SINCE 1954 THE CZECH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION OF TEXAS (CEFT) HAS BEEN PROMOTING THE STUDY OF CZECH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN TEXAS INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING THROUGH A VARIETY OF FUNDED PROGRAMS.

In the 1980s our organization established the Texas Chair of Czech Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.  In 1999 we created the CEFT William J. Hlavinka Fellowship at Texas A&M University. Read messages from the recent Fellows here.  In recognition of its outstanding success in establishing these two educational programs at major universities in the U.S. and in promoting Czech culture abroad, the CEFT received the prestigious Jan Masaryk Gratias Award from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2000.

Our most recent and exciting endeavor was the establishment of the CEFT Frank J. and Hermine Hurta Kostohryz Residency in Czech Music and Culture at the University of North Texas which was celebrated in January of 2007.  Later, the Dr. Jim J. and Rose A. Bezdek Endowment was added to the UNT Music Program.