Dallas Catalyst Project
In early 2017, The Real Estate Council Foundation introduced a new fundraising model called the Dallas Catalyst Project to focus its philanthropic resources toward a specific Dallas neighborhood. TREC Foundation has partnered with Cornerstone Baptist Church, St. Philip’s School & Community Center and CitySquare to achieve the community’s vision for revitalization. The inaugural Dallas Catalyst Project includes an initial three-year, $1 million TREC Foundation investment as well as professional services from our members and their companies to help renovate 12,000-plus square feet of retail space along Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, restore the Forest Theater’s façade and construct a communal canopy space beneath the I-45 bridge. Together, we will ensure the Forest District reaches its full potential.
If you would like to get involved with the Dallas Catalyst Project, please email TREC Foundation Coordinator Kennedy Bower.
You may donate to TREC Foundation below or here via our Dallas Catalyst Project Wish Lists.
Partner Organizations
Cornerstone Baptist Church
Project Manager: Emily Henry, Studio Outside
Initial work to the church includes the beautification of its exterior, the implementation of edible landscaping, improvements to the building’s façade and signage as well as the installation of a playscape beneath I-45.
St. Philip’s School & Community Center
Project Manager: David Fazio, The Retail Connection
Renovation of 12,000 square feet of retail space at 1632-1644 Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, which includes architectural and construction plans, permitting, advisory services on potential tenants and an improved streetscape.
CitySquare – Forest Theater
Project Manager: Kim Hogan, StreetLights Residential
TREC will work with CitySquare on restoring the Forest Theater’s façade, which includes architectural/master planning, construction to the theater’s exterior and marquee and improved lighting.
Additional Projects
Associate Leadership Council Project
TREC’s prestigious leadership development program is an annual, cohort-based program that empowers its emerging professionals to self-select robust projects presented by Dallas Catalyst Project partner organizations. Each year, the ALC class selects a renovation project within the community that creates approximately $200,000 in value to the organization they choose to support.
Young Guns Foundation Project
TREC’s 1,000-member young professionals group will evaluate real estate project opportunities each year to serve DCP partner organizations. The first project, led by Jesse Montgomery of HPM and Benton Smith of Brasfield & Gorrie, will renovate the Cornerstone Baptist Church Community Laundromat at Ervay Plaza to serve its surrounding neighbors, adding $300,000 in value to the retail space in the neighborhood.
Young Guns Education Committee
The Education Committee provides an avenue for Young Guns to participate in volunteer opportunities that benefit educational institutions within the Forest District. The Education Committee is working with Charles Rice Learning Center and Dade Middle School.
Young Guns Volunteer & Community Engagement Committee
The Volunteer & Community Engagement Committee plans volunteer workdays that support TREC’s overall Dallas Catalyst Project goals and commitment. Previous volunteer days include work at CitySquare’s food pantry, renovating houses owned by Cornerstone Baptist Church and installing aquaponics gardens at St. Philip’s School & Community Center.
JPMorgan Chase PRO Neighborhoods Planning Grant
Through this grant, TREC Community Fund will develop a roadmap for equitable housing development that builds upon already progressing neighborhood planning and leverages the City’s new policies and equity metrics. TREC will develop this pilot program by working with partners in three Dallas-area neighborhoods (including the Forest District) that were identified as the most vulnerable to rapid transition.
Dallas Catalyst Project Team
Special Thanks to Our Funders
