GRANTS/ FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

TWU GETS RECORD $10M GIFT FROM FRISCO BUSINESSWOMAN

Texas Woman’s University received an historic donation of more than $10 million last week from Frisco businesswoman Mary L.A. Stanton.

The university said Stanton’s gift marked the single largest donation every made to TWU. 

A majority of the funds will be used for construction of a new residential village opening in Fall 2019 on TWU’s Denton campus while another portion will support the launch of the the “1901 Society,” which will recognize donors who have given $1 million or more to TWU in their lifetimes.

“Mary is a smart businesswoman who serves as a role model for many,” TWU Chancellor Carine M. Feyten said in a statement. “Her thoughtful and generous gift will transform student housing at TWU. And, I am pleased to see Mary leading the charge to inspire others to give to Texas Woman’s University.”

RICHLAND COLLEGE RECEIVES TWC GRANT FOR JOB TRAINING

The Texas Workforce Commission has given Richland College a $705,439 Skills Development Fund grant.

The funds, officially awarded earlier this month, will be used for job training at seven Dallas County manufacturing companies to help fill technology and leadership skills gaps.

“This grant enables our triad to advance and expand both technical and non-technical training to employees at seven Garland and regional area manufacturing companies, continuing to leverage our capabilities to grow the economic base of Garland’s manufacturing sector businesses and contributing to a skilled Texas workforce and beyond,” Richland College President Kathryn K. Eggleston said during the recent check-signing ceremony. 

RICHARDSON ADULT LITERACY CENTER GETS $16K

The Richardson Adult Literacy Center has been awarded a $16,000 grant from LegacyTexas Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas.

The funds will be used for the Literacy Center’s English as a Second Language classes for adults.

“It is a huge honor to receive a grant of this size,” said Katie Patterson, RALC’s executive director, in a statement. “Now, we are able to help our adult students become more included and efficient in the community.”

 In 2018 alone, FHLB Dallas has donated $300,000 to 32 community-based organizations through its Partnership Grant Program. 

FORT WORTH, DALLAS AMONG 10 CITIES TO GET CITYSTART GRANTS

The cities of Dallas and Fort Worth were among 10 cities in the U.S. to receive grants from the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund with support from JPMorgan Chase and others.

Each city will get $20,000 and six to nine months of technical assistance to boost their municipal financial empowerment strategies. The cities also will work with CFE technical assistance teams to host financial empowerment boot camps for residents. 

The CFE Fund launched six years ago and has give out more than $34 million to local governments, according to Smart Cities Dive.

“Cities control a host of policies, programs, and funding streams that can transform the lives of residents with low incomes on a large scale. Across the nation, more and more city leaders are embracing high-quality financial empowerment programs to improve the financial stability of their city residents and communities,” Jonathan Mintz, president and CEO of the CFE Fund, said in a statement.

NORTH TEXAS LAW FIRM LOOKING TO MAKE DONATIONS TO NONPROFITS

As North Texas firm KoonsFuller celebrates its 40-year anniversary, it’s launching the KoonsFuller Family Law Foundation as a way to do social good.

The foundation will support nonprofits in both North Texas and Houston which focus on arts and culture, education, family violence, children or health and legal aid.

The law firm plans to award $200,000 in charitable grants this year and is working with The Dallas Foundation to make a call for applications from potential charitable grantees. 

Nonprofits interested in applying can do so here. The deadline is Aug. 31. 

DONATIONS & COMMUNITY SERVICE

COPPELL’S VARIDESK, DALLAS MAVERICKS’ J.J. BAREA HELP RENOVATE PUERTO RICAN SCHOOLS

Puerto Rican students will notice some renovations at their schools as well as new desks and schools supplies when they go back to class thanks to Coppell active workspace solutions provider VARIDESK and Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea.

Barea, a Puerto Rican native, worked with VARIDESK and community volunteers to refresh his alma mater, Academia Inmaculada Concepcion in Mayaguez, and three other schools on the west side of the island that were hit hard by the hurricane. 

“When I come home to the school I grew up in, it breaks my heart to see the devastation,” Barea said in a release. “I’m hoping this effort will bring hope to the students here and encourage them to keep pursuing their education.”

VARIDESK, with support from CEVA Logistics, donated nearly 500 desks for students, teachers, and administrators.

“Many schools in Puerto Rico were all but destroyed—and many of the existing schools are being consolidated without enough resources,”  Jason McCann, CEO and co-founder of VARIDESK, said in a statement. “We wanted to help with an immediate solution that will have a lasting impact and set students up for success.”

MAVS FOUNDATION BRINGS COMPUTER LAB TO HOMELESS PARENTS

Speaking of the Dallas Mavericks, the basketball team’s philanthropic arm, Mavs Foundation, helped create a computer lab at Dallas nonprofit Vogel Alcove.

The new Parent Opportunity Center Computer Lab unveiled this week will offer homeless individuals, specifically young parents, with free career counseling and coaching services to help them find employment and subsequently, offer a better life for their family. 

Vogel Alcove has been providing a variety of therapeutic services to homeless children since 1987.

READ FORT WORTH DONATES 1,000 BOOKS TO DE ZAVALA ELEMENTARY

Students at a Fort Worth elementary school will have some new tales to discover this school year. 

Supporters of Read Fort Worth, a privately-funded organization working to improve early childhood literacy in the city, donated more than 1,000 books to De Zavala Elementary School.

The donation was made during a back-to-school event aiming to inspire a love of reading in young students with Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Scribner.

Read Fort Worth made a similar donation of 1,200 books to Sunrise-McMillan Elementary School in May as part of its Classroom Library Campaign. The initiative Read Fort Worth, developed with Fort Worth ISD, has a goal of filling school shelves with “high-interest, culturally-relevant books.” To date, the campaign has raised $147,000 in gifts and commitments, according to Read Fort Worth.