The DPR Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization, marked a significant milestone this year, awarding its 10 millionth dollar in grants since its 2008 inception. DPR Construction established the Foundation to focus on supporting economically under-resourced youth, grades K-12. DPR co-founder Peter Nosler took on the role as the Foundation’s first president, with Gavin Keith and Jeff Vertucci taking part as two of its first Board members.

Today, the DPR Foundation’s Advisory Board works closely with DPR offices to identify organizations that align closely with the Foundation’s philanthropic mission, gifting each organization an average annual grant of $35,000. 

Over the past 13 years, the DPR Foundation has consistently shown up as one of the key donors for 70 nonprofits in the United States, many of which DPR Construction collaborates with as part of its volunteer-based community initiatives effort.

“Through the Foundation, we focus on building long-lasting relationships with local organizations that help youth gain an enriched community experience," said Nosler. "Once we select an organization, our commitment is solid, and we expect to continue our financial and volunteer support year after year." 

“DPR’s commitment to ‘Build Great Things’ extends far beyond our offices or customers—we strive to go into the communities where we work and live,” shared Nosler.  

Developing Lasting Partnerships 

DPR employees who take on the additional role as their local office's "Community Initiatives (CI) Champions" are influential in choosing which organizations are suitable candidates for annual DPR Foundation grant awards and long-term partnerships. Selection begins with DPR employees, who nominate qualified candidates, followed by the DPR Foundation’s Advisory Board reviewing all grant submissions for a final decision.

“The amount of time, effort and passion our CI Champs and volunteers put into writing grant submissions is telling of how much their candidates mean to them and their communities,” said Whitney Dorn, the current President of the DPR Foundation.

One of the longest running partnerships is with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta (BGCMA), with the DPR Foundation cumulatively investing over $700,000 to support three clubs in DeKalb County since 2009.

“Grant support from the DPR Foundation has supported a variety of program areas,” said Barbara Russell, BGCMA’s Vice President of Resource Development. “DPR’s generous support and fundraising efforts through company-sponsored events have provided much needed operational assistance for our clubs.”

“DPR is what we consider to be a ‘Five-Star Partner,’” added Bobby Dunn, BGCMA’s Sr. Regional Director. “DPR and the DPR Foundation have contributed to the mission of our organization through financial investment, participating and supporting our special events, engaging in volunteer opportunities, having a longstanding DPR representative on our county advisory board, and offering career expertise and programming.”

Commitment to Building Possibilities

The DPR Foundation has made it a point to provide continuous support to its community partners through unrestricted grants, allowing organizations to have greater flexibility to allocate it towards their various unique needs.

“Nonprofits are the experts with knowing where their money should be spent,” said Diane Shelton, DPR’s philanthropy leader who also serves as a director for the DPR Foundation. “So, when the Foundation awards unrestricted grants, we trust and respect their decision to use those funds however they see fit.”

Even at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DPR Foundation stayed true to its financial commitments by gifting mid-year "mini grants" to its nonprofit partners. Depending on each organization's needs, nonprofits put these grants toward necessities such as continuing essential services for youth, staff payroll and facility maintenance.

When Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, a long-time partner focused on supporting girls in underserved communities, had to shut down facilities due to the pandemic and storm damage, DPR stepped in.

“After the pandemic hit, we had to close our campuses and quickly pivot to a live interactive virtual delivery model for our programming, including connecting our girls and families with resources for internet access and much more,” said Brenda Smith, the Director of Operations for Girls Inc. Dallas. “The DPR Foundation’s grant support helped us cover unexpected increased costs, such as making adaptations to our programs to allow for COVID-19 safety, including the development of a new program delivery model, PPE, and higher staff-to-girl ratios for social distancing resulted in higher costs across the board."

Second Story, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of youth and families in Dunn Loring, VA, credits the DPR Foundation grants for playing a major role in providing the support needed to continue their facility and program operations during various periods they experienced financial strain.

"There was one particularly difficult year when we were concerned with our reserves and I knew who to call, our DPR CI Champion," said Jade Leedham, Second Story's Vice President of Development. "That same year, the DPR Foundation increased our annual grant by almost 80%, which helped put us back on track."

Staying true to the DPR Foundation’s mission has proven to provide positive outcomes for community partners receiving annual grants.

“We are proud to have DPR assist us with building organizational capacity within our staff through their professional development resources,” shared Mimi Bishop, Director of Development for Girls Inc. Dallas. “With the funding provided by the DPR Foundation, we will be able to expand and grow that capacity, ultimately helping us serve even more girls.”

Shelton adds, “If we can be a reliable partner for our organizations, we know we’re doing something right to help them achieve their goals in supporting under-resourced youth.”

Ever Forward Support and Programming 

When looking into which organizations to support, the DPR Foundation considers if a nonprofit has a history of demonstrating great educational programming and annually providing positive outcomes for under-resourced youth.

“As DPR continues to mentor and be part of the development of disadvantaged youth, we are finding touchpoints to provide influence and opportunities to leverage our skillset as builders,” said Gavin Keith, a co-founder and former president of the DPR Foundation who also takes a leadership role with DPR’s Community Initiatives Leadership Group.

Like many of the DPR Foundation’s community partners, Bay Area nonprofit Peninsula Bridge facilitates engaging education and career-focused events and programs year-round.

“We’ve been receiving major grants from the DPR Foundation since 2009, which has greatly transformed and helped expand our organization’s middle school program, provide teacher salaries, buy school supplies, and build out our high school advising model,” shared Randi Shafton, Executive Director for Peninsula Bridge.

“I have a huge amount of gratitude for our DPR partnership and how it shines a light on these incredibly generous partners that want to give back and connect with lower-income youth -which not only creates organizational change for Peninsula Bridge, but is also life-changing for our students and families,” said Shafton.

Keith added, “We have seen incredible results and created incredible relationships through the DPR Foundation, and we look forward to continuing our focused giving efforts to create a viable and significant impact within our communities for many years to come.”