About Us
We’ve been creating housing where
families succeed since 1990.
Foundation Communities is a local, homegrown nonprofit. We provide affordable, attractive homes and free on-site support services for thousands of families with kids, as well as veterans, seniors, and individuals with disabilities. We offer an innovative, proven model that empowers our residents and neighbors to achieve educational success, financial stability, and healthier lifestyles. We operate 30 apartment communities. – 27 in Austin and three more in North Texas.
STORIES OF HOPE
What Makes Us Unique
Sustainable Nonprofit Model
Sustainable Nonprofit ModelAbout 80% of our budget comes from the affordable rents our residents pay, which cover operating expenses for our communities.
Environmental Commitment
Environmental CommitmentWe invest in green building initiatives to save on operating costs, reduce residents’ utility bills and make our community a better place to live.
Volunteer-Powered
Volunteer-PoweredOur programs are made possible in large part by more than 2,500 volunteers each year.
Our History
2024
We partnered with Mary Lee Foundation to renovate and rebuild the affordable housing on its campus on Lamar Square. We own and manage most of the housing on Lamar Square.
2023
We opened Zilker Studios on South Lamar, 110 apartments for single adults, many of whom come directly out of homelessness, and The Loretta, 137 affordable apartments for families in NW Austin
2021
We opened Laurel Creek Apartments for 88 low-income families. The community’s Learning Center, our 15th, opened the following spring.
2020
We opened Waterloo Terrace, our 7th community for single adults in Austin.
2019
We opened The Jordan at Mueller, a family community and home to our 14th learning center.
2018
We opened Cardinal Point, a family community in the job dense Four Points area of Northwest Austin.
2017
We open three new affordable housing communities: Bluebonnet Studios on South Lamar, Live Oak Trails in Oak Hill and Lakeline Station in Northwest Austin.
2016
We mark a pivotal moment in our history, with four new affordable housing communities under construction.
2015
We open our doors at Homestead, built on 29 acres of land with 500 oak trees, in southwest Austin.
2014
We open our doors at Capital Studios, the first affordable housing in downtown Austin in over 45 years.
2013
We support the successful Keep Austin Affordable campaign to secure $65 million in voter-approved affordable housing bonds.
2013
We launch our Insure Central Texas program to help people enroll in affordable health insurance plans.
2012
We deepen our commitment to the St. Elmo neighborhood of South Austin with key community partnerships.
2012
We open our 10th Learning Center in the heart of our Sierra Vista community, home to a wide range of on-site education, financial stability, and healthy living programs.
2011
M Station, a LEED Platinum family community in the heart of East Austin, featuring our first on-site child care center opens.
2009
With a $2 million federal grant from SAMHSA, we are able to add social work staff at our communities for single adults and partner with key community healthcare providers.
2006
We help lead the city’s Hurricane Katrina relief effort by offering housing and intensive case management services to evacuees from New Orleans.
2005
We launch our Community Tax Centers, now serving 20,000 working families and generating $36 million in refunds a year, and we expand our financial stability programs.
2004
We create our Children’s HOME Initiative to provide transformative opportunities for formerly homeless families with kids.
2003
Garden Terrace, Austin’s first supportive housing community for formerly homeless single adults, opens.
1998
The state of Texas awards us Low Income Housing Tax Credits to build Trails at the Park, our first community to be constructed from the ground up.
1998
We launch the first Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) in Texas, empowering low-income families to build their financial assets over time.
1994
The residents at Sierra Ridge in South Austin develop our first on-site after-school and summer youth program.
Early 1990s
We open our doors to 500 families in four completely renovated apartment complexes in Austin.
Early 1980s
University of Texas students create a local housing program for low-income families that later becomes Foundation Communities.
Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with federal laws and U.S. Department of the Treasury policy, this organization is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Director, Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20220; call (202) 622-1160; or send an e-mail to: crcomplaints@treasury.gov.