NSF grant aims to improve research into factors impacting geographiceducation

Texas State University

December 31, 2019 | Giving Around Texas

Michael Solem, professor in the Department of Geography at Texas State University, has received a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to identify factors that may impact K-12 geography education.               The two-year grant was awarded by the Division of Research on Learning and will fund Solem’s project, “Building Capacity for Educational Assessment Research in Geography.”             The U.S. Board of Education administers… Read more »

Lawndale Announces Juror for The Big Show 2020

Lawndale

December 31, 2019 | Events

Lawndale is pleased to have Cecilia Fajardo-Hill as the juror for The Big Show 2020. The Big Show is an annual competition of artists practicing within a 100-mile radius of Lawndale that reflects our commitment to supporting local and regional artists at various stages in their career.     Image of Fajardo-Hill by Chisa Huges.   Fajardo-Hill is a British/Venezuelan art historian and curator… Read more »

Comerica Bank Closes Record-Breaking 2019 Shred Day Campaign

Comerica

December 31, 2019 | Corporate Responsibility

Comerica’s signature Shred Day community event experienced a banner year in 2019. The event, designed to help local communities securely shred and recycle sensitive documents for free, saw record numbers for pounds shredded and number of meals collected to aid local food pantries. Shred Day is held in partnership with Iron Mountain and hosted across four national markets that include Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Detroit… Read more »

EXCERPTED BELOW: The 14th chapter-in-progress, yanked squealing in protest (“please rewrite!”) from the 2nd edition of my how-to-write-effective-cases book

Tom Ahern

December 31, 2019 | How tos

Color me clueless. As one does at such crossroads, I began to read. Stanley Weinstein, in his 2004 book, Capital Campaigns from the Ground Up, described the item thusly:

“A case for support, also called a case statement, is a body of language that describes the rationale for supporting a nonprofit organization. It is written from the donor’s perspective, primarily the desire to support worthwhile projects and organizations that help enhance the lives of others.”

National Geographic Awards Shumla a Conservation Grant

Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center

December 31, 2019 | Giving Around Texas

Before the Rio Grande was dammed to create the Amistad Reservoir in 1969, archaeological surveys were conducted in the canyons that would be impacted by rising waters.

Dr. David Gebhard, architectural historian and director of the Roswell Museum and Art Center, was contracted by the National Park Service (NPS) in 1958 to begin documenting the threatened rock art and to determine the best approach to use in future documentation efforts. He and a small team of researchers visited 22 sites and selected 13 for systematic documentation. They tested several different approaches, ultimately recommending to the NPS that all rock art within the proposed reservoir basin be categorized, described, photographed, and drawn before inundation. Sadly, this was never accomplished.

Communities Foundation of Texas 2019 GRANT PROCESS – APPLICATIONS DUE APRIL 1

Communities Foundation of Texas

February 23, 2019 | Grants Available

CFT OPENS 2019 GRANT PROCESS, REGISTER NOW FOR FEB. 13 WORKSHOP, APPLICATIONS DUE APRIL 1 Communities Foundation of Texas excited to invite nonprofits to our 2019 Letter of Inquiry and Giving Guide workshop. Please join us on February 13, 2019 from 10:00am – 12:00pm at Communities Foundation of Texas. During the workshop, CFT will provide information about our 2019 processes as well as answer… Read more »

Blackbaud Institute Releases 2018 Charitable Giving Report

Blackbaud

February 23, 2019 | Funders and Foundations

Blackbaud, the world’s leading cloud software company powering social good, today announced the release of the 2018 Charitable Giving Report by the Blackbaud Institute for Philanthropic Impact™. The seventh annual report, which represents the earliest and largest analysis of overall and online giving in the U.S. nonprofit sector in 2018, shows continued year-over-year growth and another record high for online giving. “The 2018 Charitable… Read more »

A great article to read: What I Learned as a Funder: Frank Tips for Nonprofits

Catherine Crystal Foster and Blue Avocado

February 23, 2019 | Funders and Foundations

Over decades in the social sector, I spent countless hours in the grant-seeking trenches and saw my share of things that left me wondering whether to laugh or cry. But then I became a foundation funder and encountered a prospective grantee’s “toxic diaper excuse” (more on that later), which truly left my head shaking. Reflecting on my experiences, I am aware of how deeply… Read more »

Because you are a nonprofit working hard to save the world, this article on Resilience is imperative for you to read

Josephine Gurch of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

February 23, 2019 | Strong Communities

This is the fourth post in our “3 Things to Know” series, an explanation of concepts influencing community mental health and our grantmaking. Check out others in this series on Health Equity, Social Determinants of (Mental) Health, and Well-being. Resilience is critical to health and mental health interventions. So critical that major public health institutions have developed frameworks to provide clarity about its definition and its… Read more »

Brian and Wetonnah McCoy of San Marcos have donated $1 million to Texas State University to establish an endowed chair in the McCoy College of Business Administration

Texas State University

February 23, 2019 | Giving Around Texas

Brian and Wetonnah McCoy of San Marcos have donated $1 million to Texas State University to establish an endowed chair in the McCoy College of Business Administration. At the McCoys’ request, the endowed chair will be named in honor of Denise T. Smart, current dean of the McCoy College of Business Administration, in recognition of her leadership and service to the college. The first… Read more »

The Best Way To Put Clients First Is To Let Them Lead!

Dr. Marc Spencer, Blue Avocado

January 22, 2019 | How tos

Those of us who work at nonprofits are drawn to a particular mission and a desire to do good and give back. Most of us have navigated our careers thoughtfully and intentionally and have worked hard (perhaps even tirelessly). Yet often, despite our good intentions and hard work, we find ourselves replicating the practices that created the inequity we committed to disrupt in the… Read more »

The 86th Texas Legislative Session kicked off

Children at Risk

January 9, 2019 | Strong Communities

ARE YOU READY TO TAKE ACTION?   The 86th Texas Legislative Session kicked off today and CHILDREN AT RISK is ready to advocate for policies that improve the lives of Texas children. From access to quality child care to school finance, mental health support, and protections for human trafficking victims, Texas has a lot of work to do. Help us make Texas the best… Read more »

January 2019 Exhibitions & Public Programs

Lawndale

January 9, 2019 | Events

Sunday Brunch with Lawndale Sunday, January 27 11 AM – 1 PM Tickets: $100 // $75 (Lawndale Members)  Artworks: $300 (per work) Support Lawndale’s vibrant exhibitions and programs while feasting on Bloody Marys, mimosas, and art! At this new fundraiser, nineteen 8 x 10″ artworks created and donated by artists in the Lawndale community will be exhibited anonymously and can be purchased for $300,… Read more »

Arnold Foundation announces funding for first-of-its-kind addiction treatment rating system

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF)

January 9, 2019 | Giving Around Texas

The Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) announced a $1.3 million grant to the national nonprofit Shatterproof to pilot the first addiction treatment rating system. The system will be an important step toward ensuring patients with opioid use disorder receive tested forms of medical treatment. Only one in 10 Americans with opioid use disorder receives treatment shown by research to be effective. The problems… Read more »

The Writer’s Garret Spring Open House

The Writer's Garret

January 9, 2019 | Events

You’re invited to kick off the new year with The Writer’s Garret! Join us on Saturday, January 26th, 1pm-4pm, as we celebrate the goals we’ve accomplished in 2018 and preview the exciting new projects that lie ahead this year for WINS, Rail Writers, Write to Heal, spring workshops, and more. Join us for live music, readings, drinks, and refreshments! Free & Open to the Public! 1250… Read more »

Life Review Did you know? People over 70 are still developing!

Tom Ahern

January 9, 2019 | Strong Communities

According to David Solie, a psychologist specializing in geriatric medicine, elderly people are on “a journey” unrecognized by most others, including their children and professional caregivers. Unrecognized is the part that breaks my heart. “Many of us look at members of our parents’ generation and see a diminished version of the vibrant people we once knew,” he writes in his book, How to Say It to Seniors.[1] “Surely they aren’t developing anymore, because we can see them declining right before our eyes.”

The Opportunities The New Year Holds for Nonprofits

Nell Edgington

January 9, 2019 | Uncategorized

The beginning of a new year is usually, for me at least, a time of mixed emotions. I’m excited about the new experiences that wait around the corner, but fearful of the unknown that also lurks there. A new year by definition brings change, and that can be exciting, but it can also be scary. But this year I feel differently. As I grow… Read more »