The 2024 recipients of the Mary M. Jalonick Women’s Philanthropy Institute grants have been announced by The Dallas Foundation, awarding a total of $330,000 to four nonprofits that made significant impacts this year in North Texas.

Dallas-based Exodus Ministries received the lead grant of $150,000, while three additional grants of $60,000 each went to Dallas nonprofits Abide Women’s Health Services, Urban Specialists, and Vogel.

“Much is being written about how women are reshaping philanthropy and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at The Dallas Foundation continues to unite women philanthropists who are dedicated to learning about and addressing the challenges facing Greater Dallas,” Julie Diaz, president & CEO of The Dallas Foundation, said in a statement. “Through this program, these women build connections with impactful organizations and combine their collective resources to drive meaningful change in our community. The partnerships formed through our Women’s Philanthropy Institute inspire a ripple effect of positive transformation across North Texas.”

How the program works

Typically, the Women’s Philanthropy Institute visits four to five nonprofits each year in the Dallas area.

After each visit, members learn how to strategically evaluate a nonprofit, including a review of financial documents and organizational structure.

At the end of the year, members then vote on which agency will receive the largest grant from the Mary M. Jalonick Women’s Philanthropy Institute Fund held at The Dallas Foundation. Grant money is raised by contributions from members. Since its inception in 2008, more than 200 women have participated in WPI programming, granting over $1.6 million to the community through the Institute in addition to more than $10.1 million in personal support from its members in 2024 alone, the foundation said.

“The funds provided by the Mary M. Jalonick Women’s Philanthropy Institute will help Exodus Ministries put an end to generational cycles of abuse, addiction, and incarceration that have plagued our residents for a lifetime,” said Jonathan Habashy, executive director of Exodus Ministries. “Essential partners like The Dallas Foundation help us offer a transforming love to our residents, which, in turn, can create a new life and a new trajectory for generations of families that have been without hope for far too long.”

2024 Grant Recipients

Here’s more about this year’s grant recipients:

• Exodus Ministries helps end generational cycles of abuse, addiction, and incarceration that have plagued the area’s residents for a lifetime. The resources it offers often represent the last opportunity for formerly incarcerated single moms to reclaim their children and their family’s future. The organization offers ongoing case management and personal mentoring for the women and require them to attend recovery and life skills classes Monday through Friday. Courses include parenting skills, financial literacy, 12-step recovery curriculum, and spiritual development. Children’s programming is planned while the women are in their classes. Exodus also provides professional counseling for all single moms and school-age children in residence.
• Abide Women’s Health Services has a mission is to improve birth outcomes in communities with the lowest quality of care by offering healthcare and community resources that are easily accessible, holistic, evidence-based, and free from judgment.
• Urban Specialists said it exists to identify and activate a network of change makers who transform communities through powerful, local leadership. Its primary aim is to recruit, train, and deploy change makers from various backgrounds, and across a variety of pathways to be forces for good in their communities.
• Vogel’s mission is to help young children and their families prevent and overcome the lasting and traumatic effects of homelessness and poverty. Vogel seeks to ensure that every child in its community has a home, a self-sufficient family, and a foundation for success in school and life. Vogel’s programming is culturally competent, holistic, and family-centered. A two-generation approach provides developmental interventions for children while helping parents establish a stable home environment.

On a mission to empower women

The Women’s Philanthropy Institute was created to help women donors gain a deeper understanding of community needs, the foundation said.

The Dallas Foundation launched the initiative to empower women on their philanthropic journeys by connecting them with one another, the communities they aim to support, and organizations making a difference.

The Mary M. Jalonick Women’s Philanthropy Institute’s mission is to educate, inspire, and empower women to become confident and engaged donors at every stage of their philanthropic journey while connecting them with the needs of the community and the organizations addressing those needs.

The Dallas Foundation is the first community foundation in Texas. Established in 1929, it brings together people, ideas, and investments in Greater Dallas so individuals and families can reach their full potential. Over the course of its history, the foundation has granted more than $1.2 billion to the full spectrum of community-centered causes.

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