As the first African-American giving circle in the state of Texas, the HERitage Giving Fund is opening doors for female philanthropists of color. Applications are open for this year’s grants of up to $10,000, but hurry—the deadline to apply is Aug. 30.

“We feel like we’re filling a void in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex,” Akilah Wallace, chair and co-founding officer, says. “With the large number of nonprofits in Texas, many of them are not provided with enough financial support to sustain them throughout the year.”

“With the large number of nonprofits in Texas, many of them are not provided with enough financial support to sustain them throughout the year.”
Akilah Wallace

Supported by the Dallas Women’s Foundation, HERitage is dedicated to supporting the African-American community in philanthropic ways. The intent is to provide funding for nonprofit organizations that serve local African-American women to sustain the program services and increase outreach.

Wallace explained that although many of these organizations have been around for a few years, they often haven’t had the opportunity to receive grants of this significance.

Wallace and her co-founders, Halima Leak Francis and Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew, all come from the nonprofit sector. They agreed there was a lack of funding and resources for the smaller grassroots organizations, specifically, those headed by African-Americans. And so, the HERitage Giving Fund was born.

The 2018 Grant Information Sessions were attended by African-American leaders representing roughly 50 organizations interested in applying for funding from the giving circle. [Photo Courtesy Akilah Wallace]

HERitage also provides training and leverages resources for African-American women dedicated to the philanthropic industry. Wallace says when they then seek additional funding, they will actually have a competitive chance against larger entities.

In the future, Wallace hopes to increase the amount of funding raised and diversify the types of donors. But overall, the goal is “to continue to change the narrative of what philanthropy looks like in greater Dallas.”

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HERITAGE

HERitage was founded in August 2017, during Black Philanthropy Month, and is committed to “black women of varying economic status and backgrounds, who have a heart for investing in organizations,” according to its website. Each year, one grant is awarded by the Dallas Women’s Foundation to an organization that represents the HERitage mission. To be selected, an applicant must:

• operate and serve African American women in the North Texas area;
• be African-American female led with at least 50 percent of African-American clients;
• demonstrate innovation in overcoming social and economic obstacles for African-American women;
• use gender and African American culture as lenses to create opportunities;
• have a clear mission and objective for how to make an impact.

The deadline to apply for the grants is noon on Aug. 30. So far, Wallace says 30 organizations have applied.

Visit the Dallas Women’s Foundation website to learn more about the grant and see how much time you have left to apply with the live countdown.

The 2018 Grant Information Sessions, in July were attended by African-American leaders representing roughly 50 organizations interested in applying for funding from the giving circle. [Photo Courtesy Akilah Wallace]