$30 million Frances Moody-Dahlberg gift elevates university to Moody School of Education

Frances Moody‑Dahlberg, president and CEO of the Moody Foundation, has helped propel one of the largest philanthropic investments in Baylor University’s history with a $30 million gift to the School of Education.

The historic contribution, announced January 23, 2026, will rename the academic unit the Moody School of Education and marks the largest single gift in the school’s 107‑year history.

Under Moody‑Dahlberg’s leadership, the Moody Foundation is directing the gift toward scholarships, faculty research, and expanded programming aimed at improving student outcomes across Texas.

The endowments will support early‑learning initiatives, disability research, school psychology, leadership development, and opportunities for high‑potential students from low‑income communities.

“Baylor University’s Moody School of Education will play a critical role in preparing educators and advancing research, improving learning outcomes for all students,” Moody‑Dahlberg said. “We are proud to support this work and to help expand Baylor’s impact across classrooms, schools, and communities statewide.”

The gift is part of the Moody Foundation’s broader $1 billion pledge to transform Texas education by 2035, which focuses on early learning and postsecondary success.

Moody‑Dahlberg, who serves as a trustee alongside her brothers Ross Moody and Elizabeth Moody, continues the family’s legacy of strategic, mission‑driven giving that has awarded more than $2.5 billion in grants across the state since the Foundation’s founding in 1942 by W.L. Moody Jr. and Libbie Shearn Moody.

Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., called Moody‑Dahlberg’s leadership “a powerful testament to the Foundation’s enduring belief in education as the engine of opportunity.”

“Frances Moody‑Dahlberg and the Moody Foundation have placed their trust in Baylor’s mission and in the educators we prepare,” Livingstone said. “This gift will shape generations of teachers, leaders, and researchers who will, in turn, shape the future of Texas.”

For the Moody School of Education, the partnership with Moody‑Dahlberg and the Moody Foundation represents both an honor and a mandate: to deepen clinical preparation for teachers, expand research on equity and mental health, and strengthen long‑term collaborations with Texas school districts and communities.