When Communities Foundation of Texas began in 1953, it was known as the Dallas Community Chest Trust Fund. The first six-figure, major gift to the Dallas Community Chest Trust Fund was in 1955 from Pearl C. Anderson.
Pearl grew up in rural Louisiana during the days of racial segregation and was prohibited from going to school until the age of 12 when a school for black children was finally built a few miles from her home. Every day, she would walk by a plaque that credited a foundation-the Rosenwald Fund-with establishing her school.
Pearl vowed that one day, she would pay back the debt she owed to those who made it possible for her to get an education. And she brought that dream to the Dallas Community Chest Trust Fund with her gift to create the Pearl C. Anderson Fund at CFT. Pearl gifted a residual interest in a trust consisting of a prime piece of land in downtown Dallas valued at $325,000. All she asked was that the money from the eventual sale of the land was used to help "the poor, young people and other struggling people, without regard to their race or religion."
The fund will honor and lift the legacy of Pearl C. Anderson while providing a visible and public space for CFT staff and external stakeholders to learn about Pearl C. Anderson and her significance to Communities Foundation of Texas. With an increased focus on equity and the welcoming of more diverse voices to the philanthropic community, the fund will establish a space for more inclusivity around the process of giving through a fund, and subsequently, help direct philanthropic dollars in mutually agreed-upon focus area(s).
The #IAMPEARL Fund is an affinity-sponsored fund housed at Communities Foundation of Texas. The fund aims to make strategic grants to provide meaningful support in the African American community in its identified areas of focus:
-Education
-Food Security
-Business Development & Financial Literacy
With a total goal of $325,000, the #IAMPEARL Fund is looking for community partners and funders to help launch this new fund. Grants will be made to support organizations that provide community resources to the following:
-Education
-Food Security
-Business Development & Financial Literacy
Communities Foundation of Texas is committed to advancing equity as one of our three strategic priorities to fulfill our mission and achieve our vision.
As your community foundation, our vision is of a community where every person has the opportunity to thrive. Our mission is to improve the lives of all people in our community, and we recognize that there are groups that have historically faced and continue to experience discrimination, injustice, and unequal access to basic resources, community spaces, and economic opportunities.
CFT believes that all community members:
- should feel welcome, safe, and accepted;
- should be treated with respect and dignity;
- should have equitable access to opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of their families.
We are dedicated to both working internally with our staff and culture and learning and leading externally with partners across our community to create thriving communities for all.
Organization name
#IAMPEARL Fund
Causes
Racial Equity
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Johnson, Wise, Tarrant, Somervell, Rockwall, Parker, Palo Pinto, Navarro, Montague, Kaufman, Hunt, Hood, Grayson, Fannin, Erath, Ellis, Denton, Dallas, Cooke, Collin
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American
BIPOC Leadership
Both the Executive Director/CEO and Board Chair
Address
5500 Caruth Haven Lane