CFT works with donors, nonprofits, philanthropy-focused businesses and civic leaders to create a brighter future. Fueled by local expertise, the organization deeply understands community challenges and opportunities. With relationships at the heart of its strategy, CFT’s power comes from the ability to bring people, businesses and government institutions together for the greater good of North Texas.
“Everything we do centers around helping people help others to achieve our vision of a thriving community for all. We’re here to grow giving and expand impact across North Texas,” explains White.
Having worked as a senior executive at the American Cancer Society in Chicago for the past five years, White is well-versed in the world of philanthropic initiatives. He believes that effective solutions to community issues are created through collaboration, dialogue and active involvement of stakeholders– a philosophy central to CFT’s mission. As the largest community foundation in Texas, the organization manages 1,300 charitable funds for individuals, families and businesses, totaling $1.5 billion in assets.
“I like to say that I got to Dallas as soon as I could, but in actuality, I got here as soon as I was invited,” explains White.
With CFT founded in 1953, White is passionate about building on the past 70 years of philanthropic achievements. By implementing new strategies and innovations, he aims to grow the charitable resources CFT puts into the community. Working primarily through charitable giving accounts known as donor-advised funds and legacy and estate planning, the organization is at the center of helping people support what matters most to them. For White, leading the organization is an honor.
“As president and CEO, the best part of my work is inspiring a great team to do great things for our donors and our community,” explains White.After years of planning and collaboration, the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) and the City of Dallas announce a generous $10 million grant from Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) towards the new Law Enforcement Training Center at UNT Dallas. The grant from CFT’s W.W. Caruth, Jr. Fund will significantly advance the design and construction process of the new police academy and represents the largest philanthropic contribution to UNT Dallas in the university’s history.
“If Dallas is going to be the safest big city in America, our officers and recruits must receive leading edge law enforcement instruction,” said City of Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson. “This significant investment from Communities Foundation of Texas will allow us to take our already recognized and sought after training to new levels.”
In addition to CFT’s $10 million grant, the state legislature committed $20 million to the project in the 2023 legislative session, and the City of Dallas plans to include $50 million for the training center in this year’s bond package that will be voted on by Dallas citizens.
The new state-of-the-art law enforcement training facility at the UNT Dallas campus presents an unparalleled opportunity to reimagine the officer training experience by creating a space tailor-made for police training and embedding it into an institution of higher learning that provides space for community, personal wellness, personal development, and continuing education for all officers. By locating the Dallas Police Training Academy on the UNT Dallas Campus, Dallas Police will become the largest police department with an officer training facility on the campus of a four-year university.
“I can’t overstate the significance of the gift from CFT and the far-reaching impact it will have,” said Bob Mong, President of UNT Dallas. “The innovative, state-of-the-art facility will serve multiple law enforcement and public safety agencies in North Texas and beyond. It will be a national model for instruction and training in 21st century policing philosophies and techniques.”
Plans call for the center to be located on a five-acre section of the 268-acre UNT Dallas campus, with an adjacent park shared by the training center and the university. It includes classrooms, a gym and workout facilities, and virtual reality training technology for law enforcement personnel at all levels. New recruits, in-service officers, rising supervisors, civilian employees and law enforcement leaders from across the state will gain valuable and actionable knowledge, skills and insight, ultimately improving public safety. Community feedback was also solicited and has been integral to initial planning.
“The priority of the men and women of the Dallas Police Department is to protect and serve our great city, and their training facility should reflect the importance of that commitment,” said Dallas Chief of Police Eddie Garcia. “The new training center at UNT Dallas is a gamer-changer not only for the development of our recruits, but also for future hiring, and retention for the Dallas Police Department.”
Designed for collaboration, the center will also be the new home of the Caruth Police Institute at UNT Dallas (CPI), a leading voice in complex research, policy, and leadership development for police across North Texas and across the state. Deepening this relationship in this new collaborative environment will make law enforcement across our region stronger and more effective and will position them as national leaders in innovative and evidenced-based policing strategies. CPI was established in 2008 through an innovative partnership between the Dallas Police Department and UNT Dallas. CPI was initially founded with a $9.5 million grant from CFT.
“When Communities Foundation of Texas invested in CPI fifteen years ago, it represented a first-of-its-kind partnership among academia, philanthropy, and law enforcement,” said Wayne White, President and CEO of Communities Foundation of Texas.
“The training center at UNT Dallas will build on this legacy of interdisciplinary understanding and collaboration, that’s why we are so excited to invest in this at such an early stage,” White continued. “CFT has a long history of supporting community-driven approaches to public safety, including both responsive and preventative measures. Over time, this work will play a critical role in increasing public safety across North Texas and is directly aligned with our vision of a thriving and safe community.”
“We believe that this best-in-class partnership between UNT Dallas, The Caruth Police Institute, the City of Dallas, and the Dallas Police Department is exactly the kind of innovative investment that the late W.W. Caruth, Jr. envisioned when he created this fund through his estate plan in partnership with CFT,” said White.
Under the current plan, construction would begin in 2025 and be completed in 2027. The Dallas Police Department’s Police Academy will move from its current home in a rented industrial space in the Red Bird area of southern Dallas, which was meant to be only temporary when it opened in 1990.
Watch the Press Conference (Credit: Allyn Media) View the Impact Overview Video (Credit: Allyn Media)
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Dallas Area Funders Awarded $320,000 to 38 Organizations in Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Right to Vote
The 19th Amendment Centennial Fund supports a number of community-centered events to create conversations and advance gender equity in celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
To mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in 2020, community philanthropic partners came together to create the 19th Amendment Centennial Fund, which has provided $320,000 in grants to create a yearlong series of events to recognize the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. This funding supports effective, inspirational and authentic ways to create conversation, drive positive change and build strategies to advance gender equity. The funded projects include programs and events that provide a publicly accessible component of the project’s work, such that it can be explored and enjoyed by individuals from diverse cultures, ages and economic means.
Interested in this topic? Check out the 19th Amendment: Past, Present, and Future event coming up on August 6, 2020. For additional information, click here.
The collaborative funders include: AT&T, The Boone Family Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, The Dallas Foundation, the Embrey Family Foundation, The Hoglund Foundation, Lyda Hill Philanthropies, the McCune Losinger Family Fund at Communities Foundation of Texas, the Rainwater Charitable Foundation, Texas Women’s Foundation, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and the George and Fay Young Foundation.
A steering committee of the philanthropic partners advised on the grants of up to $10,000 for programs and events by nonprofit organizations and up to $1,000 for public schools.
The 38 projects that were chosen to receive funding incorporate the following concepts:
- Celebrate: Remember, honor and applaud those who have moved women from suffrage to seats at many tables and continue to work to improve the position of women in society.
- Educate: Tell the story behind the creation and significance of the 19th amendment, including who was involved, what sacrifices were made for it to happen and the women of color who were marginalized to advance the movement.
- Activate: Make the call for people to participate in democracy and provide data, information and solutions for ways to increase Texas’ ranking as 49th among the states when it comes to women’s political participation.
View the complete list of grantees below:
- Avant Chamber Ballet ($10,000)
- Bachman Lake Together ($5,000)
- Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity ($5,000)
- Dallas Area Interfaith ($5,000)
- Dallas Black Dance Theatre ($10,000)
- Dallas Heritage Village ($8,000)
- Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum ($10,000)
- Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture ($10,000)
- Dallas Leadership Foundation ($10,000)
- Dallas Peace and Justice Center ($10,000)
- Dallas Council of North Texas ($10,000)
- Dress for Success Dallas ($5,000)
- Echo Theatre ($10,000)
- Faith in Texas ($5,000)
- Friends of Aldredge House ($10,000)
- Friends of the Dallas Public Library ($8,800)
- Girls Embracing Mothers ($10,000)
- Girls Empowerment Network ($10,000)
- IGNITE ($10,000)
- Inspire School Programs ($9,000)
- Jolt Initiative ($10,000)
- Junior Players ($7,500)
- Literacy Achieves ($10,000)
- Make Art With Purpose ($10,000)
- Media Projects, Inc. ($10,000)
- New Texas Symphony Orchestra ($5,000)
- Oak Lawn Band ($1,700)
- Our Friends Place ($5,000)
- Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas ($5,000)
- Puede Network ($5,000)
- ReflectUS ($10,000)
- Shakespeare Dallas ($10,000)
- Texas Woman’s University Foundation ($10,000)
- The Texas Tribune ($10,000)
- The Women’s Chorus of Dallas ($10,000)
- Trinity River Mission ($10,000)
- USA Film Festival ($10,000)
- YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas ($10,000)