This Year, Arlington's North Texas Giving Day Celebration Moves Online with Free Concerts and Community Showcase

As part of the upcoming North Texas Giving Day, the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation will award $60,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations and host a full day of live-streamed concerts broadcast from the Levitt Pavilion.

North Texas Giving Day, set for Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, is an annual 18-hour online giving event, coordinated by the Communities Foundation of Texas, that is designed to encourage residents to make a contribution to the nonprofit organization of their choice. All contributions made between 6 a.m. and midnight that day are matched in part by the Communities Foundation.

Visit the North Texas Giving Day website to view the participating non-profit organizations in Downtown Arlington and throughout the city.

Since 2014, the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation has sponsored a free community concert and awarded grants to recognize and highlight Arlington-based nonprofit organizations and help North Texas Giving Day contributors' dollars go even further.

“All gifts during North Texas Giving Day, regardless of size -- will make a difference and help our nonprofits do what they do best - care for others,” said Carolyn Mentesana, Arlington Tomorrow Foundation executive director. “From food banks to shelters, educational programs to health services, from support for our senior citizens to our youth - thousands of North Texas charities are helping our neighbors and neighborhoods as we face this crisis together.”

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Arlington Tomorrow Foundation event will be held virtually. The charitable endowment will award $5,000 bonus grants to three Arlington nonprofits and one school that raise the most money during select time blocks between 6 a.m. and midnight Sept. 17. Schools have their own fundraising block from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to compete for a bonus grant.

This year, the $10,000 People’s Choice Award grant will be awarded to the organization receiving the most votes through the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation’s text voting platform between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sept. 17. One vote per cell number; votes may be made from anywhere in the world.

In lieu of the annual Charity Showcase, Arlington nonprofit organizations will submit 30-second video/PSAs that will be posted on the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation’s social media platforms during the two weeks prior to North Texas Giving Day. Groups that submit a video will be entered into two random drawings for bonus grants of $5,000 each, to be drawn on Sept. 17.

Additionally, the foundation will also offer $20,000 in bonus funds, which will be offered to small Arlington-based nonprofit organizations that operate with budgets of less than $250,000 annually. To receive these bonus funds, these charities must be registered for North Texas Giving Day and provide a video/PSA to be shared on social media.

During the 2019 North Texas Giving Day, $50 million was raised through 102,000 donations benefiting 3,000 local nonprofits, bringing the 11-year total to over $290 million for our community. Last year, 146 Arlington charities received almost $1.8 million from more than 7,300 donations.

Community support for nonprofits is even more critical with the added strain of the pandemic, Mentesana said.

“As the city's largest charitable Foundation, the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation recognizes that philanthropy is a critical component to the community's response and recovery during these times of uncertainty,” Mentesana said. “Along with our first responders and healthcare workers, local charities are serving on the front lines of the community ensuring vital resources and other crucial community services are available to help those most in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

North Texas Giving Day concerts will be streamed on the Levitt Pavilion’s Facebook page. This year’s line up:

• 11 a.m. - Larry Gee 
• 1 p.m.  - Hannah Kirby and Brad Thompson
• 3 p.m.  - Bri Bagwell 
• 5 p.m.  - Ron Bultongez 
• 7 p.m.  - Radney Foster 

Shared in partnership with the City of Arlington. Original story by Susan Schrock, Office of Communication, City of Arlington.