NOW MORE THAN EVER
C O M M U N I T I E S F O U N D AT I O N o f T E X A S | 2 0 2 0 A N N U A L R E P O R T
2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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A letter from our
LE ADERSHIP
Whether responding to an unforeseen crisis like COVID-19 or providing ongoing support to our communities as we seek solutions to racial inequity and economic disparity, as a community foundation, CFT has acted rapidly to support immediate needs
NOW, MORE THAN EVER.
This is a phrase that we’ve lived daily since the pandemic began, from the urgency in the siren call to address inequities across our community to the depth of our neighbors’ needs, to the ways our community’s doers and givers have responded with astounding levels of generosity. While things around us continue to evolve, our goal and commitment to you remain the same – to help you help others. We are steadfast in our commitment to see our community, and you, our donors, through uncertain times. We also recognize there are silver linings amidst these trying times – moments of collaboration and triumph. Moments that allow us to lift others up, to give hope and help to those around us. This year, even though we have not gathered, met, or celebrated in person as frequently as we did a year ago, your generosity – now, more than ever – continues to bind you even closer to the organizations and communities you love so dearly during a time when they need you most. Your trust and investment in Communities Foundation of Texas has built a place
without altering our long-term lens toward our vision of building thriving communities for all. Our relationships with our charitable fund holders, donors, and nonprofit and community partners have been critical to our ability to learn, adapt, and respond during what may be our community’s most challenging time in recent history. CFT is proud to steward these relationships and charitable dollars and multiply their impact to address critical and emerging needs. A year as unique as 2020 demanded an annual report reflective of the many pivots required of our team and our community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and social and racial turmoil. This report is about North Texans responding in unprecedented ways to an unprecedented crisis, highlighting the collaborative efforts of working side by side with donors and partners, who stepped in as early responders to equitably provide resources and relief. The word “we” is used throughout this publication to honor the many donors, partners, and collaborators that prove how we are significantly better together than we are apart.
where giving truly thrives and does more good. 2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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While there are still many unknowns about what the coming days will bring, one thing is clear – we cannot shift back to normal. We must, in service to our mission, move forward to make each tomorrow better and more equitable. As we usher in a new phase of recovery, we invite you to learn alongside us in navigating how to best support our community through the needs and opportunities ahead. Even in challenging times, we look with optimism and purpose to our next collective chapter. Together, let us continue to strive for more. CFT’s president and CEO, Dave Scullin, and board chair, Alfreda Norman
Dave Scullin, President and CEO
F E AT U R E S
Alfreda Norman, Chair, Board of Trustees
BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Alfreda Norman, Chair
Gunjan Jain
Florence Shapiro, Vice Chair
Chris Kleinert
Jim Bass, Immediate Past Chair
Sarah Losinger
Arcilia Acosta
Tom Montgomery
Richie Butler
Connie O’Neill
Greg Campbell
Nicole Small
Michael Dardick
G. Stacy Smith
Matrice Ellis-Kirk
Debra Brennan Tagg
José (Pepe) Guevara
Rob Walters
Kenneth Hersh
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TAKING A 360° APPROACH COMMUNITY RELIEF & RECOVERY NORTH TEXAS CARES NORTH TEXAS GIVES EQU IT Y IN E DUC ATION
View our detailed digital report, including FY20 financials, at: CF TEX AS .ORG/NOW P H OTO G R A P H Y BY:
Kim Leeson (p. 4, 9, 13-16) | Joseph Haubert (p. 11-12) | Vanessa Gavalya (p.32) 2020 ANNUAL REPORT
TAKING A 360° APPROACH
now more than ever.
At Communities Foundation of Texas, our grantmaking and programs are key to our vision of building thriving communities for all. We believe that a thriving community is one in which all people feel cared for, invested in, nourished, and valued, and have an equitable opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing and growth of themselves, their families, and their communities. We take a 360° approach to supporting the needs of individuals and their communities through four intersectional pillars of thriving: Health, Wealth, Living, and Learning. At the heart, what we’re striving to achieve through attention to these areas is equity, connectedness, and belonging for all.
Pictured: The Chocolate MINT Foundation, located in DeSoto, and Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center for the Arts, located in Fort Worth, were two of 200 nonprofits who received grants from CFT’s North Texas Community Response Fund to address COVID-19 related needs. View the details of each of these grants at CFTexas.org/COVID19grants.
Listen to the first two seasons of our new Philanthropy 360 podcast centered on health, wealth, living, and learning at: C F T E X A S . O R G / P O D C A S T COMMUNITIES 2 F0 O2U0NADNAN T IUOANL oRf ETPEOXRATS
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THRIVING COMMUNITIES for all LT H
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THRIVING COMMUNITIES FOR ALL
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H E A LT H is a holistic concept engaging the biological, psychological, and behavioral dimensions of life. What affects a person’s health encompasses everything from their local environmental conditions to access to things like grocery stores and parks, transportation, preventive medicine, and education. To move the needle on health, interventions must move upstream and engage the choices people make and the environments in which they live. L I V I N G ZIP code can be more predictive than genetic code when it comes to life outcomes. Decisions surrounding community planning, engagement, and design, as well as the presence of crime prevention strategies and justice system processes, can have a significant impact on the physical, social, and mental health of community members and their ability to thrive today and across generations. Read about our recent grants and learn more at: C F TE X A S .O R G/N OW/ TH R I V E
N ON
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W E A LT H is defined as financial security, which is significantly impacted by employment opportunities for individuals and economic development within communities. While the majority of people living in poverty have jobs, millions of adults live paycheck to paycheck, unable to cover a surprise expense – demonstrating that employment is not enough to ensure financial security. We must aim for financial resilience in the face of economic shocks, pathways to progressively improving opportunities, and the state of prosperity in which people have enough money to fulfill their needs and many of their wants. L E A R N I N G Education has the power to change a life. Educating our youth to maximize their potential also provides the foundation to power the workforce of tomorrow. The pursuit of a certification or postsecondary degree significantly affects the earning potential for an individual, impacting the community they live in and the legacy of their future generations. Training and skills growth also provides individuals an opportunity to reinvent themselves as circumstances change throughout their lifetime. ORRTT 22002200 AANNNNUUAALL RREEPPO
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COMMUNITY RELIEF & RECOVERY now more than ever.
$ 175
MILLION
DOLL ARS DISTRIBUTED TO NONPROFITS THROUGH CFT FU N DS A N D PA R TN E R S H I P S S I N CE M A RCH 2020
$ 58.8 MM N O R T H T E X A S G I V I N G DAY (more on page 12)
$ 41.3 MM CF T ’ S DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS (more on page 7)
$ 40 MM NORTH TEXAS CARES (more on page 10)
$ 20.7 MM NORTH TEXAS GIVING T U E S DAY N O W (more on page 12)
$ 12.6 MM C F T ’ S COV I D -19 RELIEF FUNDS
Supporting the community through crisis is something that’s been part of CFT’s work for decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has further amplified the importance of being flexible in our responsiveness and the critical role we play in matching the generosity of North Texans with our community’s greatest needs. As the pandemic has unfolded, we’ve seen firsthand the increased importance of having a philanthropic resource that is actively part of the relief and recovery response. In addition to establishing relief and recovery funds and making emergency grants to nonprofits, CFT often plays a convening and leadership role when disasters strike, helping to coordinate with other philanthropic leaders and funders, the City of Dallas, and Dallas County to identify emerging needs and gaps between government and nonprofit resources. While we have seen thousands of individuals tragically impacted across our community, we have also witnessed the incredible generosity of our community through increased giving in support of those in need. Since March, Communities Foundation of Texas has helped mobilize $175 million for nonprofits through our leadership of community relief efforts such as North Texas Cares, North Texas Giving Day, and North Texas Giving Tuesday Now, as well as the generosity of our donor-advised fund holders and the creation of eight different COVID-19 related relief funds.
(more on page 8) C O M M U N I T I E S 2F 0 O2U0NADNAN T IUOANL oRfETPEOXRATS
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We are grateful for the support of so many partner foundations, CFT fund holders, and generous individuals and companies who have been part of
BY THE NUMBERS: RECENT GRANT DOLLARS TO NONPROFITS FROM CFT DONOR-ADVISED FUNDS
these collective efforts. CFT fund holders and others donated almost $3 million to CFT’s North Texas Community Response quickly mobilize financial support to local nonprofits providing critical response in the early days of the pandemic. Our North Texas Community Response Fund has distributed grants to 200 nonprofits and will continue to distribute more grants as additional
20
Fund, which was established to provide a way to
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19 $ 23
MILLION
0
$ 41.3 MILLION
North Texas Cares applications are reviewed. While we have worked hard over the last nine months to meet our community’s incredible challenges, none of our work would be possible without the ongoing support from our charitable fund holders, whose generosity has helped distribute funds immediately to community members most in need – while also responding to near- and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as future issues that may arise. By opening a charitable giving account or giving through CFT, you have demonstrated your belief in the power of philanthropy. It is going to take all of us – pulling together – to help light the way ahead in ensuring our future is brighter than our past.
$7 MILLION I N 2020 G I V I N G DAY G R A N T S TO NONPROFITS
CFT donors have truly stepped up in a big way to address our community’s challenges this year. Between March and October 2020, donor-advised funds held at Communities Foundation of Texas increased their grantmaking by 79% over the same period last year, granting more than $41 million to nonprofit organizations. This includes over $7 million granted by CFT fund holders during North Texas Giving Day and North Texas Giving Tuesday Now.
Read more at: C F TE X A S .O R G/N OW/R E L I E F 22002200 AANNNNUUAALL RREEPPOORRTT
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COMMUNITY RELIEF & RECOVERY now more than ever.
Uncertainty
can
often
seed
innovation.
As
communities face challenges, coming together to offer what you have, what you know, and how
E IG HT COVID -19 RESP ONSE FUNDS H AV E B E E N E S TA B L I S H E D AT C F T:
to provide a solution is the true definition of collaboration. At the start of the pandemic, we worked with local philanthropy partners, businesses, and city and government officials to create a number of relief and recovery funds in response to growing community needs. We also responded by launching our own North Texas Community Response Fund and shifted our discretionary grantmaking to prioritize funding emergency relief efforts through North Texas Cares. Collectively, more than $12.6 million has been raised for COVID-19 community response funds held at CFT. When a crisis occurs, CFT is often a partner in
CFT’s North Texas Community Response Fund Dallas County COVID-19 Response Fund The Dallas Morning News Charities COVID Response Fund Emma Lazarus Resilience Fund Get Shift Done for America Fund Get Shift Done for North Texas Fund Revive Dallas Small Business Relief Fund Serve Our Heroes Fund
deploying creative solutions to expedite and grow community giving, providing structure and oversight, administrative assistance, and charitable fund management. These new coalitions and funds have resulted in stronger collaborations, streamlined resource deployment, and most importantly, provided responsive grants to nonprofits working with communities disproportionately impacted by
CFT also partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas to deploy $1 million to nonprofits across Texas.
Read more about these funds at: C F TE X A S .O R G/N OW/R E L I E F
economic consequences of the pandemic. COMMUNITIES 2 F0 O2U0NADNAN T IUOANL oRfETPEOXRATS
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CFT’S NORTH TEXAS COMMUNITY RESPONSE FUND
REVIVE DALL AS SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF FUND
200 nonprofits have received grants so far, totaling almost $1.5 million. More grants will be distributed as the latest North Texas Cares applications for funding are reviewed. Read about the grants made to nonprofits at CFTexas.org/COVID19grants.
In partnership with the Dallas Entrepreneur Center Network (DEC) and the LiftFund, over $2 million has been raised and is supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs in need through this forgivable 0% interest loan fund. Learn more at CFTexas.org/Revive.
GET SHIFT DONE FUND
EMMA LAZARUS RESILIENCE FUND
Get Shift Done launched here and has expanded to 11 cities, utilizing Shiftsmart to connect 22,000 displaced hospitality workers wth nonprofits needing staffing support. $4 million has been raised for the North Texas fund at CFT, providing wages for thousands of workers. Learn more at CFTexas.org/GSD.
In partnership with the City of Dallas and the Open Society Foundations, over $600,000 was distributed to 16 nonprofits to provide direct financial assistance to immigrant and refugee individuals and families impacted by COVID-19. Learn more at CFTexas.org/Lazarus.
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NORTH TEXAS CARES now more than ever.
Over the course of a week in March, CFT helped create, launch, and lead a funder collaborative called North Texas Cares to help streamline the process for nonprofits applying for COVID-19 related emergency funding, through the creation of a shared online grant application. What launched with 15 participating foundations and United Ways coming together to provide support for organizations that serve those most affected by the pandemic, quickly grew to more than 30 participating funders. Each participating funder is able to see and review submitted grant applications and make independent funding decisions. Between April and July 2020, 1,400 grants totaling over $40 million were awarded to 630 area nonprofits through the North Texas Cares application process. This success inspired a second phase in August that launched with 35 funders and closed in October, to support nonprofits serving individuals and families across the focus areas of economic security, education, health, safety and well-being, and social justice. The funders are now reviewing an additional $100 million in funding requests from nearly 800 nonprofits. Learn more about North Texas Cares and the current priority funding areas at NorthTexasCares.org.
View the full list of North Texas Cares partners at: NORTHTEX ASCARES.ORG North Texas Cares has been a brilliant success, brought about by an extraordinary level of collaboration among North Texas funding organizations. To be able to deploy $40 million from 30 different funding organizations through a shared grant application during a time of unprecedented need has been nothing short of remarkable. Nonprofits have swiftly responded to the crisis by forging new partnerships and adapting programs and services to meet emergent demands. While the work continues, and the hills to climb remain steep, we applaud our nonprofit partners that rapidly rose to this historic occasion, tirelessly working to fulfill critical missions that strengthen our community and support those who call it home.
Read more at: C F T E X A S . O R G / N O W / N T C C O M M U N I T I E S F2O0U2 N T EP XOARST 0 DAANTNI O UN A Lo fR E
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“During this extraordinary time of service to our community, the efficiency of the North Texas Cares application has been a game changer. Being able to complete one grant application and have it reviewed by 30+ funders has saved time and alleviated some of the stress associated with serving during this pandemic. Sharing Life is deeply grateful to have received funding from multiple North Texas Cares partners, allowing us to assist thousands of first-time clients in addition to our client base who are experiencing new levels of need.” – Teresa Jackson, CEO & Founder, Sharing Life Outreach
Sharing Life’s assistance programs support more than 20,000 residents across 35 ZIP codes in North Texas, providing stability for families in crisis. Services include a food pantry, clothes closet, financial assistance, financial coaching, and employment training. Before COVID-19, they were assisting a record number of clients daily. Now, they continue to experience an even greater influx of families needing support services in food and financial assistance, with 20% of these families being new clients. This narrative of increased need is resoundingly consistent with what we’ve learned from nonprofits applying for funding through North Texas Cares. For many nonprofits, demand for services has increased by two to three times their previous rate.
2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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NORTH TEXAS GIVES
n o w m o r e t h a n e v e r. While our individual experiences have varied wildly this year, what we likely share is how much we have learned. 2020 has caused individuals, families, and communities to reimagine life in a rapidly changing landscape. As the force behind the largest giving day in the nation, North Texas Giving Day, we at Communities Foundation of Texas learned how to make a swift pirouette in order to react, relate, and respond. In listening to our community, our nonprofit leaders, and people on the ground, we learned to partner and scale more effectively and encouraged an already generous community to dig a little deeper to give help and hope, which resulted in almost $80 million in support.
BY THE NUMBERS: $ 21 *
million
$ 58.8 $ 50
$79.8
MILLION raised in 2020
3,300+ Nonprofits
million
1 MILLION+
million
Volunteer Hours Pledged
135,000 Donors
2019
2020
*Total dollars raised on North Texas Giving Tuesday Now 2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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H E R E ’ S H O W W E D I D I T: We partnered up and acted quickly. In May, while COVID-19 was still creating new challenges and deeply changing people’s lives, CFT partnered with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the Dallas Cowboys to produce North Texas Giving Tuesday Now. This collaborative “pop-up” giving day engaged thousands of givers, and raised nearly $21 million for North Texas nonprofits. With organizations reeling and struggling to keep doors open, staff employed, and services going, this day of giving showed an extraordinary outpouring of support as North Texans rallied together to be there for each other.
We leaned in, listened, and shifted. We knew that our regularly scheduled giving day in September would be anything but ordinary. From the COVID-19 fallout to the racial and civil unrest surrounding the killings of Black Americans, we knew that North Texas Giving Day 2020 needed to be a place of both impact and unity. North Texas Giving Day 2020 supported more organizations than ever before, intentionally calling out new categories of nonprofits, and allowing givers to search for those led by and serving communities of color. While most in-person experiences had to be skipped, we developed safe and physically distanced ways to connect and see each other with a “Give Big Drive-By” event. Our team and nonprofit partners shifted, and the community responded by raising nearly $59 million and pledging more than 600,000 volunteer hours – an incredible feat, new national record, and inspiring display of generosity to serve the community through more than 3,300 local nonprofits. While our community continues to face new obstacles, CFT is committed to supporting the nonprofits providing vital services for those in need, vital services for those on the front lines, and vital support for those creating and teaching, feeding and clothing, and caring for friends, neighbors, and strangers across our region. Like you, we have been heartened by the numerous acts of kindness, generosity, and empathy that have touched every corner of our community throughout this difficult year. They provide us hope, promise, and guidance for a brighter future.
Read more at: C F TE X A S .O R G/N OW/NTG D 22002200 AAN NN NU UAALL RREEPPO ORRTT
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EQUIT Y IN EDUCATION
no w mo re t han ever.
CFT’s Educate Texas works to ensure students are able to maximize their potential and fuel a thriving Texas. Our focus has been on strengthening our Texas public and higher education systems to address our highest-need students and families. Building off the success of our 20x2020 strategic plan, Educate Texas is launching a new 2025 strategy.
Educate Texas: 2025 Strategy Goal
100,000+
students earning degrees or credentials
over 5 years
$60 billion incremental lifetime earnings
As our partners across the state have been working on the safe and effective reopening of schools, Educate Texas has supported three critical efforts desperately needed during this pandemic, which has exacerbated the racial and economic disparities evident in our public school systems. These critical efforts include closing the digital divide, delivering effective teaching and learning – both on campus and remotely – and creating the workforce of today and tomorrow.
2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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RECENT FOCUS on INCREASING EQUIT Y
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Closing the Digital Divide
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Delivering Effective Teaching and Learning
A digital divide runs through Texas – the challenges in urban and rural contexts are different, but the underlying need is the same: access to high-quality broadband for students to learn and participate in the 21st century. Educate Texas has been supporting statewide efforts with the Governor’s Operation Connectivity and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Locally, we have supported the North Texas Internet for All Coalition, San Antonio’s Digital Inclusion Alliance, and the Texas Rural Funders Collaborative on strategies for rural communities.
Both On Campus and Remotely With schools navigating students alternating between on-campus and remote instruction throughout the academic year, Educate Texas launched the Texas Learning Exchange to help equip administrators and teachers with guidelines and support for safe, effective teaching, whether that be in person or in a virtual or hybrid format.
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Creating the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow The future of work has long been a frequently discussed concept, but it has become a reality over the past year. Employers have had to adapt and retool their business models, creating a need for new skills and new jobs. To fill these roles, Educate Texas has focused on reimagining how our education and training systems work to create a skilled Texas workforce now and for the future. Through purposeful local, regional, and state collaborations, we are developing strategies and models (e.g., career pathways, apprenticeships, and certificate programs) to ensure all Texas students have the ability to earn a living wage and contribute to a thriving Texas.
Learn more about Educate Texas at: C F T E X A S .O R G/N OW/E DT X 22002200 AAN NN NU UAALL RREEPPO ORRTT
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Nonprofit
COMMUNITIES
Organization
FOUNDATION of TEX AS
U.S. Postage PAID
5500 Caruth Haven Lane
Permit No. 4339
Dallas, Texas 75225-8146
Dallas, Texas
214-750-4222 | CFTexas.org
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
now more than ever
Members of CFT’s Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy 2020 cohort share their hopes for the future and what they believe our community needs now more than ever. Read their inspiring responses at: C F T E X A S . O R G / N O W / E L P 2020 ANNUAL REPORT
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