Communities Foundation of Texas

Looking to give before the year ends? Our Holiday Giving Guide makes it easy to give back this season: ✔️ Support a local nonprofit in honor of a loved one. ✔️ Purchase unique gifts from local nonprofits. ✔️ Open a donor-advised fund and start your legacy of generosity. Explore meaningful ways to give at CFTexas.org/GivingGuide

Champions of Giving: Gigi was first connected to CFT through her late mother, Louise (Tootsie) Gartner, who founded the Common Cents Fund and Common Cents Scholarship Fund at CFT, which Gigi now advises. Gigi continues to follow in her mother’s footsteps, filling them in her own way through her support of animal rescue organizations. Gigi’s been rescuing dogs for 20 years and is now with her sixth rescue pet. Through a special #NorthTexasGivingDay matching campaign during #NationalPetMonth, Gigi joined forces with CFT to double donations to local nonprofits that support animals in North Texas. Ultimately, Gigi’s matching gift through her fund at CFT helped generate more than $555,000 from 1,784 community donations to local animal and pet nonprofits. This effort was one of four new matching gift fundraising campaigns that raised $1.5 million using the North Texas Giving Day website this year. Read more about Gigi’s inspiring impact through North Texas Giving Day and the Common Cents Fund at https://lnkd.in/gR2eZQTj #SupportLocal #CommunityGiving

North Texas Giving Day’s record-breaking giving was featured on NBC DFW’s "Something Good" this week. Together, we raised $70 million for local nonprofits in September, and that's #SomethingGood. You can give to any of 3,000+ organizations year-round at NorthTexasGivingDay.org. To encourage holiday giving, we're covering all transaction fees for gifts made through December 31! Watch the NBC DFW spotlight below.

🎁 Wrap up 2024 with a lasting impact! 🎁 There’s still time to open a donor-advised fund before the year ends. Create a fund at CFT with a wire transfer/stock gift, check, or credit card contribution to create a legacy of giving while maximizing tax benefits. Visit CFTexas.org/GivingGuide to get started today or contact our team at Giving@CFTexas.org

CFT has partnered with the Cotton Bowl Foundation since 2016 to support philanthropic community investments benefiting youth. We’re excited to share that the 2024-25 Cotton Bowl Foundation grants, totaling $425,000, will support nine North Texas organizations! Read more at: https://lnkd.in/ght5g6bJ Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, T.R. Hoover CDC, All Stars Project, Inc., Heart House, METRO SPORTS FIELDHOUSE, Teen Life, Travel & Sports Legacy Foundation (TSLF), Wesley-Rankin Community Center

Join us in welcoming Amir Tabei, CFT's new chief information officer! Amir brings a wealth of experience with a 25+ year career in technology leadership at the Dallas Museum of Art, Susan G. Komen, TechBridge, Inc, Aidmatrix, and more. While CIO at the Dallas Museum of Art, he earned the Tech Titans Emerging Innovation Award for his groundbreaking work. Amir succeeds Roger Santone, who is retiring from CFT at the end of December after a 40+ year career in technology. Read more about Amir on our blog at: https://lnkd.in/gesrZiHw Photo by: Kim Leeson 

Champions of Caring: For fifth-generation Texan sisters Averille Dawson, Fallon Vaughn, and Kathryn Cook, the Jane and Bill Browning Family Fund, a donor-advised fund at CFT, is a living legacy of their parents’ compassion and commitment to helping others. “Our mom wanted us to continue to experience the joy of coming together as a family to give back,” said Averille. Recently, we shared with the sisters a pressing need that was aligned with one of their funding priorities. Mazie's Mission, a local nonprofit veterinary clinic that provides lifesaving care to abused and neglected animals, faced an unexpected funding gap, and the Browning sisters stepped up to help. Read about the sisters’ inspiring impact and learn more about Mazie’s Mission at: https://lnkd.in/gsWKNaUV. Donate to Mazie’s Mission at: https://lnkd.in/gg-cPzKR

Congratulations to CFT fundholders Shannah Hayley, CPM and Kelly Hayley for finishing their 50th marathon in 50 states! The Plano couple has run over 170 marathons and half marathons, and about 5 years ago, set a goal to run in all 50 states before their 55th birthdays. They also lead their own running club, Interval Run Club Dallas.    We're inspired by their passion for running and community. We're grateful to be their partner as they show their generosity and care for nonprofits through their donor-advised fund at CFT. Read about this incredible feat that was featured as front page news in The Dallas Morning News: https://lnkd.in/g36x4TN4

Congratulations to Texas Instruments on 60 years of making a difference! Educate Texas and Communities Foundation of Texas are honored to collaborate with the TI Foundation to advance STEM education and opportunities for Texas students, and are grateful for Andy Smith's service on our Board of Trustees.

CFT Board Trustee and expert financial advisor Debra Brennan Tagg, CFP® has been featured in Advisorpedia's "How Advisors Can Help Families Pass Down Values Alongside Wealth."   From the article: “For clients that want a philanthropic advisor, Tagg works with Communities Foundation of Texas. A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is a common charitable giving vehicle. 'For clients without a clear philanthropic mission who are looking to make charitable donations but are in a year-end time crunch, we encourage them to contribute to a DAF so they can secure the tax deduction now but be intentional about where the money goes in 2025. DAFs also provide a learning experience for future generations – helping them to understand that designating funds to give away can be as important in some families as accumulating funds for education, retirement, or other purposes,' explains Tagg."   Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eNPU3hrV   Learn about the benefits of donor-advised funds at CFT: cftexas.org/givepurpose BFS Advisory Group