Turning Philanthropy into Impact

Sharon King remembers the moment she first became engaged with Dallas Women’s Foundation. “Becky Sykes approached me at church one Sunday and asked for my help. You just don’t say no to Becky Sykes!”

The ask of Sharon was to chair the first-ever Grants Committee for Dallas Women’s Foundation – a role that the nonprofit professional and community leader knew well. Even so, she and her fellow committee members sought guidance from the long-established Meadows Foundation as they developed grantmaking criteria and guidelines for the new organization.

“The Meadows Foundation had been around for about 40 years when we approached Dee Paschal for advice,” Sharon recalls. “Dee shared wonderful insights with our group and posed some philosophical questions, too. Those questions prompted quite a bit of discussion and debate among our committee.”

Sharon describes the committee as “leading women in Dallas leading change for women and girls. We had a great group of women at the table.” They included Foundation Founders Vivian Castleberry, Joy Mankoff, and Virginia “Ginny” Whitehill, along with inaugural Board Member Rue Henry.

The group reached quick consensus around making grants as quickly as possible following the Foundation’s first fundraising luncheon in May of 1986 if it were possible. “We really wanted to get our name out there and to show the community what we could do by empowering WOMEN’S philanthropy. It was not something that was even talked about at the time, let alone being done.”

As the receipts were being tabulated from the luncheon event, Sharon and her committee went to work, identifying the deserving nonprofit organizations that would receive the very first Foundation grants. “We made a total of seven grants totaling $25,000 that first year,” Sharon shares, “and it was just a beautiful process. We had such thoughtful, forward-thinking discussion. It was truly an honor to be a part of the work.”

Sharon also remembers drafting the Grants Committee’s first recommendation for the Board. “I was working professionally, full-time and would do my volunteer work in the evenings and on the weekends. I remember Becky driving to my house for that first committee recommendation and me handing it to her through the window of her car so it could be included in the Board materials for a meeting the next day!”

It’s this kind of dedication and focus that has led to the Foundation’s success, with nearly $90 million granted in support of women and girl-serving organizations since its inception. “We’ve come a long way,” says Sharon. “We were learning so much in the beginning. It’s just amazing to see how far we’ve come and to see how much we’ve been able to accomplish.”

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Building the Foundation for Giving

Sharon King remembers exactly how she first became involved with the Dallas Women’s Foundation.

“Becky Sykes approached me at church one Sunday and asked for my help. You just don’t say no to Becky Sykes, especially in church!”

The request was to chair the first-ever Grants Committee—a role Sharon was uniquely prepared for as a seasoned nonprofit professional and respected community leader. Even with her experience, she and the committee sought guidance from the long-established Meadows Foundation as they developed the grantmaking criteria and guidelines that would shape the new organization.

“The Meadows Foundation had been around for about 40 years when we approached Dee Paschal, who at the time was their Executive Director, for advice,” Sharon recalls. “Dee shared wonderful insights with our group and posed some philosophical questions, too. Those questions prompted quite a bit of discussion and debate among our committee.”

Women Leading Change

Sharon describes the committee as “leading Dallas women leading change for women and girls.” The group included Foundation Founders Vivian Castleberry, Joy Mankoff, and Virginia “Ginny” Whitehill, along with inaugural Board Member Rue Henry.

The committee quickly reached consensus: following the success of the Foundation’s first fundraising luncheon in May 1986, they would move swiftly to make grants.

“We really wanted to get our name out there and to show the community what we could accomplish by empowering women’s philanthropy,” Sharon explains. “Women’s philanthropy was not something that was even talked about at the time, let alone being done with such intention.”

The First Grants

As the receipts from the luncheon were being tabulated, Sharon and her committee got to work identifying the nonprofit organizations that would receive the very first Foundation grants.

“We made a total of seven grants totaling nearly $25,000 that first year,” Sharon shares, “and it was just a beautiful process. We had such thoughtful, forward-thinking discussion. It was truly an honor to be a part of the work.”

Those initial grants were awarded to Incest Recovery, The Family Place, Concerned Citizens for Calvary Arms, Dallas Tenants Association, Parkland Memorial Hospital Breast Screening Clinic, SP-PAN Project, and Dallas Pilot Home—organizations addressing critical needs and advancing opportunities for women and girls across Dallas.

Dedication in Action

Sharon also vividly recalls preparing the committee’s first grant recommendations for the Board.
“I was working professionally, full-time and would do my volunteer work in the evenings and on the weekends. I remember Becky driving to my house for that first committee recommendation and me handing it to her through the window of her car so it could be included in the Board materials for a meeting the next day!”

It was that same level of dedication and focus that helped set the Foundation’s course for decades of impact.

Today, the Texas Women’s Foundation has granted nearly $90 million in support of women- and girl-serving organizations across Texas.

“We’ve come a long way,” Sharon reflects. “We were learning so much in the beginning. It’s just amazing to see how far we’ve come and to see how much we’ve been able to accomplish.”