A scene from the announcement of the new Communities Foundation of Texas grants. [Image: CFT]
Communities Foundation of Texas has recently awarded more than $10 million in support of education initiatives through grants to local nonprofits, CFT’s Educate Texas initiative, and scholarships for students. CFT said it’s investing in “innovative approaches that foster student success, from early learning to high school and beyond.”
The organizations receiving grants are CFT’s Educate Texas, Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region, For Oak Cliff, The Dallas Foundation, Texas 2036, and United to Learn.
Access to education and meaningful workforce opportunities play a critical role in North Texas’ growth and prosperity, CFT said. Funding will help improve student outcomes by reducing absenteeism, connecting under resourced youth to opportunities and support, and improving access to high-quality education and workforce pathways.
“We view education as one of the key drivers in creating a thriving community for all,” Wayne White, president and CEO at Communities Foundation of Texas, said in a statement. “These investments are addressing challenges in new ways to equip students for success, reducing barriers and expanding economic mobility while modernizing systems and building pathways towards brighter futures.”
CFT’s Educate Texas: $5M investment
CFT’s Educate Texas aims to help Texans receive an education that enables them to earn a good living, find a purposeful career, and realize big dreams for themselves, their families, and their communities. The statewide Educate Texas initiative has been addressing some of the biggest challenges in public education for the past 20 years.
The funds will go toward the expansion of two signature initiatives of Educate Texas.
One will support the responsible use of artificial intelligence in Texas education. A $3.7 million investment in Educate Texas’ AI + Education Collaborative provides support for district leaders, policymakers, and nonprofits across the state to help facilitate the responsible adoption of AI in education.
Another $1.3 million investment will go to the DFW Opportunity Youth Collaborative, which Educate Texas to connect underemployed or undereducated youth to education and career pathways that lead to economic mobility in North Texas. In this initiative, Educate Texas brings together education, workforce, employer, and nonprofit partners to support young adults who have become disconnected from school or work.
“Collectively, these initiatives help eliminate opportunity gaps and strengthen the North Texas ecosystem for students, teachers, employers, and community organizations seeking to improve student success,” said Kerri Briggs, Ph.D., Executive Director of CFT’s Educate Texas. “This is about helping young adults access meaningful careers, earn a living wage, and build the future they want for themselves and their families.”
Addressing Chronic Absenteeism: $2M investment
Chronic school absenteeism—defined as missing at least 10% of school days in a year—has seen a significant rise across the country in recent years, as well as in a number of North Texas neighborhoods, CFT said.
CFT has committed $2 million to a new Chronic Absenteeism Initiative that is developing coordinated, community-based approaches designed to improve middle school attendance in South Dallas, South Oak Cliff, and Wilmer Hutchins. Led by For Oak Cliff, which received a $1 million grant from CFT as part of this initiative, and in partnership with Dallas ISD, an effort is underway to co-develop comprehensive campus and neighborhood plans to combat absenteeism.
Initial grantee partners working alongside For Oak Cliff include Big Thought and Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region. Over the next year, this initiative will bring in additional community-based organizations to help students stay on track toward completing high school and gaining living-wage employment.
Additional grants and scholarships
According to CFT, other grant recipients are:
:: Communities in Schools of the Dallas Region received a $600,000 grant to continue its work in improving student outcomes by addressing non-academic barriers to success. Its embedded campus model is currently operating within 100+ campuses across 11 North Texas school districts. Its site coordinators work directly on school campuses, offering individualized case management.
:: The Dallas Foundation, a key CFT partner, received a $500,000 grant to support early childhood development in Southern Dallas through its Bright Futures Alliance.
:: Texas 2036 received a $500,000 grant to support its Building a Stronger Future for Texas statewide initiative. Texas 2036 is a data-driven, nonpartisan state policy organization that works to improve the lives and opportunities of Texans by identifying the state’s most pressing challenges and developing practical, evidence-based solutions for higher education and workforce, health, housing, public safety and more.
:: United to Learn received a $250,000 grant to support its Team Thrive model and Aspiring Teachers program to integrate K-3 literacy intervention at more than 30 campuses to help increase reading proficiency. Together, these programs address low third-grade literacy rates and educator shortages in Dallas ISD through a district-embedded model that pairs K–3 literacy acceleration with a local educator pipeline.
In addition to CFT’s grants to nonprofits, more than $2 million in total scholarships have been awarded to 415 local students to support tuition and education expenses through CFT this scholarship season. These scholarships come from scholarship funds CFT manages on behalf of local donors who want to further the education of others.
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