NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants are awarded to eight DFW nonprofit organizations

NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants are awarded to eight DFW nonprofit organizations. This year's NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants support youth education and empowerment, next-generation storytellers, and community engagement.

NBC 5, Telemundo 39, and Comcast NBCUniversal announced that $227,272 has been awarded to eight local nonprofit organizations through the 2024 NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants.

"So that $30,000 goes so far here at The Welman Project," The Welman Project Executive Director Taylor Willis said. "It's going to enable us to give away over a quarter million dollars worth of supplies to our local teachers."

The Welman Project was among this year's North Texas recipients.

"The Welman Project is on a mission to fill a classroom and not a landfill," The Welman Project Creative Director and Co-Founder Vanessa Barker said.

The nonprofit's philosophy is 'creative reuse' of donated goods to help teachers and other nonprofits save money and keep those items out of landfills. Teachers shop for classroom items and project materials and don't have to pay anything.

"Our superpower is looking at those materials and going. what if you did this? What if you used it in this way," Barker said. "We don't look at items for what they are. We look at them for what they could be."

Since 2018, NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 have provided more than $1.5 million to local nonprofits through the grant program.

The competitive grant challenge, now in its seventh year, provides unrestricted funding to eligible nonprofits that provide vital support in the categories of youth education and empowerment, next-generation storytellers, and community engagement. The 2024 application period for eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits began March 19 and concluded April 19.

“Providing these grants is more than just financial support; it’s about investing in the future of our community,” said Tony Canales, NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 President and General Manager. “By empowering local nonprofits, we're helping to uplift and create opportunities for the next generation, ensuring that every young person and every community member has a chance to thrive.”

Founded in 2018, NBCUniversal’s grant program has now provided $18.5 million to 546 nonprofits. The 2024 NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants are providing $2.5 million in funds to nonprofits serving NBC and Telemundo-owned stations in Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Miami, San Diego and Hartford.

NBCUniversal Local Impact Grant recipients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are:   

Abide Women’s Health Services - $50,000
Abide Women’s Health Services provides comprehensive healthcare services to women in South Dallas. This nonprofit aims to achieve healthier pregnancies, births, and postpartum experiences through prenatal care, postnatal care, childbirth education, and postpartum support to women and infants, regardless of insurance status or financial constraints.

EmpathyHQ (Formerly known as Alliance Child and Family Solutions) - $12,500
Empathy HQ, formerly known as Alliance Child and Family Solutions, offers a free therapy 12-week program for students in South Fort Worth where otherwise, the youth and young adults may not have access to support at school or home. This nonprofit also offers unique experiences for graduate-level internships with their volunteer force. Over 7,000 volunteer hours are invested to improve the lives of over a thousand young people a year.

Children’s Advocacy Center for Kaufman County - $37,000
Children’s Advocacy Center for Kaufman County provides vital support to children and families trying to escape child abuse. Free medical evaluations, mental health services, forensic interviews, as well as family advocacy and community education services are provided to affected families.

Forney Education Foundation - $10,000
The Forney Education Foundation seeks to enhance education in the Forney Independent School District through various programs, including a grant program that awards money to educators, a hands-on ‘maker space’ for students, and STEAM camps.

Incarnation House - $15,000
Incarnation House provides essential services to unhoused high school students and teens in Dallas who balance life without reliable access to shelter while still being full-time students. The organization offers food, toiletries, clothing, counseling, and leadership development opportunities.

Literacy United - $40,000
Literacy United has worked for over a decade to serve economically disadvantaged children and adults by providing reading programs to help bridge the community's education gap. For 12 years, the "Bookworms Afterschool Reading Program" has helped students improve their reading skills. Now, it will support students needing literacy intervention at four Fort Worth ISD schools.

Mission Travis Mercy – $32,772.72
Mission Travis Mercy is a free clinic serving uninsured adults with incomes below the national poverty level. The clinic serves over 1,400 patients each year in South Fort Worth, and many services are provided by volunteer medical workers.

The Welman Project - $30,000
The Welman Project equips students with the tools and resources needed to succeed through hands-on STEAM education and sustainability programs. The Educator Resource Program is a creative model that keeps free materials flowing through classrooms at a low operating cost. Every $1 donated turns into $8.70 worth of supplies distributed.

For more information on the NBCUniversal Local Impact Grants, visit localimpactgrants.com, becasdeimpactolocal.com and follow on social @NBCUFoundation and #LocalImpactGrants.