and scholarships for students who are persons of color to pursue behavioral health employment.

Leadership Forward Mentoring Program
$15,000
Bridging the racial equity gap through high touch, one-on-one mentoring for students from under-resourced DISD schools

Light of Hope Immigration Law Center
$20,000
Expansion to serve low-income immigrants in Dallas County access citizenship

POETIC
$5,000 Supportive services to empower youth and break the generational cycle of exploitation, trafficking, and incarceration

Rae’s Hope
$5,000
Team sports and life skills building for girls from under-resourced communities in Southern Dallas

Southern Dallas Link
$5,000
Linking Southern Dallas residents to living-wage jobs

Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation
$5,000
Culturally responsive support for BIPOC domestic violence survivors in Dallas County

Viola’s House
$20,000
Support for Baby Benefit Boutique for mothers who complete parenting and pregnancy classes.

Youth Believing in Change
$5,000
Academic tutoring for students from under-resourced communities.

Youth Guidance
$20,000
Social emotional programs in DISD schools with high dropout rates and high poverty

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