Cotton Bowl Foundation awards $225,000 in grants to North Texas youth organizations

ARLINGTON, Texas – Bright young minds and the teachers who inspire them in underserved neighborhoods across North Texas will receive a lift, thanks to $225,000 in support from the Cotton Bowl Foundation. At today’s Goodyear Big Play Luncheon, the Foundation announced grants to Mission Arlington, St. Philip's School and Community Center, Communities In Schools Dallas Region, Education Opens Doors, Teaching Trust, and Urban Teachers.

The Cotton Bowl Foundation’s mission is to serve the communities associated with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic by supporting programs that improve opportunities for underserved youth. 

“Goodyear Cotton Bowl game day happens just once a year,” said Carl Ice, Cotton Bowl Foundation Chairman. “The Cotton Bowl Foundation, however, leverages the goodwill of this grand tradition and makes an impact on the children and educators of our community 365 days a year. We’re very excited about the groups we are recognizing with grants this year.”

The Cotton Bowl Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to Mission Arlington that will enhance the after-school programming for more than 2,000 students by creating a centralized Youth Event Center in downtown Arlington.

St. Philip’s School and Community Center, one of the premier youth educational institutions in South Dallas, received a $25,000 grant that will support their STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) summer program. The 6-8 week full-day program, which will serve 150-170 children ages 2-12, includes academic instruction, hands-on activities, field trips, 1:1 tutoring, and enrichment classes.

A third gift of $25,000 was awarded to Communities In Schools Dallas Region (CISDR) to support the expansion of the SafetyNet Project, which provides teachers with training to better support children experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

Education Opens Doors received a $50,000 grant to support its primary program Roadmap to Success, which aims to provide middle school students and teachers with a college access roadmap to increase college-going knowledge and students’ self expectations. The program aims to provide 10,000 students with 900 additional minutes of active planning and career preparation discussion that are otherwise not provided by teachers or counselors during the 2018-19 school year.

A grant in the amount of $50,000 was awarded to Teaching Trust, a Dallas-based educational leadership development organization, to support its three core programs: Aspiring Leaders, Leadership Teams, and Community of Educators. Teaching Trust targets principals and teachers in Title I schools across North Texas where 84 percent of students served are economically disadvantaged. This grant is matched by an additional $50,000 from the College Football Playoff Foundation, which supports the teaching profession via its Extra Yard for Teachers platform.

The final $50,000 was awarded to the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of Urban Teachers. The Cotton Bowl Foundation’s gift will support the organization’s mission of preparing effective, culturally competent teachers who significantly accelerate student learning and remain teaching in the nation’s highest-need schools. Along with Teaching Trust, the College Football Playoff Foundation awards a matching grant of $50,000 that will contribute to the ongoing support of the comprehensive four-year teacher residency program.