Dallas County Promise Announces Education, Workforce Training Investments Topped by $60M from O'Donnell Foundation

The Dallas County Promise—powered by Dallas College and the Commit Partnership—has announced a series of new investments, including what it called an “unprecedented” $60 million multi-year investment from the O’Donnell Foundation. The goal: to substantially increase economic mobility across Dallas County.

“The Dallas County Promise holds the potential to become a national exemplar for materially improving postsecondary access and completion thanks to its thoughtful, comprehensive approach,” William Solomon, chairman, president and CEO of the O’Donnell Foundation, said in a statement.

The O’Donnell Foundation investment is one of the largest education investments supporting economically disadvantaged students in North Texas history. It will provide more students the opportunity to benefit from enhanced college and workforce programs as well as numerous other supports promoting student success.

How funds will be used

According to Dallas College and Commit Partnership, of the $60 million investment, $30 million is directed to Commit to comprehensively support stronger middle school and high school advising across multiple school districts as well as data and other backbone supports, including coordination with employers, to enhance the overall Promise effort.

The investment in Commit includes a $5 million challenge grant to support data capacity/activation, as well as alignment of K-12 and higher education systems with workforce needs.

The remaining $30 million investment from the O’Donnell Foundation represents a direct gift to Dallas College Foundation—the largest private gift in Dallas College’s history.

The funds will be dedicated to a variety of student supports to aid them in their journey to thriving wage careers.

$6.25M challenge grant

Dallas College Chancellor Dr. Justin Lonon [Photo: Dallas College]

The gift features a $6.25 million challenge grant to help Dallas College continue to expand its Promise scholarship program, which, similar to programs recently announced by other higher education partners across Texas, offers last-dollar tuition-free scholarships to high-need students coming out of high school. The gift will also expand tuition and other forms of support to additional groups of students, the partners said, including returning adult students, parents of Promise students, and students engaging in workforce training programs.

“This moment marks a bold step forward in our mission to empower students and transform lives with the promise of an education,” Dallas College Chancellor Justin Lonon said in a statement. “With the extraordinary investment from the O’Donnell Foundation, Dallas College is helping to expand opportunities for students to access higher education, gain critical support, and thrive in the career of their dreams. Together, we’re reshaping the future of Dallas County, driving prosperity and opening doors for generations to come.”

With other supporters, aiming to help boost lifetime earnings

In addition to the O’Donnell Foundation investment, substantial investments to collectively accelerate the work in Dallas have been made by the JPMorganChase Foundation, the Moody Foundation, the Opportunity 2040 Fund 1, and a first-time multi-year investment from The BlackRock Foundation.

“Working with local education and nonprofit leaders to empower the next generation workforce is critical to economic security and prosperity,” Claire Chamberlain, president of The BlackRock Foundation, said in a statement. “In line with The BlackRock Foundation’s mission to help more people earn, save and invest—earlier, more often, and for their futures—we’re pleased to be supporting the growth and success of Dallas County families.”

Backers said this effort could materially transform the lifetime earnings for students being educated today across the county’s more than 100 public high schools and at Dallas College. It could add billions of dollars in incremental lifetime earnings to Dallas County’s regional economy via a holistic effort to cultivate the talents of students and young adults, enabling them to take full advantage of current workforce opportunities within a region which is a national leader in job growth and economic prosperity.

Numerous educational institutions, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and business chambers—including Dallas, Garland, and DeSoto ISDs, the University of North Texas at Dallas, Education is Freedom, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and the Dallas Regional Chamber—will advise and collaborate on this effort as it seeks to materially broaden economic opportunity and mobility in a region that educates 10% of Texas and 1% of the nation.

More on the partners

Founded in 2017, The Dallas County Promise was launched to increase postsecondary credential attainment for young adults in Dallas County, supporting thousands of additional students in the completion of a degree from Dallas College and other higher education partners.

Promise expansion efforts Include:

Student and Family Engagement: Starting in middle school, connecting students’ interests to education and career pathways.
Direct Financial Support for Students: Direct financial support to make college tuition, workforce training tuition and licensing/certification exam fees more affordable for both traditional-age and adult students.
Career and College Advising: Year-round, personalized support of clear pathways for student success, both to and through post-secondary completion.
Enhanced Workforce Programs: Expanded access to dual credit, workforce credentials, and work-based learning opportunities.
Data-Driven Systems: Advanced tools to monitor progress, provide personalized case management, guide targeted interventions, and ensure timely accountability.

Since its founding in Dallas in 1957 by Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr., the O’Donnell Foundation has donated more than $1 billion in support of education, medicine, and the arts, almost entirely in Texas.

Dallas College consists of seven campuses—Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland—as well as a dozen centers located throughout Dallas County. As one of the largest community colleges in the U.S., Dallas College offers online and in-person learning, serving more than 127,000 credit, workforce and continuing education students annually.

Dallas College offers associate degrees and career/technical certificate programs in more than 100 areas of study, as well as bachelor’s degrees in education and nursing. As the largest provider of dual credit in Texas, Dallas College serves 30,000 high school students through 63 dual credit programs.

The Commit Partnership was founded in 2012 and has become the largest educational backbone organization in the nation, supporting PK-12 and higher ed systems that educate 700,000 students in Dallas County and, via its support of the Texas Urban Council, 1 in 4 students across Texas. The partnership is supported by more than 150 regional and national investors highly focused on growing economic mobility through a variety of strategies including state and local policy, data insights, capacity building, and alignment of actions across both public and private entities to achieve an aspirational goal of 50% living wage attainment by the year 2040 for all young adults.