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The Caruths and
Communities
Foundation of Texas

Down the hill from Caruth Homeplace is the headquarters of Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT). CFT and the Caruth family have had a close relationship for more than four decades.

In 1974, Will Caruth, Jr. established the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Foundation at CFT, which has distributed over $110 million dollars to support public safety, education, and scientific and medical research in Dallas and beyond.

It was through the generosity of Will's wife, Mabel Peters Caruth (1914-2000), that CFT
was able to restore the Caruth Homeplace, honor a remarkable family and preserves an important part of Dallas history.

Shortly before her death in 2000, Mabel made it possible for CFT to acquire Caruth Homeplace, and also provided the funds to build and endow CFT’s current headquarters at 5500 Caruth Haven Lane in Dallas.

In 2008, additional funds were given from her estate to CFT to permanently endow grantmaking by the foundation to meet the ongoing needs of the local community year after year.

Continuing the Legacy of Philanthropy

CFT’s renovation of Caruth Homeplace focused not only on restoring it to its 1938 condition, but enabling the adaptive re-use of the home so it could function as the headquarters for two major nonprofit organizations – the Hoblitzelle Foundation and the Summerlee Foundation.

The Hoblitzelle Foundation was established by Karl and Esther Hoblitzelle in 1942. Grants made by the Directors usually focus on specific, non-recurring needs of educational, social service, medical, cultural and civic organizations in Texas, particularly in the Dallas area.

Created in 1988 by Dallas philanthropist Annie Lee Roberts, The Summerlee Foundation is a private, non-profit charitable foundation whose purposes are restricted to programs in animal protection and Texas history.