Dallas, TX (August 19, 2020) – Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (Dallas TRHT) announced today it will be receiving a $3.1 million dollar grant from the Rainwater Charitable Foundation and the James and Lillian Webb Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation, a fund established by the Richard E. Rainwater estate. In what may be the largest single philanthropic gift towards racial equity in recent North Texas history, the support will be used to complete Dallas TRHT’s endowment requirements, grow operations and start a unique matching gift program that will support community programming and organizational capacity building for partners.
“In the wake of the senseless killings of George Floyd and so many others across this nation over many generations, we believe this is a pivotal moment to address the wrongs of systemic racial injustice in constructive and impactful ways,” says Jeremy Smith, President of the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. “Now is the time to join with others to keep this issue front and center in whatever positive ways we can. We are proud that these grants will play a part in supporting Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation’s mission of creating a broadly inclusive Dallas by addressing race and racism through narrative change, relationship building and equitable policies and practices.”
“There is an overdue reckoning with institutional and structural racism happening in this country after the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. As we all endure a pandemic that is also infecting and killing Black and Brown people at a disproportionate rate, Dallas-Fort Worth has an opportunity to address its racist origins and decades of oppressive policies and practices,” says Jerry Hawkins, Executive Director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. “These investments by Rainwater Charitable Foundation and the James and Lillian Webb Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation will allow Dallas TRHT to continue and sustain our mission driven work and complete our endowment requirements from the initial W.K. Kellogg Foundation seed funding, which will benefit the community for decades to come.”
“From continuing our Community Visioning process to growing our Racial Equity NOW Cohort—which was initially supported by the W.W. Caruth Fund of Communities Foundation of Texas—these investments give Dallas TRHT the ability to support the DFW metropolitan area in new and exciting ways,” states Jerry Hawkins. “Dallas TRHT is extremely grateful to Rainwater Charitable Foundation and the James and Lillian Webb Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation for these investments and excited to share this contribution with our community.”
About Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation
Dallas Truth Racial Healing & Transformation (Dallas TRHT) is a community-based organization focused on planning for and bringing about transformational and sustainable change, and committed to addressing the historic and contemporary effects of racism. Dallas TRHT’s mission is to create a radically inclusive city by addressing race and racism through narrative change, relationship building and equitable policies and practices. Learn more: https://www.dallastrht.org
About Rainwater Charitable Foundation
The Rainwater Charitable Foundation (RCF) is a private family foundation based in Fort Worth, Texas, founded by Richard E. Rainwater in 1991. Since its formation, RCF has funded initiatives centered around children, believing that high-quality education can transform the life trajectories of children and families. RCF educational funding includes school-based and systems work, understanding that schools are a fundamental lever of change both for neighborhoods and for society as a whole.
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Bravo.
Well-deserved.
You will be a model for the nation.
Let me know how I can help make this goal a reality.
Onward.
Beautiful testament to the work that you all have done to bring the tradition of truth telling to a new era. This honors all the elders who’ve fought for us to reckon with our actual selves and build this brighter, authentic, equitable future our children and we all deserve.