Center for Transforming Lives Wins Shelter Network Award

The Fort Worth nonprofit's Riverside Campus was named Program of the Year by the National Women's Shelter Network.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Philanthropy

Wide view of a mid-century concrete building facade with tall windows, set behind a landscaped courtyard of grasses and young trees under an open Texas sky. — Center for Transforming Lives was named Program of the Year by the National Women's Shelter Network for its Riverside Campus in Fort Worth. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The National Women's Shelter Network named Center for Transforming Lives its Program of the Year for its Riverside Campus, which the network recognizes as a national model for trauma-informed design. The award was presented at the network's annual conference.

Why it matters

The recognition highlights an approach to shelter design that prioritizes safety, belonging and healing for women and children with high rates of trauma. It also spotlights how a converted, long-vacant Fort Worth building can expand a local nonprofit's reach.

The $40 million capital campaign funded the Riverside Campus, which increased service delivery by 30% for an organization with a $26.4 million annual budget. The source does not detail long-term outcome measures beyond service volume.

The players

Center for Transforming Lives

A Fort Worth nonprofit founded in 1907 that serves women and children and operates the Riverside Campus.

National Women's Shelter Network

A national network of 632 member organizations that presented the Program of the Year award at its annual conference.

Bennett Partners

The architecture firm that designed the Riverside Campus conversion.

The details

Bennett Partners designed the campus, transforming the former Montgomery Ward department store, a 1950s-era concrete building vacant since the 1990s, using trauma-informed design, biophilic elements and universal design. The campus sits on about 14 acres, and the remaining grounds will be landscaped into an urban park setting in consultation with Studio Outside.

1907: Center for Transforming Lives was founded.
1950s: The Riverside building was constructed as a department store.
2009: Carol Klocek became CEO.
May 2025: The center moved into the Riverside Campus.
October 2026: The Program of the Year award was announced.

Philanthropy Landscape

The campus was funded through a $40 million capital campaign, reflecting the reliance of Fort Worth nonprofits on private donor support to rebuild aging facilities. Its reuse of a vacant 1950s department store follows a broader pattern of adaptive reuse in the city's urban core.

Women and children seeking shelter in the Fort Worth area can access services at the Riverside Campus, which now serves about 4,000 people annually. The campus's expanded capacity may affect how quickly families can reach support services in Tarrant County.

The takeaway

Thoughtful building design can change how shelter residents experience safety and recovery. Community supporters can look for nonprofits that pair capital investment with measurable service growth.