Funding will support Aspire to Learn, AT LAST!, Café Momentum, The Commit Partnership – Dallas County Promise, Paul Quinn College, Texas Woman’s University, University of Texas at Arlington, and Year Up United
Dallas TX – April 8, 2025 – Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) has awarded $7.5 million in grants to eight organizations supporting local education and workforce innovation, furthering efforts to help Texas students thrive in school, in a career, and in life.
The following organizations received grant awards: Aspire to Learn, AT LAST!, Café Momentum, The Commit Partnership – Dallas County Promise, Paul Quinn College, Texas Woman’s University, University of Texas at Arlington, and Year Up United. Funding will help these institutions implement or strengthen learning environments, programs, and/or student outcomes.
CFT is dedicated to building thriving communities, inspiring philanthropy, and fostering impactful giving. CFT believes that a healthy, vibrant community is one in which every individual feels valued and cared for, with access to education and meaningful workforce opportunities playing a critical role in our region’s growth and prosperity.
“Two out of three young adults in Dallas County don’t currently earn a living wage. The local nonprofits we’re funding are going above and beyond in innovative and new ways to equip students for success, ensuring the individuals they serve become strong competitors in a variety of job markets,” said Wayne White, CFT’s President & CEO. “Each grantee works to make higher education and workforce training accessible, helping more students secure in-demand careers and financial independence.”
CFT is committed to solving some of the biggest challenges in education through its statewide Educate Texas (EDTX) initiative. The EDTX team is uniquely positioned to recognize where vital support is needed in real-time to scale solutions within school districts, colleges, and universities that have the potential to accelerate a strong economic workforce across the state of Texas.
“Our vision is for all Texans to have the education they need to find a purposeful career, and realize the big dreams they have for themselves, their families, and their communities. Partnering with these outstanding organizations furthers our mission to solve the biggest challenges facing our great state of Texas,” said Kerri Briggs, CFT’s nationally recognized education expert and Executive Director of Educate Texas. “Educate Texas originated from the mission of CFT to ensure communities thrive, and there is no better path to opportunity than a quality education that prepares you for life,” said Briggs.
The grantees serve students across North Texas and offer a variety of innovative learning opportunities. Aspire to Learn provides learning programs for students of all ages – from early childhood to adults pursuing careers. AT LAST! immerses impoverished elementary school-aged kids in educational resources during the home life hours with its “scholar-in-residence” program. Serving justice-involved youth, Café Momentum fosters hands-on opportunities to learn life and industry skills.
CFT’s grant to The Commit Partnership supports expansion of the Dallas County Promise, a coalition that helps individuals complete college and begin their careers. As the nation’s first and only Urban Work College, Paul Quinn College’s mission is to eradicate intergenerational poverty, reduce student debt, and ensure career readiness through its Corporate Work Program. Year Up United empowers young people to reach their full potential by offering a rigorous career and workplace readiness program that includes classroom instruction and access to an internship, with students earning a stipend throughout the program.
Texas Woman’s University is the nation’s largest public university primarily for women and is renowned for its contributions in the fields of healthcare, liberal arts, education, and more. University of Texas at Arlington is known as a comprehensive research, teaching, and public service institution, and CFT’s grant is supporting students who have been part of the foster care system or who have experienced homelessness, to help UTA increase retention for this student population.
The following table provides a full list of CFT’s latest grantees, information on award amounts, and what CFT’s funding will support.
Organization | Grant Amount Awarded | What’s Funded |
Aspire to Learn | $500,000 | Funding will support Aspire’s workforce training programs for Certified Operator of Powered Industrial Trucks (PIT), Certified Logistics Technician (CLT), and Certified Logistics Associate (CLA). The highest-level certification can be completed in as little as one week, allowing students to secure jobs that pay between $40,000 – $50,000 annually. |
AT LAST! | $1,500,000 | Funding will support the development of AT LAST!’s second residential facility.
An additional building will allow AT LAST! to serve 82 more kids, connecting youth to the “scholars-in-residence” program. This provides a “boarding experience” for elementary students attending nearby schools.
AT LAST! focuses on the time children are outside of school, connecting them to quality academic support, technology, counseling, and more.
|
Café Momentum | $500,000 | Funding will support Café Momentum’s new flagship location.
Café Momentum is a nonprofit restaurant that provides workforce development to justice-involved youth. Its new building will allow the organization to serve 20% more individuals, provide enhanced wraparound services, and improve overall financial performance. |
The Commit Partnership – Dallas County Promise | $3,000,000 | Funding will support the development of the Economic Mobility Center. It will also improve real-time data access across five participating Dallas school districts through an integrated regional data infrastructure created by Economic Mobility Systems, and increase the presence of Education is Freedom in Dallas County. Education is Freedom is a key partner in this effort to advance economic mobility, providing comprehensive career planning and college readiness services to middle and high school students across the county. |
Paul Quinn College (PQC) | $250,000 | Funding will support the PQC Campus Master Plan.
|
Texas Woman’s University – Dallas Campus (TWU) | $250,000 | Funding will support the development and growth of the TWU Dallas Campus through the creation of a strategic plan, helping set the course for the school over the next decade.
|
University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) | $250,000 | Funding will support UTA’s Emerging Mavericks program, which will serve the unique needs of students who are alumni of the foster care system, homeless, or at risk of being homeless.
|
Year Up United | $1,380,000 | Funding will support Year Up United’s work-based learning program.
|
###
About Communities Foundation of Texas
The mission of Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) is to improve the lives of all people in our community by investing in their health, wealth, living, and learning. CFT works to accomplish this by growing community giving, expanding community impact, and advancing community equity. With a vision of building thriving communities for all, CFT works locally and across the state with many individuals, families, companies, foundations, and nonprofits through a variety of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking initiatives. CFT professionally manages more than 1,300 charitable funds and has awarded more than $2.6 billion in grants since its founding in 1953.
CFT is committed to serving and understanding donor needs, expertly handling complex gifts, wisely managing charitable funds, and leveraging its community knowledge to increase charitable impact, in addition to powering several initiatives including the W. W. Caruth, Jr. Fund at CFT, CFT’s Center for Business Impact, Educate Texas at CFT, Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy at CFT, GiveWisely, and CFT’s North Texas Giving Day. CFT’s North Texas Giving Day raised $70 million on a single day in 2024 to help over 3,200 North Texas nonprofits. Learn more at CFTexas.org.
About Educate Texas
Educate Texas, an initiative of Communities Foundation of Texas exists to help solve the biggest challenges facing public education. Its vision is for all Texans to have the education they need to earn a sustainable living wage, find a purposeful career, and realize aspirations for themselves, their families, and their communities.
The dynamic education team works collaboratively with partners through programs and policies to ensure every Texas student is prepared in school, the workforce, and beyond. Since 2003, Educate Texas has partnered with school districts, institutions of higher education, businesses, community and civic organizations, state agencies, and policymakers to strengthen the public and higher education systems for all Texas students. Learn more at edtx.org. Follow us on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn.
Coach Keldrick McKinney is a native of Dallas, Texas who enters his third year as the Head Track and Field/Cross Country Coach at Paul Quinn College. After serving one year as Associate Head Coach under the leadership of Coach Maurice West; Coach McKinney was given the opportunity by Paul Quinn’s legendary Athletic Director James “Zip” Summers.
The program has quickly grown from 3 to now 25 student athletes under the leadership of Coach McKinney. In the second year of competing at the Red River Athletic Conference Track and Field Championships, the Paul Quinn Tigers placed two athletes in the Top 10.
Coach McKinney received his bachelor’s in Kinesiology from Prairie View A&M University. After graduation he then opened a training facility where he trained hundreds of athletes. This provided the background and experience for Coach to thrive at the next level. Coach McKinney’s student-athletes not only excel on the track but also in the classroom as well. Coach McKinney’s team maintains over a 3.0 gpa.
Coach Michael Delgado has been coaching at the collegiate level since 2009. He began his coaching career at Howard Payne University, shortly after starting his time there as a collegiate soccer player. He began as a student coach and after graduating with a degree in Spanish Education, became an assistant.
In 2015, Coach Delgado moved back to Dallas to form the Men’s and Women’s Soccer program at Paul Quinn College as the assistant coach and became the head coach of the Women’s team in 2017. From 2015-2021 he was also the Men’s assistant coach.
In 2021, Coach Delgado took over the Men’s program and led the team as the #3 seed (highest in school history) to the USCAA National Championship for the 3rd year in a row, with a 3rd place finish.
Coach Delgado is a Dallas native and graduated from Mesquite Poteet High School as a district MVP & All-State. He holds his Master’s degree from Concordia University in Coaching & Athletic Administration. He resides in the campus neighborhood of Highland Hills and lives daily by his motto, #AlwaysRefuse2Lose.
Brandon Espinosa starts his fourth season as Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Paul Quinn College.
Last season, Coach Espinosa and the Tigers had a historic 19 game turnaround from the previous year going from 7-25 to 26-2 (12-2 RRAC). Coach Espinosa led the 2021-2022 Tigers to the school’s first USCAA Men’s Division I National Championship and the 3rd overall national championship in school history. The Tigers also won the Red River Athletic Conference West (RRAC) regular season title for the first time since joining the conference in 1998. The Tigers finished the 2021-2022 season with the most RRAC wins and highest winning percentage in a season in program history.
The Tigers were the No. 1 seed at USCAA Nationals and had a dominant showing with 3 double digits wins. The championship game featured seven ties and ten lead changes. After trailing by four at half, 38-34, Bryant & Stratton led 67-65 with 6:33 left in the game. Henry Hampton hit a jumper a minute later to give Paul Quinn the lead to highlight a 10-0 run to seal the victory for the Tigers. Ja’Mare Redus led PQC with 18 points while Hampton finished with 17. Spencer McElway added 12, Ja’Mere Redus came off the bench and scored 11, and Steven Tynes chipped in seven points and nine assists.
While the team’s collective efforts were the deciding factor in their success, several outstanding individuals led them both on and off the court. Coach Brandon Espinosa was recognized as the USCAA National Coach of the Year. In addition, senior forward Spencer McElway was selected as a USCAA 1st Team All American, USCAA All Tournament Team and RRAC 2nd Team All Conference. Sophomore forward Trevoin Shaw was voted USCAA 1st Team All American, USCAA All Tournament Team and RRAC 1st Team All Conference. Sophomore guard Ja’mare Redus received USCAA Tournament MVP as well as USCAA 2nd Team All American Honors. Sophomore guard Torron Mingo Jr. earned the USCAA Academic All American award. Junior guard Caleb Thompson received the RRAC Champions of Character award.
During his first season with Paul Quinn, Espinosa led the Tigers to the most conference victories since 2012-2013. In addition, PQC had two players receive RRAC All Conference honors; Spencer McElway was 1st Team All RRAC and Mateo Escheik received 2nd Team All RRAC honors. McElway also joined the schools 1000-point club.
Espinosa also serves as the Director of EYBL and 17U Head Coach for Drive Nation which was founded by former NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal. This summer Drive Nation qualified for the 2021 Nike Peach Jam and currently has the most ESPN Top 100 ranked players in the country.
Espinosa has held coaching positions at Bossier Parish Community College, Ranger College and with the Dallas Mavericks NBA G-League affiliate, Texas Legends.
Espinosa is a native of Houston, Texas. He played collegiately for Dallas Christian College, where in 2010 they won the ACCA National Championship. Espinosa earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 2011.
Paul Quinn did not compete in 2020-2021 due to Covid-19.
Camille Smith is in her first season at Paul Quinn College.
Smith was hired in early March and her most recent position was as an Assistant Coach for the WNBA Dallas Wings.
Prior to coaching, Smith played professionally for 10 seasons internationally and 12 seasons in the WNBA before retiring in 2019. Smith was drafted to the San Antonio Silver Stars in the 2007 WNBA Draft as the 17th Overall pick. Amid the start of the 2008 WNBA season, Smith was selected in the Atlanta Dream dispersal draft before being traded to the Seattle Storm where Smith played and won a championship in 2010! In 2015 Smith was traded to the Connecticut Sun, then to the Phoenix Mercury in 2017, where she finished her career.
Internationally, Smith played on multiple teams in Israel (2015 Israel League Champion) and China. She also played in Turkey, Limassol, Cyrpus, Ragusa, Sicily (2016 Cup Champion), Lebanon (2017 Arab Cup Champion), Montpelier, France, and Venice, Italy (2018 Euro Cup runner-up).
As a former student-athlete at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Camille graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in interpersonal communications. A four-time All-ACC selection, she finished her college career with over 1,700 points, 800 rebounds, 250 assists, and 250 steals. As a senior, Camille averaged 13.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game along with 99 steals to help the Tar Heels reach the Final Four. Camille is ranked among the top 20 all-time scorers at UNC and was named Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press following her junior year. She averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds as a junior. As a sophomore, Camille averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in the ACC tournament, including a 23-point game against Duke in the finals. In 2004, she was named ACC Rookie of the Year and was the only freshman selected as a finalist for Kodak All-American honor. Camille became the first Tar Heel to be named first-team All-ACC as a freshman.
In high school, Camille was named Associated Press NC Player of the Year and NC Miss Basketball (Class 3A; 2003). Camille was also awarded State Player of the Year by the Charlotte Observer and NC Gatorade Player of the Year (2002 and 2003). In 2001, Camille shared AP Player of the Year honors at Carver High School and helped her team finish with a 30-0 record and State Championship. Camille is a three-time All-State Selection and averaged 20.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game during her senior year. She holds the record of 2,168 career points during her high school career, was a McDonald’s High School All-American, and played in the 2002 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival. Camille was also named Piedmont Triad All-Conference, four years in a row, and Piedmont Triad Conference Player of the Year, three years in a row.
Camille Smith & her husband Jeremis Smith are happily married & live in the Historical Stop 6 Community.
Coach Patrick Gonzalez is a native of Fort Worth, Texas. He has a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with emphasis in Criminal Justice from Texas Wesleyan University. He also has a M.Ed. in Sports Administration from Concordia University in Austin, Texas. He has coached volleyball for over thirteen years. He has coached on the high school, club, and collegiate level.
He currently coaches for 360 Volleyball Club in Arlington, Texas. Coach Gonzalez brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Paul Quinn College volleyball program. He served as the women’s assistant volleyball coach at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee for five seasons. While at Fisk University, Coach Gonzalez served as an Admissions Counselor and Director of International Student Services in the Office of Student Engagement. He has also worked at Howard University in Washington, D.C. and served as the Associate Director of Minority Outreach in the Office of Admissions. He most recently was selected into the Big XII Reach & Teach Volleyball Diversity Program.
