In 1995, J. McDonald “Don” Williams retired as chairman emeritus of Trammell Crow Company.  Don wanted to give back to communities in Dallas that had missed out on urban revitalization, education reform, and other waves of progress, resulting in significant disparities in quality of life for residents of those communities.  After researching nonprofit organizations around the country, he created the Foundation for Community Empowerment, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, as a catalyst for comprehensive efforts to transform low-income neighborhoods in southern Dallas and to build a replicable model for urban revitalization.  The FCE team began building a network of caring, dedicated organizations that would one day become a network of partners that are the backbone of true community change in Dallas.

In 2003, Don Williams and the FCE team realized there was a need for structured inquiry into the changing community conditions in Dallas, so they formed a research unit.  The small research team was successful in building partnerships with faculty from local universities, colleagues in similar nonprofit agencies, and policy makers.

In 2005, it became clear that the true nature of disparities in Dallas could not be fully understood without an appreciation for the context of disparities affecting urban communities across the country.  Recognizing the need for an objective voice for public policy change in Dallas and around the nation, FCE established the J. McDonald Williams Institute as a source of objective research and policy recommendations relevant to urban revitalization and quality of life.  The Institute’s roots in a community-building organization give its research a spirit unique among its peers.  While many institutes engage in “research for the sake of research,” the Institute truly believes the fruits of its research must serve the underserved by motivating the caliber of sustainable change necessary to improve quality of life and build a better city, nation, and world.

Today, the Williams Institute assists FCE in setting its strategic direction and areas of focus, while FCE’s deep relationships within the community help the Institute to realize its vision of motivating lasting change.