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DALLAS FOUNDATION

Dallas Foundation

Contact information:

Reagan Place at Old Parkland
3963 Maple Avenue, Suite 390
Dallas, Texas 75219
Phone: 214-741-9898
Fax: 214-741-9848
Email: info@dallasfoundation.org

Website: http://www.dallasfoundation.org/index.aspx

Type of foundation: Community foundation

Types of grants: Capital, equipment, general/operating support, matching/challenge support, program.

Description: Established in 1929, the Foundation serves as a resource, leader and catalyst for philanthropy by providing donors with flexible means of making gifts to charitable causes that enhance the community. Interestingly, media companies (newspapers) were central to the creation of the Foundation. The Foundation gives grants in the areas of:

  • Aging.
  • Arts.
  • Education.
  • Early childhood development.
  • Environment.
  • Health.
  • Human and social services.
  • Public/civic benefit.

Competitive grants are offered through the following funds:

  • Community Impact Fund: Grants support programs or capital projects. The Foundation is particularly interested in projects that promote collaboration among agencies in meeting critical community needs and projects that make a clear difference in the quality of life for people in the community.
  • Field of Interest Funds: These funds support the arts, children, programs benefiting African-American citizens, health and animal welfare.
  • Safety Net Fund: The Safety Net Fund provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that are facing a short-term financial shortfall affecting their capacity to provide critically needed services (i.e., services related to food, shelter, clothing, safety and health). Shortfalls must have a direct link to the recent economic downturn.

Sample grants:

  • $286,000 to Public Radio International, Minneapolis, MN for continuing support (2007).
  • $63,000 to KERA/KDTN, Dallas, TX for Radio Infrastructure Package (2005).
  • $50,000 to Majestic Media, Amarillo, TX for general operating support of 'MarriageToday' program (2005).
  • $37,000 to Reading and Radio Resource, Dallas, TX for server and tapes to convert from analog to digital recording (2004).
  • $5,000 to Insight for Living, Anaheim, CA for radio broadcast with Charles Swindoll (2006).
  • $1,000 to Truth for Life, Cleveland, OH for radio broadcast (2005).

Fit for public broadcasting: The Foundation has made 34 grants for radio/television projects over the past seven years, totaling $1.6 million.

Eligibility: Giving primarily to the City and County of Dallas. No support for religious purposes from discretionary funds. No grants to individuals from discretionary funds or for endowments, research, operating budgets, annual campaigns, debt retirement or underwriting of fundraising events; generally no multi-year grants.

Deadline: The submission deadline for Field of Interest Funds is in early March. The letter of inquiry deadline for requests to the Community Impact Fund is in early August. If invited, full proposals are due in early October. Safety Fund requests are accepted on a rolling basis.

How to apply: Guidelines for competitive grantmaking funds are available here. Note that application procedures and deadlines vary by fund. The Foundation offers grantmaking seminars for interested applicants. Letters of inquiry are required for requests to the Community Impact Fund and are due at the beginning of August. Interested applicants may call the Foundation to discuss their project in advance of submitting a proposal. Past recipients of discretionary grants are asked to wait three to five years between applications. 

Giving range: The average gift for radio/television is approximately $45,000. Some Field of Interest Funds make grants as high as $300,000. The Foundation has made gifts as high as $6.5 million.

Assets: $200,000,000 (2011)

Total giving: $32,254,573 (2011)

View 2011 Annual Report.