Trustees of Communities Foundation of Texas paid more than $80 million in grants to charitable organizations in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, setting a record for the amount granted in a single year and putting CFT on track soon to reach $1 billion in cumulative grants awarded since its founding in 1953.
"The grant total certainly catches your attention," said CFT President and CEO Brent Christopher, "but mainly we celebrate the generosity of our donors through the years, and the important difference that they continue to make in the lives of so many in our community."
Major grants from the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT included $9.5 million to create and endow a police institute, $10.1 million to Southern Methodist University’s School of Engineering (of a $12.6 million commitment) and $5 million to fund safety and security features at the upcoming Woodall Rodgers Park.
CFT funds helped construct the Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center at Cedar Hill. Other grants are purchasing laboratory equipment for nursing students and helping make the Katy Trail safer for walkers and joggers.
Many additional grants are making a significant impact on the lives of North Texans— purchasing furniture for an emergency youth shelter, funding adult stem cell therapy to treat heart failure, enabling low-income students to spend their summer working on conservation projects, and purchasing equipment for schools throughout the area.
In addition to discretionary grants awarded twice yearly
by foundation trustees, CFT and its donors support worthy charitable organizations throughout the year through grants from donor-advised funds. Grants recommended by donors fund a wide variety of causes in the areas of education, social services, health care and the arts.
CFT also continued its role in the Texas High School Project, a public-private alliance dedicated to ensuring that all Texas students graduate ready for college and career success. In 2008, THSP added 15 Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Academies and two charter schools across the state.