• Texas Women’s Foundation awarded a total of 416 grants totaling $10.8 million to organizations serving women and girls. (See charts below for distribution of granting by geography, issue area and total granted.)
• $2.1 million was invested in programs that advance its mission and commitment to building stronger, more equitable communities where women and girls are full participants.

Texas Women’s Foundation also stepped up to the needs of the community in response to COVID-19 and the 2021 winter storm, much of it through the organization’s Resilience Fund, initially established in response to the pandemic. Of the $10.8 million, TXWF granted $3.1 million from April 2020–June 30, 2021 in response to a range of community emergencies, while maintaining a continued focus on the intersection of gender and race and the disproportionate impact on women of color.

According to Roslyn Dawson Thompson, Texas Women’s Foundation president and chief executive officer, “We made significant investments through grants that supported the immediate needs of women, girls and their families to address the impact of COVID-19, as well as those that would have a longer-term impact on their lives and the community.”

Resilience Grants Supported Innovation

Access to healthcare is a challenge to women and girls from historically under-resourced communities, and COVID-19 produced additional barriers that TXWF sought to alleviate through the Resilience Fund. One example is a grant supporting an innovative approach for patients of Los Barrios Unidos Community Clinic. The clinic’s lead obstetrician, along with UT Southwestern Medical Center and FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics), developed a replicable COVID-safe practice model and template of care that has already gained attention in the industry. The model uses both telehealth and onsite visits with obstetrical staff. The patient response has been positive and no-show rates have decreased.

Resilience Fund: Taking a Mid- to Long-term View

Another Resilience Fund grant increased economic security for women and their families by providing access to a financial institution and access to loans that were not available to them through traditional banking services. A grant to Dallas Area Interfaith Sponsoring Committee supported an alternative banking solution for those without government identification, in partnership with Resource One Credit Union.

COVID-19 increased food insecurity, and a TXWF Resilience Fund grant addressed the immediate need for food for elderly women by expanding a nonprofit’s capacity to reach them when their volunteer force was isolated for their health and safety. The grant supported implementation of a paperless meal delivery system that saved both money and staff time, allowing Meals on Wheels Collin County to serve more clients long-term and even save lives. The system immediately facilitated the day-to-day delivery of meals and decreased the response time for situations identified as safety and/or medical emergencies, especially for homebound and elderly women.

Resilience Grants Supported Nonprofits Working in Historically Marginalized Communities

Texas Women’s Foundation acknowledges the deep commitments that its grantee partners have to the communities they serve. Dawson Thompson added, “We trust that organizations with established community presence and cultural competence are best able to immediately recognize and respond to community needs, especially in times of crisis. Resilience Fund grantees, such as Muslim Community Center for Human Services, Southern Dallas Link and SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc., all share a history of responding to the needs of the unique communities they serve.”

Muslim Community Center for Human Services in Tarrant County teaches employability skills to aid entry of refugee/immigrant/low-income women, primarily survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence, into the workforce. Southern Dallas Link enables single-female headed households of South Dallas to maintain employment and resources by providing safe, dependable transportation. SER Jobs for Progress National, Inc. provided necessities for the Early Head Start families in Grand Prairie and Senior Community Service Employment Program participants in Fort Worth, and supported emergency needs during and after winter storm Uri.

Resilience Grants Supported Organizations Led by Women of Color

A fundamental aspect of TXWF’s work is to support women’s leadership in all sectors. During this past year and a half, organizations led by women of color were at the forefront of addressing the unique needs of their communities, and particularly women of color who were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Among the organizations led by women of color receiving TXWF Resilience Grants are:

• A TXWF Resilience Grant supported the LiftFund Dallas/Fort Worth Women’s Business Center to serve small businesses owned by women of color and fill the gap for women of color entrepreneurs who have been unable to obtain assistance through mainstream resources. 

• Girls Embracing Mothers Inc. works with incarcerated women and their daughters. A new grant supported the transition to a mail-based program to maintain the connection between incarcerated mothers and their daughters, as well as pay stipends to the guardians to cover the cost of meals and collect calls to the girls’ mothers. Many guardians were financially stressed due to loss of jobs or reduced availability for work due to their guardianship.

• At Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Community Outreach Center, TXWF supported the Financial Wellness Village, which includes the Increments of Success Coaching Program along with case management and therapeutic wellness classes to help women deal with the trauma and loss of income due to COVID-19.

To learn more about the grants, visit txwf.org/grants.

About Texas Women’s Foundation:

Texas Women’s Foundation is Transforming Texas for Women and Girls, empowering them to build stronger, more equitable communities. One of the world’s largest women’s foundations, the Foundation raises funding from a broad base of donors, including individuals, foundations and corporations. These resources support more than $10 million in investments that advance economic security and leadership for Texas women and girls through groundbreaking research, advocacy, grants and programs. Since inception in 1985, the Foundation has invested $67 million in women and girls, including $53 million since 2011. 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 advocacy, 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 percent of its assets – endowments, operating investments and donor-advised funds – in a gendered impact portfolio that yields strong financial returns and social benefits to women and girls. For more information, visit www.txwf.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram or donate now