With each passing season, the Dallas Mavericks and Mavs Foundation continue to prioritize community involvement.
From safe learn-and-play spaces to volunteer initiatives, donations, grassroots programming, and grant funding, the Mavs Foundation’s impact reaches far and wide.
As part of the Foundation’s annual community investment initiatives, 10 DFW-based non-profit organizations received grants totaling $1 million.
With hundreds of grant applications submitted, the Mavs Foundation Board of Trustees was presented with many compelling programs for consideration. After much deliberation, the selection committee whittled down the list to identify this season’s deserving grant recipients.
Among the 10 non-profits selected to receive $50,000 grants are three organizations creating lasting change in the lives of women and young girls across Texas— Viola’s House, Girlstart, and Texas Advocacy Project.
Now, with an influx of cash in their tills thanks to the Mavs Foundation, these organizations can continue their life-changing work and expand their programming to impact even more.
Learn about the impact of these women-focused grant recipients below:
Founded in 2008 by Thana Hickman, Viola’s House was created to serve as a beacon of hope for teen mothers at risk of homelessness.
As a teen mother herself, Hickman was inspired by her Godmother Viola to establish a “village” to uplift young mothers, offering comprehensive support through access to immediate healthcare, housing, educational resources, transportation, on-site counseling, job readiness programs, and so much more.
A handful of tentpole initiatives include the Earn While You Learn program that rewards participants for attending parenting classes with “Baby Bucks,” redeemable at the on-site upscale thrift store, the Generations program, which ensures mothers and their children receive coordinated holistic medical care, and the Viola’s House diaper donation program that provides mothers free diapers for the first three years of their child’s life. In 2024 alone, Viola’s House distributed over 9 million diapers.
Located in the heart of South Dallas, Viola’s House currently operates three maternity homes providing around-the-clock services and two mobile units that meet the community on their terms.
“One thing that we’ve learned in this neighborhood is mothers have to choose between food and diapers in their household, and we see an immediate impact to their households when we place a pack of diapers into their hands,” Hickman said. “That money goes directly back into the household, so they don’t have to worry about some of those other needs.”
And there is no shortage of needs in the community. As the demand for service continues to rise, Viola’s House consistently answers the call, expanding its reach to serve a new demographic of mothers.
The $50,000 Mavs Foundation grant will help Viola’s House maintain high-quality, life-changing services in its newest maternity home geared toward older mothers and families with multiple children.
“It’s very important that Mavs supporters understand the impact of the Mavs Foundation because it’s grassroots organizations like Viola’s House that the Mavs Foundation steps in to help,” said Hickman.
“To receive a grant from the Mavs Foundation, our home team— we were just so excited, we were screaming in the office! But we also love that our home NBA team is coming into a community like South Dallas, with the 75215-zip code, and actually cares about what’s happening here in our community.”
Learn more about Viola’s House and how you can support their mission at ViolasHouse.org.
For nearly three decades, the women-led organization Girlstart has empowered girls across the U.S. through science, engineering, technology and math.
Here in Dallas, the Girlstart STEM Crew is changing lives for girls in 4th – 8th grade from marginalized communities, introducing them to critical programming and equipping them with the confidence to change the world through STEM.
With year-round in-school and after-school programs, summer camps and community events, Girlstart aims to provide an engaging curriculum and hands-on mentorship to showcase the “buffet” of possibilities through STEM.
“A unique thing about Girlstart is we are not about competition,” said Shane Woods, executive director at Girlstart. “We are about teamwork, failing forward with each other and getting a chance to say, ‘I did it, and I did it with my friends.’
“To see the girls learn and have that ‘aha’ moment in front of you— any teacher will say that you can feel that excitement when a kid knows they have accomplished the goal they set, but also, they get a chance to see that this career really could elevate them out of a current situation.
“These could be the people who solve the next big issues that come up with our environment. They could be the ones that find cures for diseases. And it really does start with what they do at Girlstart.”
Woods noted there will always be a growing need for STEM, and as one of the longest-standing programs of its kind, Girlstart will continue to evolve with the ever-changing STEM ecosystem.
“Thank you, Mavs Foundation, for being a part of the 2% that donates to women-led organizations,” Woods said. “This grant will allow Girlstart to continue our honored tradition of having low to no cost for the girls and their caregivers. This allows us to extend our programming, giving our girls the opportunity to learn, see what it feels like to be in a STEM career, and hopefully dream even bigger.”
Discover ways to get involved with Girlstart today at Girlstart.org.
For survivors of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and child abuse, obtaining legal services is often required to achieve the life-long safety they deserve.
The attorneys, paralegals, intake screeners, and many more at Texas Advocacy Project (TAP), work tirelessly to uplift and support victims across Texas navigating the legal system on their journey to safety.
“When victims come to us, they are ready to become survivors,” said Heather Bellino, Texas Advocacy Project CEO. “They have hope, they have courage, they have the resiliency and the strength that they need to access the justice system.
“We have a mighty and proud team that works in unity, reaching towards a North Star to be able to eradicate all domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, child abuse and human trafficking. We join together with our skills to move that needle and get everybody who deserves to be safe the safety they deserve.”
Many reports have found an increase in abuse since the pandemic, but what’s most alarming to Bellino is the growing lethality of the violent acts.
Texas Advocacy Project’s free legal services and all-encompassing victim support system are needed now more than ever, helping victims obtain court orders and protective orders or navigate custody and divorce cases, to live free from abuse.
“When we heard that Texas Advocacy Project was going to receive $50,000 from the Mavs Foundation, we leapt for joy,” Bellino said. “We know every single penny of that $50,000 will go towards changing somebody’s life, giving them safety, allowing them to lay their head on their pillow at night, without fear.
“This grant will allow us to help so many more Texans, people desperately in need of court orders or safety, so that they— your sisters, your aunts, your uncles, the people that you go to church with, the people that are in your grocery store, the people that attend Mavs games— those people who deserve safety can get it and can get it for free. And it’s great that the Mavs Foundation stands with us in that goal.”
Find out how you can make a difference with Texas Advocacy Project at TexasAdvocacyProject.org.
As Women’s History Month nears its end, the Mavs Foundation’s investment in organizations like Viola’s House, Girlstart and Texas Advocacy Project serves as a reminder that progress is made not just through recognition but through action.
Whether providing shelter and resources for young mothers, opening doors to STEM opportunities, or ensuring survivors of abuse can access legal support, the Mavs Foundation and its 2024-25 grantees are shaping a brighter future for women, children and families in Texas.
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