A wide network of Dallas investors, business owners, and community groups has joined forces to put $5 million toward bringing the GreenLight Fund to the city.
The initiative aims to bring new solutions to some of the city’s biggest challenges. The fund will be directed towards tackling issues linked to racial inequality, social barriers, and economic gaps that continue to affect communities across Dallas.
The GreenLight Fund for Dallas
The Dallas chapter becomes the 15th GreenLight Fund established across the country since the nonprofit first launched in Boston in 2004. Over the years, the organization has invested $42 million into 63 community programs and helped attract another $400 million in outside support.
In the past year, these combined efforts have made a difference for more than 1.3 million people and families nationwide.
Co-founder of the GreenLight Fund and a longtime private equity investor, John Simon, said the group hopes to support the work already happening in Dallas rather than replace it. He shared that Dallas has always been on their list because of its fast growth and strong business scene.
Be that as it may, Simon also pointed out that while the city is thriving, many people aren’t seeing the same progress and continue to face barriers to economic mobility.
GreenLight now operates in Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Newark, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Minneapolis-St. Paul, with Dallas, is now joining the list.
Mark Cuban spoke about his intentions to the D Magazine CEO by saying, “I invested because I thought this was a positive for the city. I didn’t get into the specifics on where they’d invest the funds—they can make the decision they think is best. All I’ll say is: I like helping Dallas.”
John Simon explained that the GreenLight Fund operates like a venture capital or private equity firm. However, the money it manages comes from donations, not investors. He also said that the focus isn’t on financial gain but on creating real social impact.
According to him, the team manages the fund with the same discipline and accountability as a business, aiming to deliver meaningful and measurable change in the communities they serve.
Local Leaders and Corporations Behind The GreenLight Fund
Other Dallas hotshots that have invested alongside Mark Cuban include:
- The Billingsley family
- Adam Blumenfeld, CEO of Varsity Brands
- Tré Black, CEO of On-Target Supplies & Logistics
- Peter Brodsky, CEO of The Shops at RedBird
- Robert Covington, Managing Director of Braemont Capital
- Chris Gannett, CEO of Gannett.Partners
- Mark Gibson, CEO of JLL’s American Capital Markets business
- Sachin Gupta, CEO of IKS Health
- Anurag Jain, CEO of Access Health
- Robert Kaplan, Vice Chairman at Goldman Sachs
- Ashlee and Chris Kleinert, Founder of Ruthie’s Fueled by Good and CEO of Hunt Investment Holdings
- Mark Melton, Partner at Holland & Knight
- Frank Mihalopoulos, Owner of Corinth Properties
- Trevor Rees-Jones, Founder of Chief Oil & Gas
- Dupree Scovell, Managing Partner of Woodbine Development Corp.
Major companies and organizations have also joined the initiative, including:
- Bain Capital
- Bank of America
- Communities Foundation of Texas
- Deloitte
- Gene & Jerry Jones Family Foundation
- Goldman Sachs
- iHeartMedia
- NFL
- Southern Methodist University (SMU)
- Sunflower Bank
- Texas Capital Bank Foundation
- Texas Instruments Foundation
- United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
GreenLight’s Long Game Blueprint
The contribution levels for the Dallas GreenLight Fund range between $500 and $200,000 a year, spread over five years. Plans are already being discussed for a second and third funding round.
To give some perspective, here’s how growth has looked in other cities:
- San Francisco’s first fund totaled $3.5 million
- The second increased to $4.5 million
- The third reached $11 million
John Simon said the long-term vision is to make lasting change. Over the next 50 years, he hopes the fund will help improve at least 40 key areas in Dallas. His aim is to help the city grow stronger, fairer, and more connected for everyone who calls it home.
How GreenLight Turns Local Needs Into Action
Founding Executive Director Shareea Woods of the program will be heading the Dallas GreenLight Fund. She has previously led the Texas College Access Network at Educate Texas. Under her leadership, the fund will form a Selection Advisory Council made up of community and business leaders from across the city.
This group will work together to identify the most pressing local needs and decide which programs to support. The first round of funding decisions is expected to be finalized by the end of 2026.
In every city where it operates, the GreenLight Fund starts by listening to the community to understand which needs aren’t being met. Once those gaps are identified, the team looks for nonprofit partners that have already proven successful in solving similar challenges in other places.
GreenLight then helps those organizations establish a presence in the new city, connect with local partners, and start tracking their impact from the ground up.
For Cuban and other Dallas leaders, the GreenLight Fund represents a kind of philanthropy that results in a fairer and more connected city. By combining business discipline with community purpose, Dallas could become a model for inclusive growth.
