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NNIP PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
Foundation for Community Empowerment Institutional Setting The Foundation for Community Empowerment (FCE) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 1995 by J. McDonald Williams, Chairman Emeritus of the Trammell Crow Company. As a catalyst for the revitalization of low-income neighborhoods, FCE is focused on making cities whole. The Foundation for Community Empowerment has, based upon ten years of experience, extensive research and studying of best practices from around the country, created a comprehensive model for community revitalization. The three components to the model are:
Community Empowerment
Institutional and Systems Change
Public Policy Advocacy
Some of the results of FCE's work with the South Dallas Community include: Chaired and supported the Dallas Mayor's Taskforce on Affordable Workforce Housing. Established and raised a $2.5 million fund in partnership with four other foundations and all the major banks in Dallas to engage in capacity building to provide core operating support and technical assistance to select community development corporations (CDCs) in an effort to grow a more mature industry. Played key leadership role in establishing and raising the North Texas Opportunity Fund a private equity fund. Over $27 million was raised to provide equity capital and entrepreneurial assistance to underserved market sectors, minority and women-owned businesses, or those willing to relocate to the inner city. Chaired the Mayor's Taskforce on Job Creation with the participation of CEOs from 30 of the largest companies in Dallas to address both economic development and workforce development issues. Leadership role in the redevelopment opportunity presented to the South Dallas/Fair Park area in the rebuilding of the Frazier Courts public housing projects through a Hope VI grant. This is the largest comprehensive redevelopment effort ever in the city of Dallas (an estimated 10 year, $300 million comprehensive redevelopment effort). Analyze Dallas (www.analyzedallas.org) - is an interactive web-based analytical tool that gives community- and faith-based organizations, community leaders, and concerned citizens the data and research capability tools needed to assist in creating and sustaining viable and healthy communities. Incorporating indicators data from over 30 different databases across eight different category areas (civic health, crime, education, economy, environment, health, housing, and transportation), Analyze Dallas was built on the premise that community-based organizations must become equal partners with the public and private sector in addressing core community development issues such as crime, community mobilization, and health disparities. For a community to effectively address these issues, however, it must have objective, actionable data that allows it to strategically focus limited resources (including manpower) on the most pressing issues. With objective, actionable neighborhood and community-level data, these community organizations are better able to design programs to meet the needs of the populations served and to better assess the efficacy of efforts. Dallas Indicators (www.dallasindicators.org) - The goal of the Dallas Indicators Project is to serve as a one-stop shop for objective fact based data that is presented in a user-friendly and easy access format. The Dallas Indicators Project website will serve as a catalyst or "tipping point" for creating positive and sustainable changes in our city, county, and region. The uniqueness of the Dallas Indicators Project is that it is a comprehensive indicators site with respect to data categories (data across 10 categories) and geography (geographical coverage includes the Dallas MSA, which includes eight counties). PARTNER BIOGRAPHIES: Dr. Timothy M. Bray serves as the Director of The Foundation for Community Empowerment's J. McDonald Williams Institute. Dr. Bray coordinates the technology components of the Foundation's data efforts, including the Analyze Dallas and Dallas Indicators websites. In addition, Dr. Bray heads up the Institute's sociological and spatial research initiatives. His research interests include the relationship between community dynamic and sociological disorder, as well as the manner by which organizational strategies and alignment both enable and impede successful program delivery and positive outcomes. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Bray was on faculty at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he still holds a position. His courses include Communities and Crime, Current Issues in Policing, Analyzing Crime, and other courses in the quantitative methods. Beyond academia, Dr. Bray has served in various capacities in local, county and state policing agencies, and received an Achievement Medal from the Illinois State Police for his contributions to the agency's direction. Dr. Bray holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Criminology from the University of Missouri at St. Louis, and resides with his wife and three daughters in the Dallas area. |