The Catholic Foundation Reassurance ›

 

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and staff of The Catholic Foundation, I want to reassure our donors, grant recipients and partners that The Catholic Foundation is here for you during this unprecedented time. While our staff will be working remotely to maintain health and safety, we can still be reached by phone, email, website and social media.

 

The work of The Catholic Foundation will not be interrupted. The Foundation will continue to award grants as planned, and we will be in contact concerning upcoming scheduled events and meetings.

 

Our prayers are with all of you as we navigate through these challenging days. Following Christ’s lead, we will take one day at a time with the confidence that the Lord will keep watch over each of us and replace our worries with His peace.

 

J. Matthew Kramer
President and CEO

 

Processing Grant Requests and Contributions ›

 

The Catholic Foundation continues working remotely to serve you, our donors, and our community. Please submit any request via Donor Link, or via email to mgalvin@catholicfoundation.com.

 

It is our intention to complete grant requests weekly as normal. If your grant is in excess of $25,000, please include wire instructions with the request so we may wire the funds to the grantee. All other requests will be processed by check. However, it is a good idea to ensure that your grantee organization is set up to take care of incoming checks during this time.

 

This process DOES NOT apply to any capital campaign grants or contributions.

 

Please continue to monitor our website for any changes to our weekly process if they become necessary. For donations to The Catholic Foundation, or your individual fund, it is most efficient for those to be done via credit card on this website or on Donor Link. 

 

We can also accept wire transfers, ACH payments or stock gifts. Please contact Carol McDonald at 972-661-9794 for contributions of this manner, or if you have questions.

 

Checks may be sent to our office and will be deposited as soon as possible. We are here to help and facilitate your gifts during this very trying and ever-changing time. We are all in this together, and we will all get through this together!

Awards Dinner Stage Photo - 2018
Arbol de la Vida 2019 Award Dinner stage backdrop
Art Plaza in Downtown Dallas photo

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The Catholic Foundation was established in 1955 by a group of visionary Catholic business and professional leaders in the midst of a period of remarkable growth and prosperity in the Dallas area to ensure that the physical and spiritual needs of those in the community who were less fortunate would never be overlooked.

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Latest from the Foundation

Joe Dingman

Joe Dingman named 2020 Catholic Foundation Award honoree / Affordable housing advocate to be honored during Feb. 1 dinner for his leadership and service to assist elderly and homeless / Registration available online

Joe Dingman, a successful Dallas-based real estate investment manager, has been named the 38th Catholic Foundation Award honoree. Joe will be recognized for his Christian example and significant impact made during the past three decades to provide access to affordable housing in the Dallas area.  

On February 1, 2020, Joe will be honored during The Catholic Foundation Award Dinner at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. Table and individual reservations for the 2020 Catholic Foundation Award Dinner can be made online here.

Sister Mary Anne Owens, School Sisters of Notre Dame, will serve as the 2019 Award Dinner chair. She previously served as executive director of Catholic Charities Dallas, and currently serves on the board of directors for the Catholic Housing Initiative and Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep.  

The Catholic Foundation Award recognizes an individual’s distinguished service and support to further the religious, charitable and educational needs throughout the local Catholic community.

“Most people have no idea about the tremendous impact Joe has made through many housing initiatives. Joe co-founded and continues to be a leader at the Catholic Housing Initiative, and his faith and diligence has provided homes for so many of our families, senior citizens, and homeless,” said Matt Kramer, president and CEO of The Catholic Foundation. “Joe is a man of humility, strength, vision and service, and we are proud to recognize him with The Catholic Foundation Award.”   

A CPA, Joe earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Benedictine College in Kansas and a Master of Business Administration degree from Marquette University in Wisconsin. After college graduation, he worked in Milwaukee where he met the love of his life, Carol. The two married in 1968 and moved to New Jersey before relocating to Dallas in 1970 where they raised two daughters, Chris and Ann. 

From college to 1982, he worked in a series of progressively responsible corporate finance and planning roles and took a position with a real estate investment management firm that year.
Joe founded Orion Realty Advisors in 1998, providing advisory and property management services to German commercial real estate investors to this day. He co-founded the Catholic Housing Initiative in 1991, and currently serves as treasurer with responsibility for development, refinancing and acquisitions.

Joe’s commitment, vision and hard work in this purely volunteer capacity has created affordable housing for seniors and families at six sites in the Dallas community with 768 apartment units, the 104-unit St. Jude Center for persons experiencing homelessness and another new project in the works to benefit the homeless. Joe was also an instrumental force in the creation of St. Joseph Village in Coppell (now CHRISTUS St. Joseph Village).

In addition to his work with the Catholic Housing Initiative, he has served as a board member for Catholic Charities Dallas, a budget committee member of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, director of Uptown, Inc. and past finance committee chair for St. Rita Catholic Community in Dallas. Joe and Carol are members of Mary Immaculate Parish.

“I’m humbled and honored to be selected as The Catholic Foundation Award honoree, said Joe. “I hope this recognition shines a light on the importance of helping those around you, especially those less fortunate.”

The Catholic Foundation Awards $862,656 in Grants at Fall Ceremony

The Catholic Foundation awarded $862,656 in grants to 19 local schools, churches and community organizations during its fall grant ceremony Nov. 22 at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Community, a past grant recipient of the Foundation.
 
The grants will help fund major building renovations, finance technology upgrades, purchase vehicles, buy textbooks and build a new church. 

“We are pleased that we, along with the help of our board of trustees and generous donors,  continue to make a lasting impact in our community,” said Matt Kramer, President and CEO of The Catholic Foundation. “Careful consideration goes into the grant evaluation and selection process, and we are honored to provide these funds that make a difference in the communities served by these organizations.”

Twice per year, The Catholic Foundation distributes community grants to local schools, parishes and nonprofit organizations at grant ceremonies. Grant requests are reviewed by the Board of Trustees’ Distribution Committee, followed by documented site visits through which the recipients and funding amounts are determined.

Grants are made from the unrestricted Philanthropy Fund and restricted funds of The Catholic Foundation. Individuals or families, named or otherwise, establish restricted funds at the Foundation to benefit their communities today and for future generations.

The 2019 fall grant recipients and their projects are as follows: 

­    ALL SAINTS CATHOLIC SCHOOL | Replace HVAC
­    BISHOP DUNNE CATHOLIC SCHOOL | Women’s Athletic Facilities 
­    BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC PARISH | Renovation of Gathering Space
­    CATHOLIC CONFERENCE AND FORMATION CENTER | Maintenance Vehicle
­    DALLAS DISCALCED CARMELITE MONASTERY | New Flooring 
    (Partial funding provided by the O’Connell/Schulze  Fund)
­    HOLY FAMILY OF NAZARETH CATHOLIC CHURCH | Electrical Boxes
­    HOLY SPIRIT CATHOLIC PARISH | New HVAC for Church
­    IN MY SHOES | New HVAC
­    MARY IMMACULATE CATHOLIC SCHOOL | Touch Panels for Classrooms 
­    NOTRE DAME SCHOOL OF DALLAS | Passenger Van
­    SANTA CLARA OF ASSISI CATHOLIC PARISH | Furnishings & Equipment 
­    SMU CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY | Part-Time Counselor 
­    ST. ALBERT THE GREAT PRIORY | Renovate Upstairs Priory (Partial funding provided by the Bradley Fund)
­    ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX CATHOLIC CHURCH | New HVAC for Church
­    ST. CECILIA CATHOLIC SCHOOL | New Roof
­    ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC SCHOOL in Richardson | Middle School Technology Renovation
­    ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL CATHOLIC PARISH in Grand Prairie | New Church
­    ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE CATHOLIC SCHOOL | Textbooks 
­    ST. VINCENT DE PAUL PHARMACY | Outreach/Outcome Analyst

LATEST NEWS

April 3, 2020

28 Churches, Schools and Non-Profits Receive $1.1 Million in Spring Grants

The Catholic Foundation awarded $1,186,250 in grants to 28 Dallas-area Catholic churches and schools and non-profit community organizations as part of its spring grants distribution. Approved prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the grants are funded through The Catholic Foundation’s unrestricted Philanthropy Fund and other legacy field of interest funds.
April 1, 2020

The Good News Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic

As we shelter in place as a society, our president and CEO Matt Kramer offers good news about millions of dollars in grants that are being provided to Dallas-area Catholic churches and schools and other non-profit organizations.
March 29, 2020

Together, Or Socially Distanced, We Form A Strong Foundation

The Catholic Foundation remains very active, safely working from our homes, as we support the charitable passion of our donors and help those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The vision of The Catholic Foundation is to be the primary philanthropic leader whose trusted stewardship satisfies our donors' intentions while meeting the needs of our Catholic community.