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GIVING BACK & LOOKING FORWARD
In 1953, we were founded on a simple, yet remarkable notion - that every day we have the opportunity to
make tomorrow better for our communities. This vision has led us to match real community needs in North Texas in
areas such as education, health care, public safety and poverty with the passions of individual and corporate donors
driven to make a difference. In 66 years, we've made more than $1.9 billion in grants and are now one of the largest
community foundations in the nation. Today, we celebrate this tremendous milestone with the countless men and
women who have given back to our communities, and with those who still look forward to making tomorrow better.
chrono
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1952
A group of prominent business and civic leaders first meet to discuss ways to address
community need. These eventual founding members include:
Harold F. Volk
J.B. Adoue, Jr.
Henry S. Miller, Sr.
R.R. Gilbert
J.L. Latimer
B.F. McLain
John E. Mitchell, Jr.
Earl Forsythe
Fred M. Lange
 
1953
The Dallas Community Chest Trust Fund is established by a group of
prominent business and civic leaders to focus on the endowment and capital needs of the Community Chest
agencies. Oilman Algur H. Meadows underwrites the first year's expenses, while Fred
M. Lange serves as the first executive director.
Harold F. Volk is President of the Board of Trustees.
 
1954
Pearl C. Anderson, widow of Dr. J.W. Anderson, helps launch DCCTF (which
will later become Communities Foundation of Texas) with a large gift of a residual interest in a trust
consisting of downtown property, valued at $325,000.
At the first Board of Trustees meeting, the DCCTF's assets total $1,148,000.
 
1955
DCCTF initially identifies 37 Red Feather member agencies as the beneficiaries of donations.
This list will grow and change over time as social needs change.
 
1957
Forty firms and individuals underwrite the entire cost of the DCCTF development and
operations, and pledges are made to ensure the Trust Fund can operate over the next few years.
Men of Vision lead DCCTF
 
1958
Working mothers in Garland have an added challenge of finding care for their kids in a city
with no daycare facilities. Longtime child welfare advocate, Pearl C. Anderson, establishes a
fund at the DCCTF to help these working mothers and initiate the Dallas Day Nursery
Association.
 
1959
A variety of well known Dallas attorneys - including Earl A. Forsythe, Joseph W.
Riley, Vester T. Hughes, Jr. and William E. Collins - help
guide DCCTF in its early years.
 
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“If a free society cannot help the many who
are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
1960
John E. Mitchell, Jr. is President of the Board
 
1961
DCCTF is incorporated and broadens its scope to include giving to medical care and research,
children, the elderly and the disadvantaged, arts and civic improvement, social services, the sciences and
religion.
 
1962
A $20,000 grant from the Trust Fund enables the St. Paul Hospital cardiac
research program to develop new surgical techniques that keep the hospital on the leading edge of cardiac care
for years to come.
 
1963
DCCTF sponsors a book project distributing 1,000 copies of "Helping the Alcoholic and
His Family," written by Dr. Thomas J. Schipp, pastor of Lovers Lane Methodist Church.
DCCTF continues to be blessed with strong leadership
 
1964
Total gross assets for DCCTF reach $2,779,000 with grants and loans made to an
ever-increasing number of non-profit organizations.
W.W. Caruth, Jr. donates a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to St. Paul Hospital
through his fund at DCCTF.
James H. Bond becomes President of the Board of Trustees of DCCTF.
 
1965
DCCTF receives its largest single gift ever, valued at $359,575, from W.W. Caruth, Jr.
DCCTF gives the Boys & Girls Club of Dallas a playground in West
Dallas, and also begins leasing 6.6 acres of land to the Club for $1 per year.
Frank H. Heller becomes President of the Board of Trustees of DCCTF.
 
1966
Granville C. Morton, of Morton Potato Chip Company, donates $1,000,000 to
the Wadley Research Institute. The donation helps fund a 50-bed hospital for research and
treatment of cancer, leukemia and other blood diseases.
 
1967
Preferring to give gifts to children in lieu of Christmas gifts to customers, Will
Caruth donates a new woodworking shop to the 2,300-plus underprivileged youth of the Boys
& Girls Club of Dallas.
The Advisory Council continues to grow and influence. Oilman Clint Murchison's wife becomes
a member of the DCCTF's Advisory Council.
 
1968
Pearl C. Anderson is honored at the 10th anniversary celebration for the children's day
nursery that bears her name.
 
1969
A $200,000 gift from the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation Fund establishes the
Caruth Institute of Small Business Management at Southern Methodist
University (SMU), offering education and training for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
A new tax law provides incentives for donors to use community foundations as a philanthropic
vehicle preference over private foundations.
 
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“A man has made
at least a start
on discovering the
meaning of
life
when he plants
shade trees under
which he knows
full well he will
never sit.”
Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead
1971
Building the Fred M. Lange Center on Live Oak Street
allows DCCTF to grow and better serve the community, as well as provide meeting space for local nonprofits.
The Perot and Morton Funds are established.
500 Texas high schools across 138 school districts receive sets of Taylor's Encyclopedia
of Government Officials,thanks to the S. H. Lynch Fund of DCCTF.
 
1972
YWCA receives a $50,000 grant from CFT for a new building to be located at
4621 Ross Avenue.
The Granville C. and Gladys H. Morton Fund of DCCTF presents a million
dollar challenge grant to help build a new Wadley Regional Blood Center.
Russell H. Perry becomes Chairman of the DCCTF Board of Trustees.
 
1973
Staunch believers in education, Carr P. and Ruth Collins donate their money and time to the
students and quality curriculum at Dallas Baptist College (now Dallas Baptist University).
The Carr P. and Ruth Collins Learning Center on campus is a reminder of the generosity made
possible by their fund at DCCTF.
 
1974
The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation - now the largest support foundation
administered - is created, establishing a legacy of giving that will continue long after Will Caruth's death.
 
1975
Baylor University Medical Center opens the Blanche Swanzy Lange Special Care Newborn
Nursery in 1975 to help newborns needing intensive care and observation, thanks to a gift from
the Lange fund of DCCTF.
Marking the 21st year of donating items to children in lieu of Christmas gifts to customers,
Will Caruth gives a new passenger van to Children's Medical Center through the W.W.
Caruth, Jr. Foundation Fund of DCCTF.
 
1976
Total grants distributed from DCCTF since its inception reach $12.5 million.
Adlene Harrison becomes the first female mayor of Dallas.
 
1977
DCCTF makes grants totaling $2,084,000. Assets exceeding $27 million make it the
seventh-largest community foundation in the nation.
 
1978
DCCTF celebrates its 25th anniversary, and Harold Volk becomes president.
W.W. Caruth, Jr. donates $1.5 million to the Trust Fund in the form of
stock in The North Park Inn.
 
1979
DCCTF donates $50,000 to build a new home for the Dallas Bar Association,
which takes over the Belo Mansion as its headquarters.
 
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“Nurture the programs that are mere seeds
today so they may bear fruit tomorrow.”
JOHN F. STEPHENS, CFT Chairman, 1988
1980
DCCTF outgrows its Live Oak headquarters and triples the building’s size with an
addition. Local nonprofits continue to use the improved facilities for meetings.
 
1981
DCCTF changes its name to Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) to reflect
donors’ interests in charitable endeavors throughout the state.
Several nonprofits lease office space in the Fred Lange
Center, including: Children’s Television Workshop’s promotional
division, which promotes Sesame Street, The Electric
Company and 3-2-1 Contact.
An unrestricted grants program is initiated, and the first Area Funds -
Millard’s Crossing in Nacogdoches and the Palacios Area Fund in
Palacios - are created.
 
1982
CFT computerizes books and records to better serve donors.
Congresswoman Lera Millard Thomas, born and raised in Nacogdoches,
establishes a fund at CFT to help ensure the renovation and preservation of her estate. Today the 37-acre
mini-city, filled with 19th century homes, a chapel, a log cabin and a school, is known as
Millard’s Crossing.
 
1983
Restaurant entrepreneur Norman Brinker uses his philanthropic fund at
Communities Foundation of Texas to support many causes in Dallas including the arts and higher education.
 
1984
CFT reaches $100 million in assets.
 
1985
H. Ross Perot makes an $18 million donation through a fund established at
CFT, which both allows the Foundation to be a major player in the construction of I.M. Pei’s
Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and breaks philanthropic records by becoming the largest
donation in history from a community foundation to an arts organization.
 
1986
The Dallas Morning News Charities begins its annual giving campaign; CFT
helps in the selection of agencies.
 
1987
The Dorothea Leonhardt Fund at CFT partially funds a sculpture garden in
Fair Park’s lagoon area. The sculpture garden was designed by Patricia Johanson to enhance the natural
beauty of Fair Park.
 
1988
A foundation grant assists the construction of the Museum of African-American Life
and Culture at Fair Park.
Dallas Parks and Recreation Department’s Send a Kid to Camp program begins
serving Dallas’ low income youth who have few or no opportunities for structured summer programming. CFT
manages its fund.
CFT purchases a van for the Dallas Museum of Art
“Go Van Gogh” program. The van transports various art materials to students in
schools throughout Dallas County for art demonstrations.
 
1989
Ollie Mae and John T. Gordin donate their rare oriental ivory collection to
CFT. The collection is now on display in the CFT boardroom and waiting area. The ivory statues are intricately
carved from unusually large ivory tusks and are thought to represent the Ting Dynasty.
 
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1990
CFT operations expand throughout the state, with Area Funds in Tyler, Palacios, Nacogdoches
and San Angelo.
 
1991
CFT awards $200,000 to the Dallas Museum of Art to help establish the
Nancy and Jake Hamon building. Jake Hamon served on the board of DCCTF from 1969-1971.
 
1992
CFT grants $239,000 to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens for the
design and construction of Crape Myrtle Allee. Composed of 45-year-old crape myrtles from the original
DeGolyer Gardens, the Allee will serve as a walkway with frog-shaped fountains spraying water and linking the
traditional gardens to the lily pond.
 
1993
CFT assists in funding an exhibit at the Dallas Memorial
Center for Holocaust Studies. The exhibit consists of 85 photos taken in the
Warsaw Ghetto by an off-duty German soldier.
 
1994
CFT grants funds to assist with the cost of renovating Mi Escuelita
Preschool’s East Dallas facility. Its programs equip children who have English language
deficiencies.
 
1995
CFT makes a $25,000 grant for new student center furniture at Paul
Quinn College, the oldest liberal arts college for African-Americans.
CFT makes a grant to the Salvation Army to fund a centralized database,
through which holiday assistance agencies can track individuals and families applying for special help during
the Christmas season.
 
1996
The Ricky A. Rudine Memorial Fund helps establish the Earning by Learning
program that motivates Dallas children to read through positive encouragement and monetary reward.
CFT donates funds to establish The Dallas Supporters of the Fort
Worth Dallas Ballet. Recognizing the difficulty of funding two major ballet
companies in a challenging economic environment, supporters desired a ballet company of the highest quality to
perform on a regional scale.
Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center offers highly complex and delicate
therapeutic and investigative services for child abuse victims. CFT grants provide support to expand its
facilities and create a reserve fund for operating costs.
 
1997
The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation Fund gives the first $5 million grant
to UT Southwestern Medical Center to foster research with young medical scientists through
the “Caruth Scholars” program. This program continues to attract the brightest
minds and is one of the most generous medical start-up packages anywhere, with scholars receiving $600,000 in
research funds over the first four years of their faculty careers.
CFT awards challenge grant to the Foundation for African-American Art to
update technology at the museum.
Ruth Sharp Altshuler becomes Chairman of the CFT Board of Trustees.
 
1998
The SPCA of Texas has a tough job - caring for animals without the support
of government funding - and generous contributions from CFT donors like Phoebe and Russell
Perry go a long way to help make its job a little easier. In 1998, the SPCA of Texas began
building the Russell H. Perry campus on a 30-acre tract of land in West McKinney.
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
establishes the Christi Carter Urschel Family Resource Center largely through funding from
Donald J. and Linda J. Carter’s Fund at CFT. The center provides a place where
patients, families, staff and community agencies can collaborate on patients’ care and share emotional
support.
North Texas Winds, an organization dedicated to bringing music to the
elderly and disadvantaged, receives a CFT grant for a series of concerts at local nursing homes.
 
1999
Through a gift from the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation, CFT recognizes the selfless dedication
of Dallas police officers who have lost their lives serving the city’s citizens by giving the Dallas
Police Foundation a $550,000 grant to build the Dallas Police Memorial. The canopied plaza
adjacent to City Hall bears the names and badge numbers of the fallen heroes.
Common Cents Dallas program and scholarship kicks off, thanks to CFT donor
Louise Gartner. Dallas Independent School District (DISD) students raise money through coin
drives at school and also get to decide where the money will go.
Jean & Tom Walter recommend $3 million in grants for UT Southwestern to
establish research centers on macular degeneration, urologic oncology and postdoctoral training in breast
cancer care and research.
Through the Hegi Charitable Fund at CFT, Jan and Fred Hegi support
Interfaith Housing Coalition and its work to teach homeless families how to meet daily needs
and regain self-sufficiency
Several funds at CFT participate in the restoration of Lee Park and
Arlington Hall.
 
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2000
Entrepreneurs for North Texas is established to facilitate the community
involvement and philanthropy of small and midsize companies.
Mabel Peters Caruth announces her gift of $34 million to CFT, among the
largest single charitable donations ever recorded in Dallas. She requests that this donation be used to
establish and maintain a new, centrally located headquarters to serve the Foundation and the community.
Trinity Works, a full-service treatment center offering job training,
health care, counseling, temporary housing and other services essential for the rehabilitation of
Dallas’ poorest residents, moves into a 3-story facility at Bryan and Annex thanks in part to a gift of
land from CFT.
Pegasus returns to the Dallas skyline during a New Year’s Eve celebration known as
“Dallas 2000—The Downtown Celebration.“ Several CFT donors contribute to the iconic sign’s
restoration.
Charles J. Wyly, Jr. becomes Chairman of the CFT Board of Trustees.
 
2001
Cumulative grants from CFT exceed $500 million.
Thanks to Charles and Ann Eisemann, longtime supporters of the cultural
arts, and a $2 million grant from the Eisemann Foundation Fund of CFT, the city of Richardson
opens the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and Corporate Presentations, a new
performing arts venue bringing artists and entertainers to North Texas.
Mary Anne Sammons Cree recommends two grants from the Rosine
Foundation Fund of CFT: a $1.5 million gift that expedites the design and construction of
“Wave,” famed Spanish architect, engineer and sculptor Santiago Calatrava’s
sculpture-fountain outside SMU’s Meadows Museum, and a $2.5 million grant for the Texas
Discovery Gardens, honoring her mother’s passion for butterflies, education and
conservation by creating the world’s first combination butterfly and insect immersion exhibit.
Through the J.A. Glass Fund, the Louis A. and Julia T. Beecherl,
Jr. Fund and others like them, CFT awards more than $250,000 to Goodwill
Industries for a new facility that will triple the number of people served at its West Dallas
location
An eight-year, $1.2 million grant from the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT is given in
support of an innovative program called the Child Advocacy Clinic at SMU Dedman School of
Law. One of the first of its kind, the clinic integrates the knowledge and services of social
workers, pediatricians, psychologists and lawyers for children represented by Child Protective Services.
 
2002
CFT honors the memory of Will Caruth by giving a $5 million gift from the W.W.
Caruth, Jr. Foundation Fund that establishes a Basic Science Research Program in the Immunology
of Solid Organ Transplantation at Baylor Research Institute. This program seeks to discover
innovative therapies and increase understanding of how bodies treat foreign substances, including transplanted
organs.
CFT hosts the 17th annual “Evening with Scott Burns,” a financial seminar
featuring The Dallas Morning News columnist.
 
2003
CFT moves into the 60,000-square-foot Mabel Peters Caruth Center at 5500
Caruth Haven Lane, thanks to a generous $34 million bequest from Mabel Peters Caruth. The gift is among the
largest single charitable donations ever recorded in Dallas.
Latino Cultural Center opens in Dallas. CFT collects funds
on behalf of the City of Dallas, which is managing the design and construction of the building.
CFT funds a $500,000 planning grant to produce the master plan for establishing a new
permanent campus for the University of North Texas (UNT) at Dallas.
 
2004
Texas High School Project, now Educate Texas, is created
at CFT as an innovative alliance of public and private groups sharing a common goal: to improve the public
education system so that every Texas student is prepared for success in school, the workforce and life.
Frontiers of Flight Museum opens thanks to grants from CFT funds such as
the Margot W. and Ben H. Mitchell Fund and the Jane and Jack Hamilton Fund.
T. Boone Pickens, Jr. establishes a donor-advised fund at CFT to make a
difference in higher education, medical research, cultural interests and disaster relief.
 
2005
CFT awards a $15 million grant from the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation Fund to
the Dallas Police Department, funding the groundbreaking Caruth Police
Institute that prepares leaders in the DPD to become better educated and trained officers. The
grant also provides equipment to assist and protect DPD officers, and it is the largest grant on record from a
community foundation to any municipal police force in the United States.
Uplift Education opens Peak Preparatory at 4605 Live Oak
in the former CFT headquarters. W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT funds the conversion of
the land and CFT’s old headquarters into this successful urban charter school.
CFT funds The Mayborn Graduate Institute of Journalism at the University of North Texas to
organize the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference for journalists, writers, readers and
educators.
A $100,000 grant from the Sammons Foundation Fund at CFT
to the Dallas Museum of Natural History is given as a planning grant to create the Perot Museum of
Nature and Science.
CFT donors give $1.3 million to Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief.
Brent Christopher becomes President and CEO of Communities Foundation of
Texas.
 
2006
In honor of Ebby Halliday’s 30 years of service to CFT, the Ebby Halliday
Acers Society is established to honor those who have served CFT for years and demonstrate the
selfless dedication and tireless spirit of Ebby Halliday Acers.
Booker T. Washington School for the Performing and Visual Arts meets the
$500,000 multi-year challenge grant from CFT and is well on its way to opening a new campus in the downtown
Dallas arts district.
 
2007
A $100,000 grant to Senior Source is given to support the “Coming of
Age” campaign, enabling the agency to purchase, renovate, equip and endow an administrative center that
serves senior adults in Dallas.
The Dallas Morning News Charities Fund at CFT is established to achieve an
increase in the efficiency and accountability of the campaign, which has raised nearly $21 million in its
25-year history. Continuing the long-time partnership with TDMN, CFT provides guidance in the selection of
agency beneficiaries and processes all donations.
 
2008
The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT awards $10.1 million to Southern Methodist
University’s School of Engineering to create new facilities and promote engineering and
technology education in grades K-12 and beyond.
Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center in
Cedar Hill is constructed, thanks in part to a grant from CFT.
 
2009
DonorBridge launches as the most comprehensive public resource for
connecting North Texas nonprofits and supporters.
CFT raises $4 million for local nonprofits in its first annual North Texas Giving
Day event, run through DonorBridge.
The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation Fund at CFT pledges $1.5 million to bring Teach for
America to Dallas.
WFAA-TV’s 41st annual Santa’s Helpers Toy Drive distributes
more than 75,000 toys to approximately 50,000 children, thanks in part to CFT processing all cash and online
donations to the campaign.
Swift Action raises $4.25 million to help UTD advance to
Tier One national research status. CFT helps by pooling donations and helping them qualify for state matching
funds.
After Dallas sheltered evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, local agencies
look to create the nation’s first-ever coordinated disaster response preparedness plan. A $5 million
challenge grant from the W.W.Caruth, Jr. Foundation supports Mass Care Taskforce partners including the four
largest human relief agencies: American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, North TexasFood Bank
and the Volunteer Center of North Texas.
Joseph M. “Jody” Grant becomes Chairman of the CFT Board of
Trustees.
 
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2010
The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT grants $3.5 million to the American Heart
Association for a transformative heart attack emergency response system, making it possible for
North Texas hospitals to reduce the time it takes a heart attack patient to receive lifesaving treatment. The
protocol soon becomes an international model.
At the request of Former President George W. Bush, CFT establishes the Clinton Bush
Haiti Fund at CFT to help restore Haiti after a devastating earthquake. Millions of dollars were
dedicated to assisting this disaster.
The restoration and renovation of the historic 150-year-old Caruth Family
homeplace is completed.
The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT grants $2 million to Texas Health
Presbyterian Hospital Dallas and Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center
for the county’s first comprehensive sexual assault treatment program. The grant supports forensic exam
suites, nurse examiner training, post-trauma counseling and advocacy for victims.
The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT grants $2 million to Big Thought to
support Thriving Minds, DISD’s out of school program serving 34 DISD elementary and
middle schools serving more than 4,500 children.
2011
The Nicol Family Fund at CFT funds the Life Shines Bright Pregnancy
Program at Methodist Health Systems. The program provides resources for at-risk expectant mothers
to help reduce the risk of preterm birth.
The Kids Who Care Musical Theatre Group of Fort Worth performs at the North
Texas Giving Day segment on Good Morning Texas and kicks off the day’s pajama parties. North Texas
Giving Day raises $10.7 million for more than 500 nonprofits.
CFT funds Zero to Five Funders Collaborative for continued program support
ensuring children in the Bachman Lake neighborhood are physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually
ready for school by age five.
Frederick “Fred” Hegi becomes Chairman of the
CFT Board of Trustees.
2012
CFT founds the Data-Driven Decision-Making (D3) Institute after releasing
the Asset Poverty Profile of Dallas. The institute is designed to provide organizations that offer programs
and services for low-income working families the power to accelerate the development of enduring solutions to
social and economic problems.
Klyde Warren Park opens in Downtown Dallas. The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation
Fund at CFT makes a $5 million grant to enhance the public safety of the new park and tunnels.
CFT awards $2.1 million in teacher and school leader preparedness grants for UTD
UTeach, Teach for America, Teaching Trust, Big Thought, Plano ISD Education Foundation, National Alliance
for Partnerships in Equity Education Foundation and KIPP DFW.
2013
The fifth annual North Texas Giving Day raises $24K per minute, setting a
national record for community-wide giving events by raising more than $25.2 million for 1,351 local nonprofits
in 17 hours.
To increase the local pool of talented teachers and school leaders, CFT makes $2 million in
grants to nonprofits training those serving in local at-risk middle schools, like Teaching Trust, Teach for
America and more.
Building nonprofit muscle is the goal of the Data-Driven Decision-Making (D3)
Institute which graduated its first cohort of 16 nonprofits that serve low-income working
families to build their financial stability.
Donating for demolition? That's exactly what Jane and Bill Browning's daughters did from
their donor-advised fund at CFT to benefit the Dallas Zoo by demolishing the outdated large mammal building to
make room for the new Picnic Ridge.
W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation announces a grant of up to $7.5 million to the
Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern.
2014
For the first time in history, CFT makes more than $100 million in grants in one year.
Construction begins on $8.2 Million Cottages at Hickory Crossing, a model
project for permanent supportive housing to house the chronically homeless thanks to lead funding from Caruth
at CFT.
One in three North Texans can't weather a financial storm that lasts 90 days. KERA's One
Crisis Away series follows four families on the financial edge thanks to funding from CFT.
Critical knowledge is often lost as vulnerable patients move between medical and social
service organizations. The Caruth Foundation at CFT announces a grant of up to $12 million to
enable Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) to build the revolutionary Dallas
Information Exchange Portal and solve the persistent problem of fragmented patient information that inhibits
delivery of care.
Educate Texas celebrates its 10th anniversary.
The Elder Financial Safety Center, funded by at $3.9 million grant from the
W. W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT, launches as the most comprehensive partnership of The
Senior Source, DA's office and Probate Courts.
2015
CFT launches and guides first cohort of nonprofits through the Working Families
Success Network of North Texas to further support improving financial stability for low-income
working families.
TI Foundation announces that they will donate $2.2 million to
Educate Texas and Lancaster ISD for its STEM district.
North Texas Giving Day surpasses its own national record, raising $33
million in 18 hours for more than 2,020 North Texas nonprofits.
2016
$1 million raised for relief and recovery efforts from the Garland/Rowlett tornadoes and the
Dallas Police Shooting.
Nine nonprofits sites go "live" as official members of the Working Family
Success Network of North Texas, thanks to year-long training at CFT.
Developer Craig Hall opens two restaurant spaces at Hall Arts that he donates to
Communities Foundation of Texas.
The Cottages at Hickory Crossing—a $8.2 million pilot project to help
chronically homeless—opens in Deep Ellum.
2017
Dave Scullin joins as new president and CEO of Communities
Foundation of Texas
$4.8 million raised for Hurricane Harvey and other relief efforts through
CFT
Five regions of Texas chosen to increase the number of students earning
STEM credentials thanks to Educate Texas
Dallas selected as one of 11 national cities for Truth, Racial Healing and
Transformation by W. K. Kellogg Foundation
$39 million raised for 2,700 nonprofits on North Texas Giving Day
2018
CFT publishes Dallas County Economic Opportunity Assessment to highlight
critical community data and demonstrate how place and race matters
North Texas Giving Day raised $48 million from 81,000 donors
CFT distributes $1.1 million to 254 scholarship recipients
5,000+ clients served through CFT’s Working Families Success Network
since 2014
CFT opens Collin County Office
Richardson ISD “STEM for All” announced thanks to $4.6 million
grant from Texas Instruments Foundation to Educate Texas
35 Racial Equity grants announced
9,000+ hours volunteered by Communities Foundation of Texas for Business
member companies
2019
Educate Texas' RGV Focus program announces that Rio Grande Valley students
are beating 9 of 12 statewide education benchmarks
CFT's Caruth Fund announces $6.3 million to largest set of grantees in a
single year. Funds are meant to address the community's challenges holistically and work across sectors of
public safety, education and health to solve them.
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“Our north star is to
build thriving
communities for all.”
2020
CFT celebrates passing the $2 billion in cumulative grantmaking milestone since 1953.
CFT's Educate Texas culminates work on 20 x 2020 goals for student success.
1951
Big Tex is unveiled for the first time at the State Fair of Texas
1953
The Dallas Community Chest Trust Fund (DCCTF) is established
1955
Central Dallas Public Library dedicates a new building at Harwood and Commerce
1958
The Pearl C. Anderson Day Nursery opens through funding from DCCTF
CFT began as the Dallas Community Chest Trust Fund in 1953. Cities all over the U.S. created 'community chests' that addressed needs in the community from hunger to shelter to education. Dallas was no different. The Community Chest Trust Fund was the financial safety net supporting the Community Chest of Great Dallas and its agencies.
Touch the button for a photographic tour of DCCTF in the 1950s
1962
DCCTF makes St. Paul Hospital Cardiac Research Grant
1963
President John F. Kennedy, Jr.
is assassinated in Dallas
1965
W.W. Caruth, Jr. gives all assets of his foundation to DCCTF
James F. Chambers, Jr.
Campaign Chairman for DCCTF
1966
Granville C. Morton of Morton Potato Chip Company makes a $1,000,000 donation from his CFT fund for research and treatment of cancer, leukemia and other blood diseases
1967
W.W. Caruth, Jr. donates a new woodworking shop to the Boys & Girls Club of Dallas
Touch the button for a photographic tour of DCCTF in the 1950s
1971
Southwest Airlines makes its first commercial flight
1974
W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation is established
1975
The Blanche Swanzy Lange Special Care Newborn Nursery opens in Dallas
1979
DCCTF funds a new home for the
Dallas Bar Association
1971
The Fred M. Lange Center
opens on Live Oak Street
1978
New Dallas City Hall designed
by I.M. Pei is dedicated
Touch button to open the
Caruth Family Album
1980
Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team is created
1981
Dallas Arboretum opens to the public
1984
Dallas Museum of Art opens to the public
1982
Millard's Crossing Fund is established
at CFT
1982
CFT computerizes books and records
1985
The Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center is funded, thanks to a CFT grant from H. Ross Perot
1989
CFT awards a grant to complete fundraising efforts for the Jake L. Hamon Gorilla Conservation and Research Center at the Dallas Zoo
1989
Dallas rejuvenates and restores the McKinney Avenue Trolley - CFT partially funds the project
1987
CFT establishes 14 field of interest funds
Touch button to view grants made
in the 1980s
1990
City of Dallas population reaches 1,000,000
1994
Dallas hosts the World Cup through the quarterfinals
1996
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) serves its first passengers
1997
The Caruth Foundation makes a $5 million grant to UT Southwestern Medical Center to foster research by young scientists and doctors
1999
SPCA of Texas opens its Russell H. Perry campus in McKinney, thanks to a fund from CFT
1999
Dallas Police Memorial is funded in part through CFT
Click button to take an online tour of grants made in the 1990s
2009
WFAA-TV holds 41st annual Santa's Helpers Toy Drive with help from CFT
2001
The Eisemann Center for Performing Arts opens in Richardson, thanks to a grant through CFT
2001
The Butterfly House at Texas Discovery Gardens is funded by a grant through CFT
2005
The Dallas Police Department receives a $15 million grant from the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation Fund
2003
The Mabel Peters Caruth Center opens to meet the needs of CFT, local community groups and future generations of philanthropists
2004
Educate Texas launches to improve public education throughout the state
2009
DonorBridge launches, and in its inaugural year, North Texas Giving Day brings in donations of $4 million for nonprofits
Click to take a tour of CFT grants made in the 2000s
2011
The W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT grants $3.5 million to the AHA
2011
On September 11th, EFNT hosts it's 10th annual Freedom Day
2012
Klyde Warren Park opens in Downtown Dallas
2010
The restoration and renovation of the historic 150-year-old Caruth Family homeplace is completed
Communities Foundation of Texas celebrates six decades of giving. Between 1953-2013, CFT distributed more than $1.3 billion.
2011
The Life Shines Bright Pregnancy Program at Methodist Health Systems is funded through the Nicol Family Fund at CFT
2014
CFT grantee KERA wins national Edward R. Murrow Award for the One Crisis Away series highlighting the plight of families working to build economic security
2018
CFT opens Collin County office to better serve the growing region
2015
Texas Instruments Foundation grants $2.2 million to CFT's Educate Texas and Lancaster ISD to create nation's first K-12 STEM District
2019
New Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum opens thanks to support from CFT grants
2018
RGV Focus work spurs Rio Grande Valley students to meet or exceed the state in 9 out of 12 common success indicators
2019
CFT's 11th annual North Texas Giving Day raises $50 million from 100,000 donors for 3,000 local nonprofits again setting a national record!
2020
CFT celebrates passing the $2 billion in cumulative grantmaking milestone since 1953
2020
CFT's Educate Texas culminates work on 20 x 2020 goals for student success