Susan G. Komen awarded new grants to 124 researchers in 25 states and eight countries, with about half of the grants going to recent graduates and those trying to establish independent research careers.
This year’s grants bring Komen’s total research investment since 1982 to more than $889 million, the largest of any nonprofit and second only to the U.S. government.
The grants include $2,394,277 in new funding for research at four institutions in Texas, including breast cancer research programs at Baylor College of Medicine and UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. That brings Komen’s total research investment in Texas to $94,344,277.
Grants from Komen’s nearly $36 million research portfolio, which includes more than $17.6 million in grants to early-career investigators, help to improve understanding of metastatic breast cancer, investigate how tumors develop drug resistance, study triple negative breast cancer, work to identify and understand biological and socio-economic health inequities, and seek to develop new and novel therapies.
Komen’s research program is funded in part by contributions from the organization’s nationwide network of affiliates, which direct 25 percent of locally raised funds to the national research program. The remaining 75 percent of net funds are invested into community outreach programs that serve local women and men facing breast cancer.
Since 1992, Komen Greater Fort Worth has funded more than $17 million for community programs serving local women and men and contributed nearly $6 million to Komen research.
“We are so proud to have the support of this community as we help our friends, coworkers and neighbors who are facing breast cancer, and work for continued progress against breast cancer through research,” said MaryAnn Means-Dufrene, Komen Greater Fort Worth executive director.
A full list of Komen’s 2015 research grants can be found at komen.org.
FEDERAL GRANTS BOOST
UNITED WAY HEALTH PROGRAMS
United Way of Tarrant County and its Area Agency on Aging received federal grants totaling $1.17 million that will expand services offered as part of the United Way LIVE WELL health initiative.
A $995,844 grant over three years will provide services to underserved groups who either have or are at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The grant also will focus on people who live alone and those who are aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Area Agency on Aging will be the lead partner. Others involved are the Aging and Disability Resource Center, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Easter Seals North Texas, the Alzheimer’s Association, James L. West Alzheimer’s Center, Meals On Wheels Inc. of Tarrant County and the Center for Applied Health Research at Baylor Scott & White Healthcare.
United Way of Tarrant County will receive an additional $180,000 through a two-year grant awarded to the Community Council of Greater Dallas for chronic disease self-management programs. United Way will expand the Health For Me program offered through Senior Citizen Services of Greater Tarrant County and the HomeMeds program provided through Meals On Wheels of Tarrant County.
Through Health For Me, families coping with diabetes, heart disease, arthritis or other chronic condition receive six free lessons to learn how to manage their conditions.
The HomeMeds program allows people to have their prescription medications and over-the-counter products evaluated for possible errors such as unnecessary duplicate ingredients and potentially harmful combinations.
GIVING DAY SETS RECORD
WITH $33M IN DONATIONS
The seventh annual North Texas Giving Day smashed its own national giving day record on Sept. 17 by raising $33.1 million in donations in 18 hours.
The record donations marked the largest amount in the event’s history and the largest amount for a single “Giving Day” in the nation.
More than 118,000 donations (30,000-plus gifts per minute) exceeded last year’s total of 98,000. From 6 a.m. to midnight, donations poured in from all 50 states, seven territories and 28 countries.
This year, 2,022 nonprofits received gifts from 71,743 donors. Thirty-five percent of donations were first-time givers to the nonprofit.
“Today proves that philanthropy is alive and well in North Texas and around the world. We received gifts from near and far, demonstrating the long lasting and tangible differences these nonprofits make in our region and beyond,” said Brent Christopher, president and CEO of Communities Foundation of Texas
NorthTexasGivingDay.org was begun in 2009 by Communities Foundation of Texas with ongoing support from the Center for Nonprofit Management. It is a free public resource for connecting supporters with nonprofits serving 16 counties in North Texas. Since its inception, the worldwide event has raised $119 million for area nonprofits.
The full list of results (sortable by nonprofit size) and prizes is available at www.northtexasgivingday.org/-leaderboard.
MAYFEST’S RECORD REVENUE
FUNDS GRANTS TO 3 GROUPS
Mayfest Inc. awarded $265,470 in grants to three local organizations from proceeds from the 2015 Mayfest festival in Fort Worth.
Mayfest 2015 generated more revenue during festival operations than any other year in its 43-year history. A total of $330,000 was raised, which is second only to Mayfest 2010, when the event received an unprecedented amount in donations and grants after it was closed in 2009 due to the H1N1 flu virus.
The grants included $92,000 to Junior League of Fort Worth Inc. to sponsor the Kids in the Kitchen, Pancake Breakfast and All Aboard programs. Kids in the Kitchen helps youth make healthy lifestyle choices. The Junior League and Cook Children’s Health Care System are partners on a pancake breakfast for more than 300 patients at the hospital’s main and satellite campuses. The All Aboard program prepares women to be leaders in the community.
The city of Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Department received a grant of $92,250 to help replace the fabric-shade structures in Trinity Park with new metal structures.
Streams & Valleys Inc. will use a grant totaling $81,220 for a Share the Trail Ambassador Team and additional signage to help improve trail safety.
BRAGAN FOUNDATION GALA
TO HONOR NFL’S TOMLINSON
The Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation will honor former Texas Christian University running back and NFL player LaDainian Tomlinson at the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Gala on Nov. 12 at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel.
After playing at TCU from 1997 to 2000, Tomlinson played nine seasons for the San Diego Chargers, where he set records and received numerous honors and awards, including the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award. In 2010, he signed as a free agent with the New York Jets, playing for two seasons before retiring from professional football. Tomlinson is an analyst on the NFL Network.
Tickets for the gala are $250 each; tables for 10 people begin at $2,000. Contact Janet Cooper at 817-870-2300 or janet@bobbybragan.org to order tickets.
RANGERS FOUNDATION GRANTS
AID YOUTH BASEBALL, SOFTBALL
Globe Life And Accident Insurance Co. and the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation awarded grants to 10 nonprofit organizations in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana to support youth baseball and softball programs.
Grant recipients in Tarrant County included Fossil Creek Little League in Keller, which will use the funds for development of the Northwest Community Park athletic complex, and Polytechnic High School Baseball in Fort Worth, which will buy new batting cage nets and screens.
Organizations completed proposals describing how a grant would help them give youth in their area the opportunity to play baseball or softball. The winners were selected based on need and the ability of the proposed program to improve baseball programs in their areas. FOX Sports Southwest helped to promote the grant program throughout the Rangers television territory.
Send nonprofit news to Betty Dillard at bdillard@bizpress.net