AUSTIN, Texas – June 17, 2021 – The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Austin, an education, research and resource organization focused on shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide, today announced that Walter Moreau, Executive Director of Foundation Communities, has been named the recipient of its prestigious annual Vision Award.

The ULI Austin Vision Award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in his or her lifetime within the Austin region. Winners are selected annually by the ULI Austin Governance Committee and represent a diverse range of sectors, including real estate, finance, public service, not-for-profit and education. Previous recipients of the award include Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette of Huston-Tillotson University (2019), Gary Farmer of Heritage Title (2018), Senator Kirk Watson (2017), Alan Graham of Mobile Loaves & Fishes (2016) and Tom Stacy of CapRidge Partners (2015). The Vision Award was not presented in 2020 due to ULI Austin COVID-19 precautions.

Moreau has worked in the non-profit sector for over 30 years and has served as Executive Director of Foundation Communities for the past 25 years. During this time, he has fulfilled a vision to create deeply affordable housing that is beautiful, well managed, and uplifting, and in the process has established Foundation Communities as a national leader among nonprofit community development organizations.

Under his guidance, Foundation Communities has earned a reputation for quality design, green building and service rich communities including Bluebonnet Studios, Capital Studios, Homestead Oaks, M Station and Trails at the Park, among others. In addition to the positive impact Foundation Communities has had on the lives of those it serves, it has also established itself as a leader in green building and is the largest private producer of solar power in Central Texas.

Foundation Communities operates 22 total affordable housing communities in Austin, with three more currently under construction. Eleven of the affordable housing communities have onsite learning centers and seven are dedicated for single adults. The organization annually serves over 7,000 residents, including a significant number of low-income adults, many of whom were homeless.

Moreau’s leadership resulted in the creation of Prosper Financial Centers, a national model providing one-stop financial services such as free income tax preparation, health insurance navigation, college aid and personal financial coaching to over 40,000 families each year. And Foundation Communities’ Children’s Home Initiative provides intensive services to end homelessness for 150 families with children each year.

Over the course of his impactful career, Moreau has been a key leader for the voter approval of three local housing bond packages and has helped secure subsidy financing of more than $500 million to create more than 5,000 units of service-enriched, nonprofit-owned affordable housing.

“I am thrilled for Walter, as he represents the kind of local leader that has done broad based accomplishments that benefit the entire urban area, including support for education, finances and health insurance for the many people that need a variety of assistance,” said Phil Capron, Chairman of Falcon Southwest and a member of ULI Austin’s Governance Committee.

Moreau has been widely recognized for his work in the non-profit housing sector, including the Texas Housers Award by the Texas Low Income Housing Information Service (2004), Recognition of Extraordinary Effort following Hurricane Katrina by Liveable City (2005), Social Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young (2005), Practitioner of the Year by National NeighborWorks Association (2006), James A. Johnson Community Fellowship by the Fannie Mae Foundation (2007), Whitney M Young, Jr. Leadership Award by the Austin Area Urban League (2010), Housing Hero by Interfaith Action of Central Texas (2012), Spirit of Compassion Award by Foundation for the Homeless (2014); Distinguished Alumnus Award by the Centex Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (2014) and “Most Worthy Citizen” Award by the  Austin Board of Realtors (2017).

“It is a great privilege to recognize Walter Moreau as the recipient of the 2021 Vision Award, the highest honor one can receive from ULI Austin,” said Paulette Gibbins, Executive Director of ULI Austin. “He has not only created a wide variety of affordable housing serving individuals and families, including deeply affordable units that impact homelessness, but he is passionate about providing services that support residents’ success – especially the financial coaching, childhood development and healthy living environment.”

The Vision Award will be presented to Moreau at ULI Austin’s 2021 Impact Awards event, to be held on Wednesday, August 25 at the Austin Marriott Downtown. Recipients of other competitive built project and individual award categories will also be recognized. For more information regarding sponsorship, registration and award entry and nomination, visit https://austin.uli.org/events/uli-austin-awards/.

About ULI Austin:

The Austin District Council of the Urban Land Institute was founded in 1994. Today, the Austin District Council includes more than 900 Austin-area professionals in the planning, architecture, design, engineering, investor, landscape, lender, legal, construction, communication and government industries, involved in every sector of real estate development, from residential and retail to commercial and hospitality. ULI is known for its topical monthly breakfasts, which feature local and international experts on topics important to the community’s growth and prosperity. For more information, visit Austin.ULI.org.

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