Local Programs

Texas Region

Congratulations on the wonderful work you are doing in your community.  This year, given the serious economic environment, The Allstate Foundation at the regional level is primarily renewing support for existing partners and accepting applications for new relationships mainly in the areas of teen driving and economic empowerment for victims of domestic violence - the two social issues we are championing. 

As you might imagine, we get many more requests for support than we can honor with the limited resources available. Thank you for considering us and I wish you the best as you continue your valuable work in the community

Welcome to the Texas Region of Allstate Insurance Company. Below are examples of our recent community efforts. Congratulations to the 2008 Agency Hands in the Community grant recipients!

Social responsibility initiatives in Texas.

What Has Allstate Done in our Local Community?

Safe and Vital Communities

Love is Respect

• The 2007 Texas Legislature acknowledged the alarming increase in violent and controlling teen dating relationships and mandated that all public high schools adopt a Teen Dating Violence Awareness policy. The Allstate Foundation and Family Place of Dallas partnered to provide this curriculum to 25 Dallas-area high schools. Teens and counselors work through healthy relationship lessons, then role play respectful conflict resolution with peers. As part of the follow-through of this program, teens educate their classmates on the warning signs of unhealthy romantic relationships through skits, presentations and other activism projects.

Legal Solutions

• The Texas Advocacy Project provides expert legal services, free of charge, to survivors of domestic violence. The Allstate Foundation partnered with this respected resource to expand services to remote parts of Texas and to take advantage of the Allstate agency network throughout the state. Allstate agents provide life-saving access to legal services and safety kits through the safe environment of their community offices.

Keep the Drive

• In 2007, The Allstate Foundation provided critical teen-to-teen education on the dangers of distracted driving in San Antonio, Houston and El Paso. Through these high-energy events, hundreds of teens are now activists in their schools, spreading the smart driving message in order to save lives. The disturbing truth is that 6,000 teens are killed in traffic accidents each year and one in three 16-year-olds will experience a crash. These statistics have remained unchanged in the past decade, but Keep the Drive trained teens are working to reverse the trend.

Disaster Preparedness

• The Red Cross of Dallas provides emergency response and disaster preparedness training for 12 North Texas counties. The Allstate Foundation supports Red Cross efforts for emergency shelters throughout the heavily populated Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Street SMART

• In partnership with The Boys & Girls Club, The Allstate Foundation in Texas is supporting a unique educational program called Street SMART, an 11-week course teaching young people how to resolve conflicts without violence. The partnership helps make the program available to youth at Boys and Girls Clubs chapters in the metropolitan Houston area.

Economic Empowerment

Educating Future Generations

• Saving for college, buying your first car, learning how to build and establish good credit. These subjects are important for young people, but generally aren't addressed in the classroom. Fortunately these and a host of other financial topics were covered for readers of The Dallas Morning News  in a special publication titled "Money Matters." The publication was developed in a partnership with Junior Achievement of Dallas, through a grant from The Allstate Foundation in Texas. It was published in the Jan. 13, 2008 edition of the Morning News - to an audience of more than 600,000 readers. The partnership between Junior Achievement of Dallas and The Allstate Foundation also resulted in the sponsorship of four local schools, educating more than 1,100 local students in 58 classrooms kindergarten through 12th grade.  One hundred employee volunteers taught the economic curriculum to Irving students, while other employees raised additional funds to support the program by participating in the Junior Achievement Bowl-a-Thon.

Investing In the Future

• Texas students bullish on business are trading stocks and competing to be the next “Wizards of Wall Street” in the 2007/2008 Stock Market Game presented by The Allstate Foundation. Partnering with The Houston Chronicle, Allstate's goal is for youth to gain understanding of investing, budgeting, currency, ATM, credit cards and the stock market. The program will benefit students in the greater Houston area, and include Focus on Finance inserts to run in The Houston Chronicle throughout the year.

Financial Leadership

• The Allstate Foundation also collaborated with Innercity Community Development Corporation (ICDC) of Dallas to help fund their Youth Entrepreneurship Program. Students are offered valuable training through classroom instruction designed to help them develop core skills and learn the basics of how to start and operate a small business by using the Laundromat that is owned by ICDC.

Giving Families a Fresh Start

• In a partnership with the San Antonio Housing Authority, The Allstate Foundation provided families with the financial tools and understanding necessary for getting out of the cycle of debt and into the pride of home ownership. This course educates adults on saving for a down payment for their first homes, planning for home maintenance expenses, budgeting for utility bills and other routine costs of home ownership.  This course also prepares families to avoid predatory lending and how to improve and protect their credit scores.

More Than a Purse

• The Leslie K. Bedford Memorial Foundation prepares young women for a world of financial decisions, starting with saving and budgeting money, planning for college and embarking on a career.  These lessons teach girls the difference between needs and wants and how to begin their adult lives in a powerful, self-sufficient position.

Tolerance, Inclusion, and Diversity

Creating Change

• The Allstate Foundation awarded a grant to support The Dallas Black Dance Theater's educational residency programs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and throughout the nation, titled "Friends through Dance." This program utilizes dance education services to help teach tolerance and diversity to students in targeted communities.

Succeeding Beyond the Limits

• TECO Theatrical Productions in Dallas teaches school children to better study and play together by dispelling the myths and misconceptions associated with children with learning disabilities. "Succeeding Beyond the Limits," funded in part by a grant from The Allstate Foundation, helps students thrive and appreciate their own uniqueness.

Diversity in a New Era

• A partnership between The Allstate Foundation and Bridge into the 21st Century utilizes mentoring and other educational programs to educate youth on tolerance, respect, and acceptance of cultural differences. The programs provide a new and positive way of viewing others through a different cultural lens.

A World Perspective

• Students in the Austin area will learn about diversity through a cultural learning program of the Mexic-Arte Museum. A traveling exhibit of paintings, sculpture, music and other artistic contributions of many Latin-American cultures will tour schools as teachers lead research lessons on the beauty of diversity.

How About Local Volunteerism Efforts?

Agency Hands in the Community

• In 2007 agents throughout Texas volunteered their time to assist non-profit agencies. To support their efforts, The Allstate Foundation funded a $500 grant to these organizations via the Agency Hands in the Community grant program. With the help of this program, The Allstate Foundation donated over $90,000 to Texas non-profit agencies on behalf of Allstate agents.

Employee volunteer events

• Through the 50+ employee Helping Hands activities each year, many Allstate employees volunteer their time and energy to help local organizations raise money or serve those in need. These efforts include a March of Dimes raffle, Food Drive for Irving Cares, The Salvation Army Angel Tree program, The Ronald McDonald House, Salvation Army soup kitchen, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Children's Miracle Network Radiothon and many more.

Helping Hands employee grants

• Allstate also supports employee volunteers who want to support their favorite charities with financial contributions. Employees who donate their time and personal resources to non-profit agencies can request a $500 grant made payable to the organization. The Allstate Foundation believes that great community contributions are made with financial contribution, as well as personal involvement.

Who Do I Contact to Find out More About What Allstate Is Doing Locally?

Thank you for your interest in The Allstate Foundation. The Allstate Foundation has distributed all available funding in this region for 2009. Please check back after January 15, 2010 for more information on how to apply for funding.