A Home for Generations
Freeman grandchildren further family values through CFT
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Letter From Our Leadership
A PLACE TO CALL HOME
Thanks to generous givers like you—and the leadership of our dedicated staff and Board—Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) continues to expand its impact across our communities.
In fiscal year 2026, CFT received $211 million in gifts, distributed $191 million in grants to nonprofits, and made meaningful progress on our three strategic initiatives.
We launched and began to implement our housing initiative strategy, committing $10 million in loans and grants to support attainable housing solutions and strengthen neighborhoods. We are grateful to all who have joined HouseDTX to address the housing affordability crisis and to those who are already partnering with us on our new Housing Impact Fund.
Educate Texas, CFT’s longstanding statewide education initiative, launched a new effort focused on the responsible use of artificial intelligence in schools to help address the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world for both educators and students.
CFT’s 18th annual North Texas Giving Day raised $80 million for 3,300 local nonprofits — a new record amount raised. This achievement brings the total raised through North Texas Giving Day to over $790 million since its inception. Behind each of these numbers are real people making a real impact.
This year’s annual report reflects how we help create a place to call home in partnership with our fundholders, nonprofit grantees, North Texas Giving Day participants, and our Educate Texas and Housing initiatives. The stories reflect the hearts behind our investments in people, partnerships, and place to help create a stronger sense of community and connection throughout North Texas and beyond.
We are especially grateful for your commitment to our shared vision of a thriving community for all, which fuels the positive change we’re creating together to make our region and state an even better place to call home.
With gratitude and partnership,
For 40 years, Beverly and Don Freeman have partnered with CFT to support causes close to their hearts through their donor-advised fund, the Freeman Family Fund.
As members of CFT’s Live Oak Legacy Society, they have also included charitable giving in their estate plan, ensuring their support for nonprofits will continue beyond their lifetime.
“When you’re blessed, you need to bless others and carry it forward,” said Beverly, whom Don credits with inspiring the couple’s commitment to philanthropy.
“We’re big believers in CFT’s work. CFT has been a great avenue for us to make contributions to our favorite organizations, and to learn about new ones too,” said Don. “We rely on and appreciate their expertise,” added Beverly.
The Freemans also give back through their family business, the Freeman Company, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.
Today, CFT’s partnership with the Freeman family spans three generations. CFT also manages donor-advised funds established by their daughters, Carrie Freeman Parsons and Chris Popolo, and their husbands, as well as a fund recently established by the next generation of their family.
Both daughters and their husbands have participated in CFT’s GiveWisely program to further define their giving values, and have leaned on CFT for research on local nonprofits that align with their giving priorities.
Now that Beverly and Don’s grandchildren are beginning their careers, they are taking a more active role in the family’s philanthropy alongside other members of the extended family.
They collaborated to create the Operation Lone Hawk Fund at CFT, named for their Iowa and Texas roots. They decided to focus their giving on early childhood education and will make their initial grants to nonprofits in North Texas, since that’s where their family business is headquartered. With CFT’s support, they researched education nonprofits and selected Beacon Hill as the first grantee of their shared fund.
The family’s giving has always included service in addition to financial contributions. Both Chris and Carrie recall volunteering alongside their mom from a very young age.
“Giving back has always been a key part of our family’s values. We heard often about the importance of giving time, talent, and treasure, and wanted to focus on each of those areas,” said Kit Popolo Kelly, one of the fund’s co-founders.
“It’s very exciting to see our next generation be so committed to philanthropy. We started building opportunities to serve and volunteer together into our annual family meetings more than a decade ago, which has been both fun and impactful for all of us,” said Chris, Kit’s mom.
Kit shared that their volunteer service has been one way they’ve spent quality time together as a family. “It’s about growing in community together. No matter where our family meeting is held, we ensure there’s a service component. We come together and make great memories while doing something important with our time together,” said Kit.
At each annual family gathering, relatives volunteer together, from painting a school in New Orleans to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina to assembling supplies for local nonprofits.
This year, the extended family volunteered with Beacon Hill, the Operation Lone Hawk Fund’s first grantee. They assembled school supplies and heard directly from the organization about its work in North Texas.
For Beverly and Don, watching the next generation of family members develop their own approach to giving is particularly meaningful.
“Seeing them care so much has been incredible. Creating the fund together was their idea, and they are being very intentional about what they support,” said Don.
“We first saw generosity being modeled by our grandparents. They were always extremely generous with their time and their resources, and they passed that on to our parents, and it’s inspired us to do the same,” recalled fund co-founder Olivia Parsons.
“We’re now at an age where we understand how fortunate we are and that it’s time to follow our parents’ and grandparents’ examples and continue to give,” said fund co-founder Zoe Zelinsky Swank. “Creating this fund together took our commitment a step further, showing our gratitude while living out our family values.”
The collaborative giving experience gives the next generation an opportunity to make decisions together, even while living in different states. So far, they’ve had 100% giving participation across their generation.
“We genuinely want to make the world a better place, and we believe that investing in education is a key way to do that. We’re aware of how much of a blessing the Freeman Company is in our lives, and how much opportunity it has brought to each of us with how successful it’s been. We are committed to giving back so that others are benefiting from that too,” said Zoe.
“We wanted to have something that we own and lead together, and that can grow as we grow,” shared Kit. “The structure and guidance that CFT has provided made the process both easy and fun,” said Olivia. “It’s kept us more connected together too, and showed where each one of us shines,” added Zoe.
Four decades after Beverly and Don established their family fund, CFT continues to support the Freemans with charitable guidance, nonprofit research, and administrative services as each generation identifies the causes and organizations it wants to support.
When eight graduating seniors from South Oak Cliff and Sunset high schools stepped forward at scholarship presentations this spring, they expected to be recognized for their academic achievements. What they didn’t expect was a scholarship covering full tuition, fees, books, and housing throughout their college or career training programs.
At South Oak Cliff, students and their families gathered for a small presentation. At Sunset, recipients were recognized in front of their graduating class. At the surprise announcements, students and parents celebrated, many overcome with emotion as they realized what this financial support would mean for their futures.
The awards were made possible through the Bear Bison Scholarship Fund at CFT, established in 2026 by a generous family with deep roots in Oak Cliff. The scholarship’s name combines the mascots of the two schools: the Sunset Bison and South Oak Cliff Bears.
The donor attended Sunset High School, while her late husband attended South Oak Cliff. Their daughter, Stacy, suggested creating a scholarship to help students from the schools that had shaped their lives. With guidance and partnership from the family’s financial advisor, Cathleen Crews, the family turned to CFT to bring the idea to life. CFT helped establish and administer the scholarship fund, coordinate with school counselors, and manage the application and selection process.
The fund’s vision is simple: to remove financial barriers so that students who demonstrate academic effort, school and community participation, a strong work ethic, and leadership potential can pursue college or career training and thrive once they get there.
The scholarship is designed to make a lasting difference, supporting students year after year as they work toward their degrees or certifications.
“My client had the capacity to give more than she had been giving and wanted to do something transformational that she and her family could see the direct impact of,” said Cathleen. “The education they received from these schools helped set the trajectory to where they are today.”
Inspired by their grandparents and parents, Stacy’s three children, Penelope, Alex, and Henry, are also becoming involved in the scholarship. This year, Stacy, and Henry, who is 22, helped review applications, gaining a firsthand understanding of the students’ ambitions and challenges.
“As I read the applications, I wished we could give every one of the students scholarships,” he recalled.
The inaugural recipients include aspiring nurses, engineers, educators, and students pursuing skilled trades. The family was especially moved by the students’ handwritten thank-you notes, as many of them shared their desire to give back to others someday.
For Cathleen, attending the surprise award presentations and seeing the students’ reactions was among the most memorable experiences of her career.
“The parents were crying. The kids were crying. The teachers were crying, I was crying,” she recalled. “There was so much hope in the room. It was special for my client to be able to see firsthand the life-changing impact of her gift.”
“It was overwhelming trying to figure out how to cover tuition to pursue my civil engineering degree,” said Eric Browning, a South Oak Cliff graduate headed to Texas State University. Eric hopes to use his education to build a better future and serve as a role model in his community. “I feel blessed and grateful to have this opportunity to be able to focus on school and not worry about the financial aspect.”
The scholarship reflects a family tradition of giving back. Growing up, the donor’s grandchildren accompanied their grandmother on Meals on Wheels deliveries to seniors and volunteered with the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program.
“Our grandfather poured his life, heart, and soul into the business he started, so that he could support his family, give back, and provide stable jobs to a lot of people in the community,” noted Henry.
“They’ve been charitable our entire lives, and this is a continuation of that,” said Alex, age 24, who now lives in San Antonio. “Our grandparents and parents have really modeled generosity, and it has served as a foundation for us.”
“I think it’s important to be hands-on and involved in your family’s philanthropy and not just be aware that your parents or grandparents are helping someone somewhere,” said Henry, who recently moved to New York for work. “Our grandparents taught us to know where you came from and to show gratitude. It was extremely important to our grandfather to always be kind. He spread kindness wherever he went, and we carry that with us.”
“We were fortunate to have grown up in an environment where we didn’t have to worry about financial stress on our journey to higher education,” said granddaughter Penelope, who is now 25 and also lives in New York. “Our grandmother’s investment is changing lives. Knowing that our family is now helping ease the burden on other students motivates us to continue to carry on the tradition of giving back however we can as we grow in our own careers.”
The family hopes to continue awarding more scholarships in the years ahead, with additional opportunities for the grandchildren to stay involved.
For the students receiving the awards, the scholarship allows them to focus on their education and pursue their chosen careers while removing financial barriers that might otherwise have stood between them and their plans.
“Helping others has meant so much to our family for so long,” shared Alex. “We’re looking forward to carrying that forward.”
“The Bear Bison Scholarship is giving these students the freedom to pursue their hopes and dreams, just like we have done,” said Henry. “It makes us so proud as her grandkids,” added Penelope.
“By creating this scholarship fund, our grandmother has brought our family closer across generations. She has given us a meaningful way to honor her generosity, give back, and carry forward the values that she continues to instill in our family.”
– PENELOPE,
Granddaughter of the Bear Bison Scholarship Fund founder
Dawna Hubert, her mother, Gail Hubert-Gerkey, and their entire family are deeply connected to our community and find joy in giving to causes they are passionate about.
The EDGE Family Fund, a donor-advised fund at CFT, helps the family support causes close to their hearts. The fund was created in large part to honor the life of Gail’s late husband and Dawna’s stepfather, George Edward “Ed” Gerkey, a retired U.S. Army colonel.
The EDGE Fund is named for Ed, Dawna, Gail, and the word “enrichment,” reflecting what the family hopes to provide to the causes they support.
Last Veterans Day, in honor of Ed’s service and love of country, the family utilized CFT’s NorthTexasGivingDay.org online giving platform to support local nonprofits serving veterans. With the assistance of CFT staff, a dozen organizations serving a variety of veterans’ causes were selected and offered dollar-for-dollar matching gifts through the EDGE Family Fund.
In addition to their veterans’ campaign, the family partnered with multiple Collin County-based organizations as matching gift donors during North Texas Giving Day, including the Wellness Center for Older Adults and Turning Point Rape Crisis Center.
They also provided a matching gift to Samaritan Inn during CFT’s North Texas Gives to Animals campaign. When CFT shared a matching grant opportunity to support City House during an unexpected funding challenge, the family eagerly joined in to help fulfill the match. “I’m a huge proponent of matching campaigns as they really are proven to inspire more generosity,” said Dawna.
“While large donations are helpful, I am convinced that it doesn’t take tens of thousands of dollars to make a difference, which is why our family loves to give through North Texas Giving Day each year,” said Dawna.
Dawna, her wife, Jo, and their son, Hunter, sit down together as a family and decide where they want to “sprinkle some love.” The family supports 20 to 30 smaller nonprofits every year, helping to expand their impact across Collin County and the region.
Dawna and Gail both serve on the board of LIFE Association. In 2017, Dawna was tasked by the board with finding unique charitable opportunities, which led to the creation of the LIFE Association Trade Scholarship Fund at CFT.
“We wanted to provide a scholarship geared toward students pursuing trades, because those students deserve support in pursuing their dreams too,” explained Dawna. “The CFT team was willing to dig in and do the research to create something no one else was really doing at the time.”
Through scholarships, support for veterans, and gifts that respond to emerging community needs, the Hubert family works tirelessly to enrich the place they call home.
“CFT’s support and services are unmatched, and their team is incredible. They serve as a trusted sounding board to us and are familiar with our community’s needs and the nonprofits meeting those needs.”
– DAWNA HUBERT,
CFT fundholder, EDGE Family Fund
For Sarita Prabhu, giving back was an important part of growing up. Her parents immigrated from India and taught their family to care for others, whether helping relatives and communities in India or supporting people in their new home.
Alongside her successful corporate legal career, Sarita helps lead her family’s charitable giving through the Krish and Shuba Prabhu Family Fund, a donor-advised fund at CFT. What initially began as a desire to give more intentionally has led to new relationships, nonprofit board service, and even the creation of her own nonprofit.
When her family was considering where to establish its charitable fund, Sarita wanted a partner that would help them learn about local nonprofits and identify opportunities to become personally involved.
Through CFT’s GiveWisely program, she explored her family’s charitable interests and narrowed their primary giving focus to education and supporting young people involved in the justice system.
CFT’s philanthropic advising team introduced her to nonprofits working in these areas and helped her explore ways to get involved. Sarita began volunteering with organizations and learning about their programs firsthand.
One was POETIC, which provides counseling, education, and career development opportunities for girls who have experienced trafficking or exploitation. Sarita now serves on its board.
She also serves on the board of Human Rights Initiative, an organization she had supported through pro bono legal work.
“There are many organizations I wouldn’t have heard of if it hadn’t been for CFT,” Sarita said.
Her experience as a donor and nonprofit board member eventually helped inspire a new project.
As the mother of a teenage club soccer player, Sarita had seen families struggle with the increasing costs of competitive soccer. She and another parent began pooling money to help children cover team expenses. As the need grew, they established Dallas Soccer Scholars, a nonprofit that helps families pay for team dues, uniforms, and travel.
“We used to just kind of pool our money and help kids, but through the information that I learned here, we decided to start a nonprofit ourselves,” Sarita said.
The newly created organization also asks participating students to maintain academic standards, complete community service hours, and write about what soccer means to them. “We really focus on the whole child, the whole scholar, versus just the soccer aspect,” said Sarita.
Sarita has applied lessons from her own giving to the nonprofit’s fundraising approach. Through a sponsorship program, donors can support individual students and exchange letters and postcards, helping them better understand the difference their contributions make.
She’s also exploring opportunities for students to volunteer with organizations she’s learned about through CFT.
For Sarita, the connections made have become extremely impactful. Through CFT, she has met nonprofit leaders, explored new causes, and found ways to contribute her time and professional skills.
“I think working with CFT and being a CFT fundholder gives you a unique opportunity to connect with the local community,” she said.
For 20 consecutive years, Hunt Consolidated has achieved something remarkable: 100% employee participation, each year, in the Company’s annual giving campaign, which the employees named Hunt Cares.
The company’s history dates back to 1934, when H.L. Hunt founded Hunt Oil Company. Today, the Hunt family of companies includes three main areas of business: Hunt Oil Company, Hunt Energy, and Hunt Realty Investments. Together, these make up Hunt Consolidated, Inc., a private, family-owned business headquartered in downtown Dallas.
“Our company is over 90 years old, and part of our company’s DNA is giving back to the Dallas community,” said Ray Hunt, chairman emeritus of Hunt Consolidated.
As the company grew, Ray sought a partner that could help employees support the variety of causes that mattered most to them personally. He found that partner in CFT.
“The reason we turned to CFT was because they understand this community. This was exceptionally important to us because this is where we live. This is our home. And there was no other organization that had the historical knowledge that CFT has,” Ray said.
Through the Hunt Cares annual campaign, Hunt Consolidated matches employee contributions dollar for dollar. Additionally, the Company pays all of the administrative costs associated with CFT’s support of Hunt Cares. Since 2011, CFT has provided guidance, grant administration, and technical infrastructure for the campaigns, making it easy for employees to give to the local nonprofits they choose.
This year’s campaign featured more than 2,500 organizations, reflecting the wide range of causes that matter to Hunt employees. The collaborative effort has become a defining part of the company culture.
“Hunt Cares translates our Core Values of respect, humility, community, teamwork, and creativity into direct impact for this community,” said Chris Kleinert, co-chairman and co-CEO of Hunt Consolidated. “We have an extremely diverse group of employees, and Hunt Cares brings the entirety of the company together.”
“The effort to achieve 100% employee participation was employee-led and employee-driven, and we’ve now achieved that goal for 20 consecutive years,” reflected Ray.
“What makes a community strong is the people behind it, the people that live here, that give here, and care. Seeing how invested Hunt employees are in giving back makes me proud to be part of the Hunt family. To have the participation of everyone at the company says a lot about the employees and their incredible hearts,” said Ashlee Kleinert.
Beyond the company’s giving, the Hunt family’s commitment to philanthropy extends across generations. Ray and Nancy Ann Hunt have passed their values of generosity to their children, who each have donor-advised funds at CFT to support their own charitable interests. Many of their grandchildren now have funds at CFT to support their giving as well.
Hunt Consolidated has also invested directly in CFT as a founding partner of CFT’s Center for Business Impact, helping advance opportunities for businesses across North Texas to strengthen their communities through philanthropy and employee engagement.
As the company’s ideas for employee engagement have grown, the partnership with CFT has expanded. Through Hunt Helpers Day, CFT connects Hunt employees with local nonprofits for hands-on volunteer opportunities. This year’s eighth annual event brought together more than 150 employee volunteers who contributed more than 950 hours of service.
For Hunter Hunt, co-chairman and co-CEO of Hunt Consolidated, some of the most inspiring parts of Hunt Helpers Day emerge after the event ends.
“Many of our employees continue to stay engaged with the organizations they volunteer with, whether that’s through financial gifts, serving on a board or committee, or additional volunteering,” shared Hunter.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding to see how invested our employees are in service, and to see deep connections with nonprofits get formed that didn’t exist before,” said Chris.
Hunt Cares and Hunt Helpers demonstrate what happens when employees are empowered to lead with generosity. Ray shared that one of the greatest accomplishments is the sense of purpose and connection the efforts have created among employees, in addition to their support of the community.
“It would be impossible for me to overstate how positive Hunt Cares and Hunt Helpers have been for our company,” said Ray. “I encourage other companies to explore doing what we’ve done.”
“Hunt Cares is not a giving campaign led by management. All that management does is facilitate it. It’s an employee giving campaign,” said Hunter. “Yes, it’s company-wide, but the way our employees embrace this, lead it, come up with new ideas to make each year even better than the previous year, makes it in every sense of the word, an employee giving campaign. And we’re proud to have the Hunt Consolidated name on it. If you find the right charitable model that engages your entire company like we have, you can truly do something that touches each employee’s life.”
“We see this partnership as the gold standard for employee giving,” added Chris.
“100% — that should always be the standard. Every dollar makes a difference,” said Hunter.
Education helps people build lives of stability, purpose, and possibility. For two decades, CFT’s Educate Texas (EDTX) has worked across the state to strengthen the systems that connect emerging talent with educational opportunities, helping students, families, and communities thrive.
As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how people learn and work, EDTX is building an education hub for the responsible adoption of AI in schools. The work focuses on protecting students, preparing leaders, and connecting regional AI initiatives with best practices.
Through EDTX’s AI + Education Leadership Collaborative, district leaders and education experts from Dallas-Fort Worth and other Texas regions hone their AI literacy and develop practical approaches to support teaching, learning, and workforce preparation. In the collaborative’s first year, every participating school system advanced its AI readiness, with most moving from early-stage conversations to having guidelines in place.
EDTX’s work connects educator expertise with research, policy, and investment to turn promising ideas into stronger outcomes for students. This year, the number of Dynamic School Models supported by EDTX grew to almost 600 locations, giving more students opportunities to earn college credit, industry credentials, associate degrees, and career experience before graduation. Through a long-time partnership with the Texas Instruments Foundation, Sherman and Denison ISDs are the latest examples of how EDTX is expanding districtwide STEM programs aligned with industries growing across the region.
Through EDTX’s DFW Opportunity Youth Collaborative, education, workforce, and community partners are coming together to help more young Texans reconnect with opportunity, gain real-world experience, and pursue careers that offer stability and purpose. Marvin’s story, below, shows why those connections matter.
Together with partners across the state, EDTX is working toward a future in which all Texans have an education that empowers them to earn a good living, find a purposeful career, and realize bold dreams for themselves, their families, and their communities. By connecting Texas talent with opportunity, EDTX is helping more people build the lives they envision, in the places they call home.
“Texas can lead the country in showing how innovation strengthens education while keeping students at the center,” said Kerri Briggs, Ph.D., executive director of Educate Texas.
Spotlight on DFW Opportunity Youth Collaborative
In high school, Marvin Terry was active in powerlifting, track and field, and DECA marketing. After graduating in 2022 with several scholarships, he enrolled at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Soon after, a burst pipe flooded his home. The resulting housing instability affected his mental health and interrupted his college path.
This year, CFT’s Educate Texas launched the DFW Opportunity Youth Collaborative for young adults like Marvin, ages 19 to 26, whose education or employment pathways have been interrupted. Part of EDTX’s Workforce Solutions portfolio, the collaborative brings regional partners together to strengthen connections to education, training and living-wage employment.
“From my perspective, this work really matters. I was once an “opportunity youth” myself,” Marvin said.
Today, Marvin’s job provides a sense of purpose and income to support his schooling, future housing, and financial goals. He is now using his experience to advocate for other young adults.
Having experienced isolation and feeling unheard, he hopes to be a “bigger brother” to others, helping them find the connections and resources they need to build stable, meaningful futures.
At CFT, we believe that communities thrive when residents at every income level have secure housing, a strong education, a voice in their community, a sense of safety, and access to resources that improve their health and well-being. In October 2025, CFT made a bold new commitment: a five-year, $50 million investment focused on strengthening neighborhoods and expanding housing access across North Texas.
Housing emerged as a central priority through CFT’s focus on health, wealth, living, and learning — areas deeply influenced by where people live. Rapid growth, rising housing costs, limited supply, and widening gaps in affordability have made it increasingly difficult for many Dallas residents to remain in their communities.
CFT’s housing initiative strategy centers on three pillars: partnerships and policy, production, and preservation — a combination proven effective in cities across the nation that are tackling housing challenges. This includes convening public and private partners to improve systems, supporting the production of new affordable homes through innovative development models, and preserving existing housing so it remains safe and attainable long-term.
As part of the initiative, CFT created a new Housing Impact Fund as a source of flexible, recyclable, low-cost capital that will deploy meaningful resources into the local housing ecosystem by helping mission-aligned developers build more quickly and affordably. With support from philanthropy, business, finance, and government, CFT aims to grow its initial $50 million commitment into a $100 million fund.
To advance this work, CFT launched HouseDTX, a new collaborative of funders, advocates, planners, and leaders committed to aligning housing efforts and advancing effective policy. The advisory board consists of leaders from the Bush Institute, Child Poverty Action Lab, Dallas Housing Coalition, the Greater Dallas Planning Council, and Habitat for Humanity. Over the past year, CFT has hosted multiple convenings that have engaged more than 100 leaders from across the housing ecosystem to align on mission-driven investment opportunities and a policy agenda to advance housing affordability at scale.
CFT has now committed more than $10 million in loans and grants that will translate into more than 400 units of for-sale and rental housing. CFT is providing strategic partnership support for the new Dallas Community Land Trust to protect long-term affordability, and for the City of Dallas’ Dallas Housing Acquisition and Development Corporation to expand housing opportunities by modernizing and strengthening the city’s land bank operations, an essential tool for increasing attainable homeownership in historically disinvested communities.
“The land bank program has the ability to transform blighted and vacant properties into quality homes for families who have limited access to the housing market. The benefits of this effort have the potential to multiply across the community and generations,” said Wayne White, CFT’s president and CEO.
Our efforts to collaborate, convene, and co-invest represent a multi-year commitment to addressing a challenge that profoundly affects our neighbors, our future economic growth, and the place we call home.
“Public-private partnerships are essential to tackling our most pressing needs as a city. By joining forces with Communities Foundation of Texas, we are continuing to drive opportunity by leveraging our strengths, expertise, and commitment to expand affordable housing options and improve quality of life for Dallas residents,” said City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.
Since its launch in 2009, CFT’s North Texas Giving Day has demonstrated the extraordinary power of collective generosity, raising more than $790 million for thousands of nonprofits.
In 2024, CFT began expanding the opportunities to give through NorthTexasGivingDay.org beyond its signature September event. Today, NorthTexasGivingDay.org gives local nonprofits more ways to connect with donors through a year-round fundraising presence, recurring giving options, capacity-building resources, seasonal campaigns, matching fundraisers, and corporate and group giving events.
This evolution advances CFT’s goal of growing community giving by helping nonprofits connect with more donors. Results from the past several years demonstrate meaningful progress, with increases in both total donations and total donors.
Thanks to help from generous givers and sponsors, CFT covers all transaction and technology fees, ensuring 100% of each donation made on the site goes to nonprofits in more than 25 cause areas across 20 North Texas counties, all year long.
In 2025, CFT created additional opportunities for nonprofits to raise funds. A year-end giving campaign on NorthTexasGivingDay.org raised more than $1.8 million and doubled the prior year’s donor total.
In the spring, CFT continued to lead cause-based campaigns with North Texas Gives to the Arts during Dallas Arts Month in April and North Texas Gives to Animals during National Pet Month in May. Together, the two campaigns raised another $1 million. Across these fundraising efforts, new donors represented more than one-third of all donors.
Corporate and group giving events extended the reach of NorthTexasGivingDay.org, creating new opportunities for companies, fundholders, and community groups to rally donors around shared causes throughout the year.
In November, the EDGE Family Fund at CFT’s Support for Veterans fundraiser raised more than $200,000 for local veteran organizations. In February, SRS Real Estate Partners hosted an employee-centered pickleball tournament fundraiser through the platform and invited friends, families, and clients to donate. In April, more than 30 Friends of the Library organizations joined together for Library Giving Day. Hunt Consolidated continued its annual Hunt Cares employee giving initiative and matching campaign in partnership with CFT. Other corporate partners, including Charles Schwab Bank, 7-Eleven Cares, and Qorvo, used group giving resources to engage employees in giving back.
Together, these results show how CFT is expanding NorthTexasGivingDay.org to help local nonprofits connect with more donors. The annual September celebration remains an extraordinary display of generosity, while seasonal campaigns, monthly gifts, workplace fundraisers, and group giving pages extend impact year-round.
NorthTexasGivingDay.org serves as a home for generosity every day of the year.
For the past five years, Forest Forward has collaborated with community leaders to bring a bold vision for South Dallas to life, centered on arts education, housing, and economic revitalization of the historic Forest Theater. For generations, the theater was a gathering place for music, movies, arts, and culture in South Dallas that welcomed legendary performers including B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner, and Gladys Knight.
After nearly two decades of closure, the landmark reopened its doors in November 2026, marking a new chapter for the theater and its surrounding neighborhood. Its iconic tower and marquee are illuminated for the first time in more than 50 years, a powerful symbol of the theater’s return and its enduring place in South Dallas.
Restoring a landmark, investing in a neighborhood
Led by Forest Forward, the restoration is transforming the beloved theater into a cultural and community hub, featuring a 1,000-person performance hall, a 200-seat black box theater, recording studios and creative education spaces. The venue provides a space for local artists to showcase their talents, young people to explore their creativity, and neighbors to come together through shared experiences.
The theater’s revival serves as the anchor of Forest Forward’s broader revitalization effort that brings increased opportunity to the 75215 neighborhood while preserving South Dallas’ rich history and putting residents at the center of its future.
Through CFT’s W.W. Caruth, Jr. Fund, CFT has invested a total of $8 million to help bring Forest Forward’s vision to life and to restore and redevelop the theater. CFT also served as the organization’s initial fiscal sponsor as the organization sought its nonprofit status.
According to Forest Forward’s president and CEO Elizabeth Wattley, philanthropic support helped build confidence in the ambitious $83.5 million project and attract additional investment.
“Philanthropic investment is what made people believe in us. Philanthropy is what made the neighborhood understand that this was actually going to happen,” Wattley said. “The collective investment from CFT and other funders has echoed far beyond this building.”
Creating opportunities for future generations
Forest Forward placed resident voices at the center of their decisions, and their work extends beyond the theater’s walls, including an innovative partnership with the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Arts Academy.
Through the partnership, nearly 500 students now participate in theater productions, summer camps, and other arts opportunities annually, while families receive assistance with essential needs such as rent, utilities and transportation.
By combining arts education, mentorship and practical support, Forest Forward is helping young people build confidence, develop leadership skills and pursue new opportunities.
With its doors open once again, the Forest Theater is providing a place to celebrate the community’s cultural legacy that allows creativity and connection to flourish.
For CFT, this is about making a long-term investment in the people and future of South Dallas. We celebrate all who helped make the return of the historic Forest Theater possible, including long-time CFT partners like The Constantin Foundation.
“South Dallas deserves steady investment, intentional care, and a future shaped by its own residents. What lies ahead will honor our past, reflect our present, and open the door to a future shaped with this community at its center.”
– ELIZABETH WATTLEY,
President and CEO, Forest Forward
Every day a student misses school is a missed opportunity to learn, build relationships, and prepare for the future.
Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, has become a growing challenge nationwide and in North Texas. In the neighborhoods served by For Oak Cliff, approximately 30% of Dallas ISD students were chronically absent during the 2023–24 school year, compared with 24% districtwide.
For Oak Cliff is working to change that through its “Go to School” campaign.
Deeply rooted in the neighborhood it serves, For Oak Cliff brings residents, families and local organizations together to expand educational opportunities and strengthen neighborhood connections. The nonprofit recognizes that improving attendance goes beyond getting students into classrooms. It means understanding the challenges students and families face and connecting them with the relationships, resources and support they need to succeed.
When For Oak Cliff brought this issue to CFT’s attention, CFT committed $2 million to support a collaborative and community-driven approach to chronic absenteeism, focused on improving middle school attendance in South Dallas, South Oak Cliff, and Wilmer-Hutchins.
“CFT’s investment in addressing this issue is really about making an investment in the people who understand the problem, are proximate to it, and are leading the effort to solve it,” said Wayne White, CFT’s president and CEO.
Rather than treating absenteeism solely as a school-based challenge, the initiative recognizes that students’ attendance can be influenced by circumstances beyond the classroom. Transportation difficulties, family responsibilities, housing instability, and other barriers can make consistent attendance challenging, while a lack of connection to school can make students less motivated to attend.
For Oak Cliff is helping lead this effort in partnership with Dallas ISD, Big Thought, Communities In Schools of the Dallas Region, and other community organizations. Together, these partners are developing coordinated plans tailored to individual campuses and neighborhoods, bringing schools, families and community organizations together to address barriers to attendance and help students stay on track.
For Oak Cliff’s existing youth programming, which includes academic enrichment, mentorship opportunities and activities beyond the school day, reflects its broader commitment to helping young people feel connected to their community.
Over the coming year, the initiative will engage additional community-based partners, building a coordinated network of support for students and families.
By strengthening the connections between students, schools and their communities, CFT and its partners are working to ensure that more young people have the opportunity to learn, graduate, and build brighter futures. Helping students show up for school today can open doors to greater opportunity tomorrow.
“We’re focused on the root cause of absenteeism and the barriers to attendance. When students feel connected to their schools and supported by their communities, they have a stronger foundation for success. This work is about bringing families, educators, and community partners together to remove barriers so every child has the opportunity to thrive.”
– TAYLOR TOYNES,
Co-Founder and Executive Director, For Oak Cliff
CFT is investing in economic mobility to help more North Texans increase their incomes, improve their quality of life, and build generational wealth. Through investments in workforce development, career training, and financial stability, CFT is helping create pathways to greater opportunity.
For women and families in Southern Dallas, Ascend Dallas is helping turn these opportunities into reality.
Founded more than a century ago, Ascend Dallas empowers women to overcome poverty and achieve financial independence through career development, financial education, and personalized coaching. Its Economic Advancement program helps participants secure living-wage jobs, increase savings, reduce debt, and build a more secure financial future for their families.
The program meets participants where they are, helping them set financial goals, develop new skills and navigate challenges that can stand in the way of economic progress. For a single mother seeking a higher-paying job, that might mean career coaching, job readiness training and connections to potential employers. For someone working to establish financial stability, it could mean building credit, reducing debt, or saving for a major expense.
In 2025, CFT awarded Ascend Dallas a $500,000 grant to expand this work, building on a cumulative $290,000 in previous grant investments over the past decade. CFT’s funding supports financial coaches, career navigators, and resources that help participants overcome barriers to employment and financial stability, including transportation and childcare.
Ascend’s approach is delivering measurable results. In fiscal year 2025, 84% of its financial coaching participants increased their savings, 73% improved their credit scores and 69% reduced non-mortgage debt. Among job seekers who secured employment, 88% obtained full-time positions, 77% received benefits and 60% earned at least $50,000 annually.
Beyond job placement and financial coaching, Ascend offers opportunities for participants to build assets through matched savings programs. These resources can help women pursue education, secure reliable transportation and advance their careers, creating greater financial independence over time.
Through 68 community partner locations, most in Southern Dallas, Ascend brings their services directly to neighborhoods. By providing individualized support and addressing barriers that can prevent women from advancing economically, Ascend helps participants take meaningful steps toward long-term financial security.
Each new career, stronger credit score and growing savings account represents another step toward generational wealth and impact that Ascend Dallas is helping make possible.
“When a woman has the opportunity to earn more, save more, and build financial security, the impact extends far beyond her own life. She is creating a stronger future for her family and opening doors for the next generation.”
– KATE ROSE MARQUEZ,
CEO, Ascend Dallas
2026 Financial Highlights
Financials for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2026
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For a listing of named funds at CFT and to review the annual independent audit report and the related audited consolidated financial statements with footnotes, click here.
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