What a great way to end the week! The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture got not just one but two mega gifts. The two endowment gifts add up to a whopping $1.5M. Yes, you read that right. Thanks to rolling up sleeves and dedication, the following gifts were achieved:
Kim Hiett Jordan and Nelda Cain Pickens
- Kim Hiett Jordan provided a $1M endowment gift to “ensure long-term security for the organization’s most integral position and will be called ‘The Kim Hiett Jordan Executive Director Chair of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture.’ Ms. Jordan also endowed the $50K Hiett Prize in the Humanities, the nation’s largest prize of its kind, which the Dallas Institute awards annually to an emerging leader in the Humanities.”
- Thanks to Margaret McDermott and the McDermott Foundation’s $500K for the Institute’s Louise and Donald Cowan Center for Education, matching funds were matched by Institute donors including Deedie and Rusty Rose, Dr. Nancy Cain Marcus, Betty and Gerard Regard, Ms. Jordan, Betty and Russell Bellamy and the Sapphire Foundation.
According to Kim, “I have been an avid supporter of the Dallas Institute for many years. The work they do there, and have done for over thirty years, is inspirational and it is without doubt one of the true cultural gems in the heart of this city. It was without hesitation that I offered an endowment to fund the Executive Director’s Chair. For me, there is no greater gift I can give Dallas than helping sustain this intellectual haven well into the future.”
Russell and Betty Bellamy and David Griffin
In addition to the Institute’s reputation and devoted supporters, its leadership — Institute Board of Directors Co-chair David Griffin and Board Chair Russell Bellamy — was instrumental in making these gifts come about.
Institute Executive Director Dr. Larry Allums said, “David as Development Chair and Russell as Board Chair have worked tirelessly to solicit funds for the Dallas Institute. Board leadership is crucial for all non-profits, and they are leaders with whom I am exceptionally proud to work. It’s great that they are serving now as Dallas Institute Co-Chairs. They respect and appreciate the generosity of our donors, the backbone of this organization, and all of us are forever grateful to Ms. Jordan, Mrs. McDermott, and our other supporters who have made these present contributions, all of which will help us continue our work in the Dallas area.”
Photo credit: Kathy King