Purple Foundation

Purple Foundation raises funds for local organizations that work to improve the overall quality of life, health, wellness, and future of the Dallas LGBTQIA+ community.

Purple Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, founded in 2001 by Saul Flores and group of great friends. With donated proceeds of more than $2.1 million Purple Foundation has become an invaluable source of revenue for local service organizations whose work reflects our mission.

We do it by sponsoring fundraising events, funding targeted programs, or underwriting special projects through essential LGBTQIA+ service providers, right here in the Dallas area. We’ve been “presenting sponsors” for multiple years for ASD’s “No Tie Dinner,” Resource Center’s “Toast to Life” benefit, and Legacy’s “Grace Project.” Looking towards the future, we want to make an even bigger impact on a larger portion of the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2022, we announced that Resource Center would be our new primary beneficiary. In keeping with our evolved mission, we made this decision primarily because Resource Center’s reach is broad and diverse with a variety of programs and projects that make a bigger impact on our community. This is Dallas, after all—”The Big D”. We’re making the Big Difference.

Our team consists of two main groups: volunteers (unpaid) and staff (paid). This diverse collection includes unpaid volunteers, volunteer committee members, volunteer board members, hourly paid event staff, and one full-time paid board member who serves as the organization’s president. The volunteer board members, together with the president, form the core decision-making body of the organization.

As we navigated through the post-COVID world and worked to redefine our purpose, we realized that our previous all-volunteer model was no longer sustainable. This realization led to the addition of paid hourly event staff and a full-time president who was necessary to oversee day-to-day operations. The sheer scale and complexity of our events required the focus and attention of a dedicated and experienced full time person to oversee them. Most medium-to-large nonprofit organizations (including most Pride organizations across the country) are structured similarly and have full time paid roles. Additionally, the extended Purple Family has always included hundreds of vendors, designers, DJs, dancers, performers, talent managers, and more—in both paid and unpaid volunteer capacities.

After more than 18 years of dedicated service as a volunteer, former President Blake Baker emerged as the ideal candidate uniquely qualified for this new full time role. Under Blake's return to leadership, Purple Foundation experienced its most financially successful period to date, hosting events that rivaled industry favorites like Winter Party Festival, White Party, and Gay Disney. Most importantly, the organization achieved record-breaking annual donations of $200k in 2022 and $205k in 2023.

The dedication and talent of our team have been instrumental in our success, and we are grateful for every individual who contributes to making Purple Foundation's mission a reality. Thank you for being part of our village! 🌟