Humanities Texas

The mission of Humanities Texas is educational excellence. Through programs that improve the quality of classroom teaching, support libraries and museums, and create opportunities for lifelong learning, we advance education throughout the state.

Summerlee Foundation

Founded in 1988, The Summerlee Foundation is a mission-driven, proactive organization dedicated to the support of animal protection and the preservation of Texas history.

The Cathy Nelson Hartman Portal to Texas History Endowment

Every month, more than half a million people from around the world use The Portal to Texas History to discover historical treasures from more than 450 collaborative partners at museums, libraries, and archives across Texas. With a digital library infrastructure that empowers the open sharing of cultural heritage materials, the Portal transforms the humanities capacity of its partners. The Portal provides free public access to a wealth of Texas history and culture, and is used by scholars for academic research as well as by K-16 students and educators, and lifelong learners.

In fall 2012, the UNT Libraries established the Portal to Texas History Endowment. The endowment enables UNT to extend the impact of the Portal by creating a permanent, sustainable source of income. Funds derived from this endowment serve as a catalyst for enhancing future technology development, acquisition and support; for adding collections and content to the Portal; and for creating lesson plans and supporting new educational initiatives.

The Burdine Johnson Foundation

In 1960, Burdine Clayton Johnson, a pianist, poet and lover of nature, along with her husband, J.M. Johnson, and several trustees, established The Burdine Johnson Foundation in Houston, Texas. The founding mission stated that the funds were to be used for the “purposes of public usefulness” and to administer and distribute the funds “exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, literary or education purposes.”

Pevehouse Family Foundation

In 2008, Beverly Pevehouse made the decision to create Pevehouse Family Foundation, Inc. as the vehicle to sustain their philanthropic endeavors. Enlisting the help of her children and trusted advisors, the Foundation is proud of the more than $5,000,000 awarded and spread across the Permian Basin and state of Texas. Pevehouse Family Foundation, Inc. is a Texas non-profit with its office located in Midland, Texas and specifies a geographic focus of awards to Texas based organizations.

The Whiting Foundation

The Whiting Foundation provides support for writers, editors, educators, and the librarians and archivists who preserve our shared cultural heritage. By nurturing new creations and expanding access to art and insight, the foundation works to help bring about a world where everyone can engage deeply with the richness of literature and the humanities.

Cathy Nelson Hartman

Cathy Nelson Hartman

Cathy Nelson Hartman is the former Associate Dean of the UNT Libraries, and the founder of The Portal to Texas History. Since its inception, the Portal has grown to include over 460 cultural heritage partners across Texas which provide online access to nearly 15.7 million digital files encompassing the rich history of our state. The Portal serves up iconic treasures of Texas history to a global audience. As a Primary Investigator, Cathy was awarded grants from foundations, state and national agencies totaling over six million dollars in external funding during her career. She served as the Asst. Dean for Digital and Information Technologies from 2005-10, and became Associate Dean in 2010, taking on a pivotal role in managing library operations. After retirement, Cathy returned to the Libraries for 8 months as Interim Dean of Libraries. In addition to bringing in substantial funding for UNT, Cathy has also given back. In 2012, she established the Cathy Nelson Hartman Portal to Texas History Endowment to enable UNT to extend the impact of the Portal by creating a permanent, sustainable source of income.

Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation

The Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation works to further the ideals, principles, and vision that Barbara Jordan exemplified during her life and career by identifying injustices, speaking truth to power, and empowering communities to address these injustices.

Texas Bar Foundation

The Texas Bar Foundation solicits charitable contributions and provides funding to enhance the rule of law and the system of justice in Texas.