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Community

Investing in Community

Drawing from deep family ties to Colorado Springs and North Texas, Lyda Hill Philanthropies operates at the intersection of legacy and innovation. Through key local campaigns and event sponsorships, we seek to uplift all communities in these regions for current and future generations.

Current Themes

A few of the themes we are focused on to accelerate change in these areas:

Key Community Based Projects

Legacy Projects

Sponsorships

Select Portfolio Examples

TOGETHER WE CAN DO MORE

A closer look at a few projects

Texas Trees Foundation – Cool Schools Community Parks

Texas Trees Foundation, through the State of the Dallas Urban Forest Report and Urban Heat Island Study, identified Dallas area school campuses as major urban heat islands. Most of these campuses have less than seven percent (7%) tree canopy coverage, and these heat islands are where students play. Additionally, in 2017, Trust for Public Land identified more than 500,000 Dallas residents who did not live within a 10-min walk to a park.
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Texas 2036

Texas’s bicentennial, the inspiration for Texas 2036’s name, is just 12 years and six legislative sessions away. As Texas’s population approaches 35 million people in 2036, an increase of nearly 6 million since 2019, this growth will only exacerbate the challenges facing Texans and their elected officials today. Fundamental issues in education and workforce, health, infrastructure, natural resources, justice and safety, and government performance must be addressed to ensure economic prosperity and quality of life for future Texans.
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Garden of the Gods Visitor Center

In the early 1990s, due to an insufficient annual budget, Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs fell into a state of disrepair. The two-square mile city park attracted more visitors than most National Natural Landmarks but suffered from outdated facilities, eroding trails, confusing roads, and overuse by the ever-increasing number of patrons.
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University of Colorado – Colorado Springs – Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience

Amidst rising global mental health challenges, there's a pressing need for innovative trauma care.
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Pikes Peak Waterways

Fountain Creek is a waterway that flows through the center of Colorado Springs. Years of neglect have resulted in a lack of accessibility, safety, and usability of this invaluable natural resource.
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Texas Trees Foundation – Cool Schools Community Parks

Community

Texas Trees Foundation, through the State of the Dallas Urban Forest Report and Urban Heat Island Study, identified Dallas area school campuses as major urban heat islands. Most of these campuses have less than seven percent (7%) tree canopy coverage, and these heat islands are where students play. Additionally, in 2017, Trust for Public Land identified more than 500,000 Dallas residents who did not live within a 10-min walk to a park.

Intervention

Since 2017, LHP funded Texas Trees to work with the City, Trust for Public Land, and Dallas ISD to convert schoolyards located in park deserts into public parks after hours. A Cool School Community Park allows the community to enjoy the new heat-safe playground, walking trail, benches, and a community gathering space.

Impact

In less than five years, Dallas gained 25 new Cool School Community Parks, impacting over 16,000 students, and increasing park access to 73% of Dallas residents. By 2026 Texas Trees expects new parks at 20 additional campuses for a total of 45 new public parks within a decade.

Impact Factors
  • Equitable
  • Transformative
  • Scalable and Sustainable
  • Public Private Collaboration

Learn more about Texas Trees Foundation




Texas 2036

Community

Texas’s bicentennial, the inspiration for Texas 2036’s name, is just 12 years and six legislative sessions away. As Texas’s population approaches 35 million people in 2036, an increase of nearly 6 million since 2019, this growth will only exacerbate the challenges facing Texans and their elected officials today. Fundamental issues in education and workforce, health, infrastructure, natural resources, justice and safety, and government performance must be addressed to ensure economic prosperity and quality of life for future Texans.

Intervention

Lyda Hill Philanthropies has provided critical capital to help establish and scale Texas 2036 as a vital thought partner and connector through its data analysis, research, and policy solution development work.

Impact

Lyda Hill Philanthropies has enabled Texas 2036 to: 1) Launch the Texas 2036 Data Lab – a publicly accessible collection of Texas data across more than 400 datasets, improving data access and utility for stakeholders across the state, 2) Partner with the Texas State Climatologist to study trends in extreme weather in Texas and the implications for water availability, water planning, and wildfire risk, 3) Develop the Future of Texas Energy Project, a rigorous analysis of how various scenarios for Texas’ energy future – with variables like energy output, cost of energy, and emissions – could impact our regional and state economies through 2050, and 4) Offer strategic guidance to policymakers on how to best leverage federal funds to address significant challenges facing the state.

Impact Factors
  • Evidence-based and Actionable Data
  • Systemic Change

Learn more about Texas 2036




Garden of the Gods Visitor Center

Community

In the early 1990s, due to an insufficient annual budget, Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs fell into a state of disrepair. The two-square mile city park attracted more visitors than most National Natural Landmarks but suffered from outdated facilities, eroding trails, confusing roads, and overuse by the ever-increasing number of patrons.

Intervention

Through collaboration with the Colorado Springs City Parks Department, Lyda ideated and funded the construction of the Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center, creating a true partnership between the private and public sectors. The blend of profit and purpose helped improve the experienced of the park, reduce vehicular traffic, and create the Garden of the Gods Foundation to support park maintenance and improvement.

Impact

Over the past two decades, tens of millions of visitors have explored educational exhibits and programs. Equally impressive, millions of dollars have been generated from Visitor Center revenue to preserve, maintain and sustain the park.

Impact Factors
  • Profit and Purpose
  • Others Can’t or Won’t
  • Collaborative
  • Sustainable Funding

Learn more about Garden of the Gods




University of Colorado – Colorado Springs – Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience

Community

Amidst rising global mental health challenges, there's a pressing need for innovative trauma care.

Intervention

In March 2020, Lyda Hill Philanthropies provided seed funding to create the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience (LHIHR) at the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs. This population-based resilience promotion program is the first of its kind, engages researchers from around the world, and has enabled faster and more holistic treatment for trauma survivors and their families.

Impact

LHIHR has become an influential force in mental health, especially for veterans and first responders. The Covid-19 pandemic further showcased the Institute’s agility in responding to urgent mental health needs, with the development of Greater Resilience Information Toolkit (GRIT) becoming an essential tool in addressing these challenges and is now used in 48 U.S. states and 20 countries.

Impact Factors
  • Catalytic
  • Evidence-Based
  • Transformative
  • Others Can’t or Won’t
  • A lasting legacy in Colorado Springs and beyond

Learn more about the Institute for Human Resilience




Pikes Peak Waterways

Community

Fountain Creek is a waterway that flows through the center of Colorado Springs. Years of neglect have resulted in a lack of accessibility, safety, and usability of this invaluable natural resource.

Intervention

In 2020, Lyda Hill Philanthropies provided a seed grant to create the COS Creek Plan to restore the natural functions of the corridor, create a premiere destination for outdoor recreation and leisure, support economic vitality and revitalization, and create a strong sense of place unique to Colorado Springs.

Impact

Using this plan and catalytic funding from Lyda Hill Philanthropies, Pikes Peak Waterways was established as a new nonprofit seeking to fulfill this vision. Within the first year, the organization entered into a 20-year collaborative agreement with the City of Colorado Springs and Colorado Springs Utilities to implement the plan.

Impact Factors
  • Catalytic
  • Transformative
  • Public Private Collaboration
  • A lasting legacy in Colorado Springs and beyond

Learn more about Pikes Peak Waterways.