Dr. Simon Fass received $200,000 in grants from two nonprofits supported by the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT).

Youth with Faces (YWF} provides juveniles in Dallas and Collin County residential facilities with career training, paid work experience, support for community reentry, and life-skills education. Through these and related activities encouraging the development of employment and networking skills, YWF helps justice-involved youth become productive community participants.  

Café Momentum (CM) is a Dallas County restaurant with an integrated paid internship program that provides justice-involved youth with occupational training and education in accountability, problem-solving, self-reliance, and other life skills. CM’s goal is to equip young people with the wherewithal to reach their full potential as valued members of society. 

The evaluation research grant aims to strengthen the capacity of YWF and CM to self-assess and enhance the effectiveness of their efforts to improve the life course trajectories of young men and women in North Texas. 

Dr. Fass, Associate Professor of Public Policy in the School of Economic, Political, and Policy Sciences, has an extensive, award-winning global career in program design, evaluation, and statistical analysis. Working with him is Dr. Chung-Ron Pi (UT Dallas PhD, 1994), Principal Program Analyst, State Bar of California.