At a celebration at Mary Kay’s headquarters earlier this month, The Village Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation awarded $175,000 in grants to 14 nonprofit organizations that support the African American community. Grants included the following:
- Advocates for Community Transformation (Act): Expansion of Act’s Resident Empowerment & Legal Advocacy Program to Eliminate Crime in South Dallas
- At Last Inc.: Urban Boarding Experience
- Big Thought: Creative Solutions Program
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas Inc.: Robotics Program at Oak Cliff Club
- The Chocolate Mint Foundation: General Operating Support
- City Year Dallas: Whole School Whole Child Program
- Compelling Why: Success Session & Leadership Series
- The Family Place Inc.: Emergency Shelter Services
- Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. Community Outreach Center: Frazier House
- Interfaith Family Services: Home & Hope Transitional Housing and Self-Sufficiency Program
- Mercy Street: Mentoring Program
- New Friends New Life: Youth Resource Center
- Paul Quinn College: Early Talent Identification Program at Paul Quinn
- Under 1 Roof: General Operating Support
Lisa Montgomery, The Village Giving Circle Co-chair and a founding officer, said, “It’s been exciting to see the growth of The Village Giving Circle and see how African American women have been mobilized in philanthropy. Together, our collective gifts are impacting worthy nonprofit organizations serving the African American community.”
Roslyn Dawson Thompson, president and CEO of Texas Women’s Foundation, said, “Just in its second year of giving grants, The Village Giving Circle is making an impact with its gifts, and we’re grateful for their generosity.”
Shonn Brown, The Village Giving Circle Co-chair and founding officer, added, “The beauty of The Village Giving Circle is truly what this sisterhood symbolizes. We are honoring the legacy of our mothers, grandmothers and all of those women who came before us by using our resources to benefit our communities that they worked so hard to sustain.”
Organized in 2017, the mission of The Village Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation is to honor, sustain and expand the legacy of African American women’s philanthropy by funding organizations and initiatives that positively impact the African American community in North Texas. The Village was borne out of a desire to harness the collective giving power and influence of female African American philanthropists, and in recognition of the need to provide opportunities for like-minded African American women to form connections that enhance their civic leadership activities.
Members focus their collective resources on local community organizations that are led by African Americans and/or serve the needs of African American communities throughout North Texas. In addition to providing financial support to selected organizations, The Village membership seeks to elevate awareness of issues, initiatives, and efforts that affect or support African Americans living and working in North Texas.
Founding officers include Shonn Brown, Lisa Montgomery, Cheryl Alston, Christa Brown-Sanford, Annika Cail, Frances Cudjoe-Waters, Vera Ingram, Shawn Wills and Diane Reeves. Shonn Brown also serves as Texas Women’s Foundation board chair, and Lisa Montgomery, Cheryl Alston and Diane Reeves are also Texas Women’s Foundation board members. For more information about The Village Giving Circle and grants, visit https://www.txwf.org/village-giving-circle/ or contact Shonda Barnett at sbarnett@txwf.org.
About Texas Women’s Foundation:
Texas Women’s Foundation (formerly Dallas Women’s Foundation) is Transforming Texas for Women and Girls, empowering them to build stronger, more equitable communities. Since 1985, the Foundation has been a trusted leader in advancing social and economic change for women and girls in Texas. One of the world’s largest women’s foundations with more than $36 million in assets, the Foundation raises funding from a broad base of donors, including individuals, foundations and corporations. These resources support more than $6.3 million in investments that advance economic security and leadership for Texas women and girls through groundbreaking research, advocacy, grants and programs. The Foundation’s statewide research on issues affecting women and girls provides decision-makers and lawmakers with critical data to inform policies, practices and programs in the state. Its grantmaking and innovative programs support solutions that help Texas women and girls thrive. In addition, Texas Women’s Foundation is an acknowledged leader and advocate in the gender lens investing movement and has deployed 100% of its assets – endowments, operating investments and donor-advised funds – in a gendered impact portfolio that yields strong financial returns and measurable social benefits to women and girls. For more information, visit www.txwf.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram or donate now.
