A Toast to Building a Thriving Community, Together

March 1, 2023

Celebrating Dave Scullin's impact locally, statewide, and nationally

Retiring President and CEO Dave Scullin helped drive CFT’s mission, vision, and values forward and into a new era, defined by three strategic priorities: growing community giving, expanding community impact, and advancing community equity.

We thank Dave for his commitment to excellence, leadership, hard work, and dedication. We know that his impact will be felt across our organization and community for decades to come.

Read Dave's retirement announcement from November 2022 here
Read about Dave's celebration event in the MySweetCharity recap

1. GROWING COMMUNITY GIVING

GIFTS

Annual gifts received saw a 118% increase to more than $205 million in 2022.

GRANTS

2022 grantmaking to nonprofits has grown by 57% to reach a record high of more than $165 million.

GIVING DAYS

CFT’s North Texas Giving Day has become the nation’s largest single day of communitywide giving, this year pumping $62.6 million into more than 3,000 local nonprofits, from 94,000 donors in North Texas, plus all 50 states and over 40 countries. This represents a 69% increase over the past six years, and brings the total dollars raised for our community through North Texas Giving Day to more than $500 million.

2. EXPANDING COMMUNITY IMPACT

PROGRAM AND OPERATIONS

76% increase in staffing capacity
Technology and infrastructure enhancements
Enhanced talent recruitment and retention strategies

In response to increased demand for CFT’s services, program and operations expenditures have tripled to $51 million annually, including significant growth of CFT’s Educate Texas. CFT also made major strides in advancing our technological capabilities and talent strategy.

COVID-19 RESPONSE

$375MM+ mobilized for nonprofits

From March 2020 to March 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, CFT mobilized more than $375 million for nonprofits in collaboration and leadership with donors and partner funding organizations. This was primarily accomplished through North Texas Cares (a collaborative of 30-plus funding partners), three Giving Days, gifts from CFT’s donor-advised fund holders, and through the deployment of nine separate COVID-19 relief funds at CFT.

CFT’s EDUCATE TEXAS

Serving 2.5MM students
400 campuses
250 school districts

CFT significantly expanded and accelerated the impact of its consultancy and advocacy initiative, Educate Texas, as a trusted change agent to strengthen K-12 and higher education in Texas. Educate Texas is focused on increasing academic achievement and educational equity by leading programs, policy, and partnerships to reach over 2.5 million students statewide across 400 campuses and 250-plus school districts, colleges, and universities with its innovative work concentrated on the goal of increasing the number of students earning a degree or credentials toward a living wage.

3. ADVANCING COMMUNITY EQUITY

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION (DEI) INITIATIVES

Engaged local/national experts in DEI strategy
Appointed first-ever chief DEI officer
Big D Reads: The Accommodation

Dave expanded CFT’s strategic initiatives to incorporate the urgent need to advance equity across our community. He launched a formal DEI initiative and engaged expert consultants, which resulted in 5,000 staff training hours in 2019-21, and created a chief DEI officer position to ensure equity would be embedded in CFT’s work internally and externally in the community. During Dave’s leadership, CFT also co-led a citywide read of the Dallas racial history book The Accommodation, through Big D Reads and our Cause-Minded Conversation event series.

“It has been a true honor to lead CFT these past six years. I am proud of what we have achieved toward building a better community and strengthening Texas education. Our extensive progress has been a collective effort through our amazing staff and our dynamic Board of Trustees, in collaboration with our many partners. CFT is uniquely well positioned to build on this momentum and continue this path, driving greater impact across our community and our state, and on behalf of Texas students."

– Dave Scullin, president and CEO

President/CEO Dave Scullin to retire in March 2023 after distinguished tenure at CFT

President/CEO Dave Scullin to retire in March 2023 after distinguished tenure at CFT

Join us in our congratulations and gratitude for his impactful leadership

CFT’s President and CEO, Dave Scullin, has announced plans to retire in March 2023, after a distinguished tenure at the helm of the largest community foundation in Texas and one of the largest in the nation.

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