Texas Women for the Arts Recognizes Tania Schwartz for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts

Statewide arts nonprofit honors El Paso local Tania Schwartz for her dedication to arts advocacy and community leadership

AUSTIN, TX [April 30, 2025] – The Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT), a statewide nonprofit committed to strengthening support for the arts and spotlighting artistic excellence, has named Tania Schwartz as the recipient of the 2025 Texas Women for the Arts (TWA) Donna Axum Whitworth Champion of the Arts Award.

Celebrating 20 years of impact in 2025, Texas Women for the Arts has awarded 425 grants totaling more than $4.6 million, impacting over 3.7 million Texas children since its inception. As a statewide giving circle under the Texas Cultural Trust, TWA is committed to awakening and nurturing the artist in every Texas child, funding programs to expand access to arts education across Texas. According to the Trust’s recent 2025 State of the Arts Report, students highly engaged in the arts are more likely to meet college readiness benchmarks, pursue higher education, experience enhanced neurodevelopment and emotional growth, and demonstrate higher community engagement.

Recognizing the power of the arts, Tania Schwartz has long served the El Paso community and the state of Texas through various leadership roles and nonprofit initiatives. Beyond her involvement with Texas Women for the Arts, she is on the Trust’s Board of Directors and served as the 2025 Co-Chair of the Texas Medal of Arts Awards. She supports the State of the Arts Council and the Texas Arts Education Task Force, is a current member of UT Austin’s College of Fine Arts Advisory Board, and has supported programming with El Paso ISD, the University of Texas at El Paso, the City of El Paso, and Kids Excel El Paso. Additionally, Tania has led major community efforts through the Junior League of El Paso, the YWCA El Paso del Norte Region, the Tom Lea Institute, the Power of the Purse, and was the Founding President of The Women’s Fund of El Paso. 

The Donna Axum Whitworth Champion of the Arts Award is presented annually to a TWA member who has shown exceptional dedication to the arts and made meaningful contributions to the state and their local community. Tania was selected from a group of over 200 TWA members who work together to foster creativity and artistic expression in young minds. 

“We are proud to honor Tania as the 2025 Champion of the Arts, her generosity, vision, and belief in the power of the arts embodies the mission of Texas Women for the Arts,” says TXCT CEO Heidi Marquez Smith. “She is not only a champion for creativity, but a changemaker ensuring artists have resources, young people have access, and communities continue to thrive through the arts. We are grateful for her commitment to not only the Trust but her El Paso community and beyond.”

“I am deeply honored to receive the 2025 Champion of the Arts Award,” says Tania Schwartz. “It is a true privilege to serve alongside my fellow Texas Women for the Arts members as we work to champion and expand access to the transformative power of the arts—to inspire individuals, bring communities together, and enrich the lives of children across Texas.”

Tania Schwartz joins an esteemed group of previous recipients, including the late Donna Axum Whitworth (Ft. Worth), Patsy Donosky (Dallas), Debbie Montford (San Antonio), Ginger Blanton (Houston), Joci Straus (San Antonio), Sandra Gilliland (Amarillo), Dian Graves Stai (Fredericksburg), Gene Jones (Dallas), the late Jeanie Wyatt (San Antonio), Nancy Dedman (Dallas), Judy Robison (El Paso), Leslie Blanton (Houston), Leslie Ward (Austin), and Linda LaMantia (Laredo). 

Tania was recognized with this honor at the Champion of the Arts dinner, held in El Paso, Texas, on April 29th, 2025, as part of TWA’s Annual Meeting, surrounded by fellow arts advocates and community leaders.

For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust or Texas Women for the Arts, visit TXCulturalTrust.org.

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About Texas Cultural Trust
Texas Cultural Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and increasing access and awareness for the arts across the state. Programs of the Texas Cultural Trust include the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Art Can, Texas Young Masters, Texas Women for the Arts, Partners in the Arts, and Arts Access. Texas Cultural Trust efforts are amplified by its partners who are instrumental in the success of leading a cohesive voice for the arts in education, advocacy, and economic impact in Texas, spotlighting the artistic excellence of our state. For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust, please visit www.txculturaltrust.org.

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