A Note from our Chairman

A Note from our Chairman & Executive Director

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

The last two years have been a challenge for everyone. The pandemic forced us to change plans and change ways, to rethink priorities and to focus on what matters most—health and safety, family and friends. Through this difficult time, the help of our Moody Foundation staff coupled with the creative – relentless, at times – heroic work of the nonprofit organizations we support has enabled the Foundation to continue to meet its mission.

Given the swiftly changing realities and, often, overwhelming needs brought on by COVID-19, the Foundation temporarily streamlined its grant process to meet the urgent requests of nonprofits who serve first responders, medical and mental health professionals, frontline social and safety workers and educators. They fed the hungry, treated the ill, maintained safe environments for the most vulnerable and taught our children. Then, when Winter Storm Uri struck, the Foundation’s flexibility proved essential, enabling us to quickly respond to local nonprofits. They, once again, stepped up to help thousands and thousands of Texans in need.

During the past two years, education continued to be an important part of our grant giving. To address the ever-increasing digital divide which the pandemic only further exposed, the Foundation funded access to technology and reliable internet for students with financial and physical barriers. We continued to support early childhood education, STEAM projects, and programs to teach early reading and for children who learn differently. The trustees’ longstanding interest in higher education led them to make transformative contributions to three universities—one was to Rice University for a new student center and endowments to support student opportunity and success. A second was to The University of Texas at Austin. We were excited to celebrate the grand opening of the Moody Center, UT Austin’s new basketball arena and events center. This facility will offer the university, the city of Austin and the state a wonderful gathering place for a wide variety of community and school events. The third was to Southern Methodist University for the Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies and to enable expanded support for graduate students, greater interdisciplinary collaboration and research excellence.

As we reflect on these last two years, we acknowledge the sorrowful realities faced by so many of our fellow Texans. Yet, we also recognize the important ways Texans have come together, responded and persevered with our shared values of community spirit and determination.

As they always have, our local nonprofits are continuing to do the necessary hard work. The Moody Foundation is honored to serve alongside them to help our fellow Texans navigate toward a brighter future.

I wish you, your family, your community, our state and this nation renewed health and happiness.

Sincerely,

Frances Moody-Dahlberg

“I don’t know if my great-grandparents could have possibly imagined the enormous good their generosity would accomplish, but I do know for certain that today the Moody Foundation continues to be led by their philanthropic vision and guided by their founding mission, to be of benefit to present and future Texans.”

—Frances Moody-Dahlberg