Dallas Symphony Association Successfully Meets $25 Million Challenge Grant from the O’Donnell Foundation

Thanks to extraordinary donor support, the DSA met the challenge grant early, raising over $50 million in endowment funds

DALLAS (April 8, 2026) – The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) announces the successful completion of a $25 million challenge grant from the Dallas-based O’Donnell Foundation. Initiated in 2023, the grant challenged the Dallas Symphony Association (DSA) to raise $25 million by March 31, 2026, a milestone the organization reached several weeks early. In total, the campaign contributed more than $50 million to the DSA’s endowment, providing critical resources needed to support its ongoing work.

“As one of the most prominent cultural organizations in Dallas, the DSO plays a crucial role in the growth and vibrancy of our city,” said Roger Gault, Chairman of the DSA’s Board of Governors. “Meeting this challenge was more than a fundraising milestone; it was a powerful affirmation of what the DSO means to this community. The endowment support we secured will open doors to world-class music and life-changing education programs far into the future.”

“We are profoundly grateful to the O’Donnell Foundation for issuing this transformative challenge and for their support of the DSO’s mission,” said DSO’s Ross Perot President & CEO Michelle Miller Burns. “Today, we also celebrate every donor whose generosity helped us meet this challenge. Their collective support strengthens our mission and amplifies our impact in the North Texas community.”

“We are thrilled that the DSO community has rallied to meet and exceed the O’Donnell Foundation’s challenge grant, which will help to underwrite the DSO’s future for decades to come,” said Bill Solomon, President & CEO of the O’Donnell Foundation. “During their lifetimes, Peter and Edith O’Donnell provided important support to the Dallas Symphony, largely anonymously, because they understood its great importance to our city.”

Endowment funds raised through this challenge grant provide critical support for the production of more than 100 DSO concerts each season as well as transformational music education and community programs serving more than 200,000 North Texans annually.

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ABOUT THE DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA  
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of Music Director Fabio Luisi (Louise W. & Edmund J. Kahn Music Directorship), presents more than 100 concerts each year at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, one of the world’s finest concert halls. Tracing its origins to a concert with 40 musicians conducted by Hans Kreissig in 1900, the DSO has become the most prominent performing arts organization in the Southwest and is a cornerstone of the 118-acre Dallas Arts District, the largest urban arts district in the nation. Through its acclaimed recordings and international touring, the DSO shares its artistry with audiences around the globe, extending its impact beyond Dallas.     

The DSO is committed to its mission of inspiring and changing lives through musical excellence and serves more than 200,000 adults and children each year through performances, educational programs, and community initiatives. The DSO’s education programs plant the seed for musical study and appreciation as well as success in academics and social development. The Young Strings and Kim Noltemy Young Musicians provide access to free music lessons and instruments for hundreds of students each year, and the Cecil and Ida Green Youth Concerts welcome more than 10,000 Dallas-area students to the Meyerson each season. For nearly three decades, the DSO has presented classical music to thousands through the annual summer Parks Concerts Series. DSO Cares offers performances in hospitals, senior living facilities and in partnership with other service organizations across North Texas, bringing the healing power of music to those who need it most. 

The DSO is supported, in part, by funds from the Office of Arts & Culture, City of Dallas. For more information, visit dallassymphony.org or follow @dallassymphony on social media. 

MEDIA CONTACT:  Chelsey Norris | Director of Communications 
813.362.5251 
c.norris@dalsym.com