DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki gave a shout-out Saturday to the eight North Texas nonprofits that received Dirk Nowitzki Foundation grants this summer. Most of them attended the eighth annual Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Tennis Classic at Banner House at T Bar M that afternoon.
The recipients are the Dallas Tennis & Education Academy, For Oak Cliff, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County, Klyde Warren Park, Mosaic Family Services, the Studio School of Music, the Dallas Leadership Foundation, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Organizations apply during the year, and the foundation awards the grants afterward. The grants go to organizations focused on children’s well-being, health, and education.
Nowitzki said he was proud to partner with this year’s group.
“And I want to actually give a shout-out to some. We actually give the grants out this summer. Some of them, most of them, are actually coming today, this afternoon, to the event. So I’ll just run through them real quick and give them a nice shout-out,” Nowitzki said. “These are the grant recipients for this year, for the summer, and they do great work around the Metroplex, so we’re super proud to partner with them.”
Dirk Nowitzki Foundation Grants Reach From Oak Cliff To Collin County
Nowitzki singled out the Dallas Tennis & Education Academy as a longtime partner. The academy is Dallas’ National Junior Tennis and Learning chapter. It serves more than 1,000 Dallas children a year with tutoring, tennis instruction, life skills training, and college preparation, according to the academy. The foundation also backs the academy’s Nowitzki Excellence Team, which sends top junior players to national and international events.
South Oak Cliff’s 75216 ZIP code is the focus of For Oak Cliff, which calls the area its Superblock. The organization builds its programs around community building, education, advocacy, and the arts. Taylor Toynes is its CEO.
Farther north, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County have served children since 1968. Members ages 5 to 18 attend clubs in Frisco, McKinney, and Plano, as well as school-based sites in Princeton, during after-school hours.
Klyde Warren Park opened in 2012 as a deck park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway. It is privately managed by the Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation and offers free programming. A 1.7-acre expansion has been announced.
Mosaic Family Services was founded in 1993 by Walter Nguyen, a former refugee from Vietnam. It serves refugees and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Its shelter, counseling, and legal services are free of charge and offered in more than 25 languages.
In Richardson, the Studio School of Music provides music instruction, after-school programs, and mentoring to financially disadvantaged youth. The Dallas Leadership Foundation was founded in 1995. It runs neighborhood, reentry, and youth programs built around developing leaders in challenged communities. Mothers Against Drunk Driving is the eighth recipient.
Tennis Classic Pays For Dirk Nowitzki Foundation’s Work
The Classic is the foundation’s one fundraiser of the year. Jessica Nowitzki, Dirk’s wife, is the foundation’s president. After she got on board, the foundation started doing its own fundraising and events instead of only giving out grants.
“We’re super proud as a foundation to see the growth of the event from year to year, with more support, more fans, more celebrities, more support from the sponsors,” Nowitzki said. “So this has been an incredible ride to see it the whole eight years and then everything that went through to get to this spot. So we’re super proud, super happy. You guys know this is our one fundraiser of the year, and we raise funds that help us then to get obviously through the year to do all the fun stuff that we do with our foundation.”
“Whether that’s the food drives you guys see, Thanksgiving and Mother’s Day, we do it twice a year, the hospital appearance we do for Christmas, and then we also obviously support local charities here in the North Texas Metroplex,” Nowitzki continued. “Some of these charities do great work, and as we know, they don’t have the means, and the, yeah, I don’t know the English word, but they don’t have the means to raise that much funds for themselves.”
This year’s Mother’s Day food distribution supported more than 800 families, according to the foundation. Last year’s Classic, played Sept. 13, 2025, at the same venue, raised more than $1 million, PaperCity reported.
Recruiting the celebrity field is Nowitzki’s job, and he does not know in May or June who will show up in September.
“With the celebrities, it’s always the hardest part, just to get people that come and commit months before,” Nowitzki said. “And we all have busy and crazy schedules. So it’s always kind of like a hodgepodge. You never really know. I don’t know in May or June who’s actually going to show up in September. So sometimes that’s the most nerve-wracking thing, I think, of this whole thing, is trying to chase them all down and talk to them about what we do and get them involved.”
“But they’ve all usually always been super responsive and happy to help out, and we have some constants like Steve, and then there’s other guys that are new and learn more,” Nowitzki continued. “So just super thrilled that I have this network of people I reach out to now. Also, obviously, it’s a tennis event. I know a lot of tennis people since I’m a fan. So I reach out to all these guys all the time, and I’m trying to get them to come out. So that’s probably the most nerve-wracking part of this event.”
“The rest, obviously Scott and the team have been amazing in putting this event on and making it grow,” Nowitzki added. “There’s not much that I can contribute besides doing, obviously, sometimes some media and just spreading some awareness for the event. But my job is basically to recruit all the celebs and get them to come out. And that’s sometimes a little nerve-wracking. But super excited that obviously we always get a good crew, and this year should be super fun.”
Steve Nash is again captaining the other team. Peja Stojaković, who won the 2011 title with Nowitzki, is also in the field. The tennis pros include John Isner and Sabine Lisicki, who reached the 2013 Wimbledon final.
Two former Dallas Cowboys are playing for the first time: DeMarcus Ware and Michael Bennett.
Nowitzki’s sons played last year, and he planned to bring them back.
“So the kids, that was awesome last year. That was so well received, I think we’re gonna do that again this year. Not to give anything away, but yeah, they had a blast,” Nowitzki continued. “They get nervous. This is obviously the most people they’ve ever played in front of. So I might even get my daughter out today. She’s a teenager now, so things are a little harder. ‘Now, Dad, that’s embarrassing.’ So we’ll see how that goes later on. I’ll put her on the spot, but don’t tell her. But the boys are super thrilled to play.”
Tickets for the Classic ranged from $90 to $150. Rev Run of Run-DMC headlines the invite-only VIP After Party at Banner House, and its proceeds also go to the foundation.
