Community Investments
Investing in programs that deliver results for downtown.
Making downtown a place you will always love is a big job that no one entity can handle alone. We maximize our budget and our impact by investing in community programs led by partners who are experts in their domain and deliver proven results. We also sponsor events that fulfill our mission of enhancing downtown’s vibe, vitality and value for everyone.
Major Partners
Caritas of Austin
Caritas of Austin provides housing and services to people experiencing homelessness, which aligns with our goal of reducing unsheltered homelessness downtown. We have collaborated with Caritas on many initiatives over the years. To further Caritas’ mission and celebrate the organization’s 60th anniversary, we donated $60,000 as a “60 for 60” partner.
Learn More About Caritas of Austin⟶Community First! Village
In 2017, the Downtown Alliance pledged $2 million over 10 years ($200,000 per year) toward the development of Community First! Village, an internationally recognized community that provides people experiencing chronic homelessness with housing, services, income-generating opportunities and the ability to build fulfilling lives. This grant was the largest in the history of our organization.
Learn More About Community First! Village⟶Sustainable Food Center Farmers’ Market
Since 2003, the SFC Farmers’ Market Downtown has been serving the downtown community with over 75 vendors serving farmer-forward offerings weekly. To amplify the value SFC provides downtown, we donated $10,000 to support them continuing the market’s operations in Republic Square.
Learn More about the SFC Farmers' Market⟶Mexic-Arte Museum
We partner with Mexic-Arte Museum to host cultural exhibits and educational programming that celebrate Mexican, Mexican American, Latinx, and Latin American past and present traditions. These have included the annual Fiesta de El Grito in Republic Square and Viva La Vida Festival and Parade. These programs help to advance the Mexican-American Heritage Corridor. The Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation also secured Heritage Preservation Grants from the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department to create and install educational banners at Republic Square focused on the area’s heritage and to expand culturally significant educational programming at Republic Square.
Learn More About Mexic-Arte⟶Red River Cultural District
In addition to our work to advocate for solutions that preserve live music venues and cultural heritage in downtown, we provide the Red River Cultural District with sponsorships for its signature events, Free Week and Hot Summer Nights, and support them with extra cleaning, planting and beautification work from the Downtown Austin Alliance Ambassadors.
Learn More About Red River Cultural District⟶