Civic participation is a special duty for a company that owes its success to close community ties developed over many years. Belo takes seriously its responsibility to further public dialogue and improve life in its communities through philanthropic efforts.

The primary vehicle of those efforts is The Belo Foundation. It was established in 1952 as the G. B. Dealey Foundation in honor of Belo's longtime majority owner and founder of The Dallas Morning News; later it was renamed the A. H. Belo Corporation Foundation and then, simply, The Belo Foundation. During The Belo Foundation's 50 years of philanthropic efforts, it has awarded more than $20 million in grants.

The Foundation is funded by an endowment created by Belo and governed by five trustees who are current or former Company officers. The Foundation supports charitable organizations focusing on its areas of interest in the cities where Belo has companies.

The Foundation concentrates its financial support on two areas of longtime interest to the Company's founders and management:

• urban public parks and green spaces
• college-level journalism education

Special Projects

In 2007, The Belo Foundation, Robert W. and Maureen Decherd, and the estate of James M. Moroney Jr. and the Moroney family pledged $15 million to establish the Belo Center for New Media at The University of Texas at Austin College of Communication. The Belo Center for New Media will enable students to combine traditional and progressive media methods to shape the ideas and create the techniques that will change the face of communication in the future. The Belo Center for New Media will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, advanced production labs and seminar rooms, along with large auditorium spaces for introductory classes, film showings and conferences. The majority of the gift $12 million was pledged from The Belo Foundation while the balance of the gift was pledged from Robert W. Decherd and Maureen Decherd, and the estate of James M. Moroney Jr. and the Moroney family.

Belo marked its 150th year as a business institution in 1992, and as part of the sesquicentennial celebration, The Belo Foundation commissioned two major works of public art for installation in Lubben Plaza in downtown Dallas. The plaza was developed by Belo and deeded to the City of Dallas in 1985. In 1994, a third work of art was commissioned and installed in Lubben Plaza. Three prominent Texas artists - Linnea Glatt of Dallas, George Smith of Houston, and Jesus Bautista Moroles of Rockport - created the sculptures. The Foundation added a fourth work of public art to its collection in 1996 when Tom Orr was commissioned to produce a sculpture, which he named "Steel Wave." It is installed on the west deck of The Belo Building facing Ferris Plaza.

Among The Belo Foundation's recent efforts is the development of an applied journalism program in partnership with Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The Foundation has contributed $5 million to this initiative, financing the creation of a state-of-the-art digital newsroom, television studio and Web site for the program, and funding the endowment of the Belo Distinguished Chair in Journalism.