Fort Worth-based Community Frontline has graduated its first group of students from the Changemakers program, a nine-month course designed to teach social entrepreneurship principles to local community workers. The initiative was developed in partnership with Social Impact Architects and the University of Texas at Arlington.
The program targeted Tarrant County residents who are already active as nonprofit directors, business owners, government leaders, or community organizers. It aimed to provide these individuals with the structural knowledge required to sustain their work while generating revenue. Participants completed 11 sessions covering topics such as building advisory boards, understanding media landscapes, and measuring organizational impact.
Suzanne Smith, founder of Social Impact Architects and an adjunct professor at UT Arlington, designed the curriculum based on her university coursework but tailored it for experienced practitioners. She defined social entrepreneurship as identifying opportunities where others see obstacles and creating sustainable change through purpose-driven collaboration. The course was provided to students at no cost.
Forty individuals completed the inaugural cohort, receiving a certificate of completion from UT Arlington last week. Among the graduates were Rickie Clark, executive director of Fort Worth ISD’s My Brother’s Keeper chapter, and Regina Smith, who operates a restaurant and travel agency while supporting unhoused residents.
Clark noted that the training helped align his passion with financial sustainability. Smith stated that the program gave her the tools to access funding sources for her nonprofit efforts through her for-profit businesses.
