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Grant Impact Stories

Play it Forward

Play it Forward

W. W. Caruth, Jr. Fund and many others at CFT supports public parks

As our name attests, we have always been about the community. From the 1950s to today, CFT donors like you understood that public spaces help make cities great. Gathering places that provide recreation, cultural enrichment and civic beauty are the uniting landmarks that reveal a community’s soul. Through their funds at CFT, community leaders have supported numerous civic improvements: playgrounds from West Dallas to Collin County, Crape Myrtle Alley and Toad Corners Fountain at the Dallas Arboretum, the Leonhardt Lagoon at Fair Park and improvements at the Dallas Zoo. In 2010, CFT provided funds and expertise during the planning stages of Klyde Warren Park, the city deck park connecting downtown, Uptown and the Arts District. As the park took shape, CFT’s Caruth Fund gave a $5 million grant for the park’s safety and security.

Projects like Klyde Warren Park and other urban gathering places show the power of public spaces to both help revitalize our city’s central business district and strengthen the bonds of citizenship throughout our community. The future of Dallas is clearly moving toward a more beautiful place.

Keeping Texas Schools Above Water

Keeping Texas Schools Above Water

After the storm, generosity gives Texas schools a lifeline

In August 2017, over 6 million Texans were impacted by Hurricane Harvey’s devastation. Repairing the damage done to the Gulf Coast region will require years of support.

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Hurricane Harvey Recovery Update

Hurricane Harvey Recovery Update

On behalf of Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for your contribution in supporting individuals and families whose lives were uprooted in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

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Smart Justice

Smart Justice

Caruth funds Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute to route mentally ill to care instead of jail

Of Texas inmates, 34 percent have a mental health need, and most have substance use disorders. The state of Texas spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually to provide mental health services to these individuals. Dallas is piloting a better way.

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Building Economic Security for Working Families

Building Economic Security for Working Families

CFT seeds nonprofit network to help low-income families

For two years, Communities Foundation of Texas has been working with 10 nonprofits across North Texas who are part of CFT’s Working Families Success Network (WFSN).

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Racial Equity Grants

Racial Equity Grants

CFT awards $150,000 in grants to support racial equity work in Dallas

On Jan. 17, 2018, the National Day of Racial Healing, Communities Foundation of Texas announced that a total of $150,000 was distributed across 35 nonprofits to help them facilitate storytelling or implement practical solutions to race-related challenges in Dallas.

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Data-Driven Decision-Making Institute Builds Strength

Data-Driven Decision-Making Institute Builds Strength

CFT's D3 Institute was a data bootcamp for agencies

The picture of Dallas that emerged from a study released in 2012 debunked the prevailing thought that the city and the surrounding North Texas region were filled with people earning comfortable incomes....

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