40 Years of Impact: Ella C. McFadden’s Lasting Gift to Tarrant County
Ella C. McFadden was a devoted philanthropist whose generosity continues to make an impact on lives across Tarrant County.
The wife of W.H. McFadden, a successful oil tycoon who built his fortune through Southland Royalty Co., Mrs. McFadden ensured that their shared success would continue to benefit others long after their lifetimes. When she passed away in 1965, nine years after her husband, her will directed that a portion of the estate be used to establish a charitable trust for the benefit of her community.
Structured to grow over time, the Ella C. McFadden Charitable Trust allowed its assets to build for 20 years before being distributed. In 1985, the trust’s managers transferred $12.6 million to the North Texas Community Foundation to create a permanent endowment. The fund’s earnings were designated to support 13 educational and human service agencies that Mrs. McFadden supported during her lifetime.
Since its establishment, the Ella C. McFadden Endowment Fund has granted more than $37.6 million to those 13 nonprofits and is now valued at $39.9 million. Nearly 60 years after her passing, Mrs. McFadden’s vision continues to fuel vital community work and her legacy lives on through the impact of these organizations.
“Without the legacy of Mrs. McFadden and the generosity of others who supported the Tarrant Area Food Bank through planned giving, TAFB would never have grown to provide one million meals every week,” says Stephen Raeside, Chief External Affairs Officer at Tarrant Area Food Bank.
The 13 nonprofit agencies benefiting from the Ella C. McFadden Endowment Fund are:
>Boy Scouts – Longhorn Council
>Camp Fire – First Texas Council
>Fort Worth Country Day School
>Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains
>Meals on Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County
>Union Gospel Mission of Fort Worth
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