The Austin Project (TAP) was envisioned by W.W. (Walt) and Elspeth Rostow in 1991 and officially launched with endorsements from key elected officials (Mayor, County Judge, and Chair of Austin ISD Trustees) and support from more than 30 leading citizens of Austin.
These founders, in surveying and studying historical and recent social development trends, came to believe that educational and economic opportunities were not uniformly available to all children and their families throughout the Austin community. In particular, they found that disadvantaged families in concentrated zip codes within the Austin metropolitan area did not have access to preschool, educational health, and other family support services and that their educational performances reflected these deficiencies.
The Rostows’ experience in international, national, state, and local government and education affairs led them to understand the critical importance of education and comprehensive, evidence-based support services and investments in transforming the community. In chartering TAP, the Rostows and their partners charged TAP with the mission of acting as a catalyst “to improve the lives of children, youth, and families and respond to their pressing and compelling needs,” which charge had been incorporated into TAP’s Vision and Mission Statements.
Guiding Principals
- TAP supports comprehensive, evidence-based educational and wellness programs that engage families in their own improvement strategies, resulting in full participation in the community.
- TAP serves as a catalyst and a clearinghouse to identify and develop, test and evaluate promising practices, and coordinate the transfer of proven effective practices throughout the community to better serve families and provide valid, sustainable outcomes.
- TAP seeks to form meaningful community partnerships to ensure the financial and organizational capacity of the community to provide large-scale sustainable and effective programs/services.
- TAP is resourceful, responsive, and open to emerging opportunities. TAP functions as a catalyst by participating in a cross-section of community collaboration and conversations that will position it to be alert and open to address emerging needs.
- TAP is committed to meaningful assessment and evaluation of all projects and programs with which TAP associates.
TAP uses all funds under its stewardship wisely, efficiently, and in keeping with all applicable rules, requirements and best practices, maximizing the dollars dedicated to direct client services. TAP is fully accountable for the dollars it receives and the results it produces. TAP will continue its history of having annual audits and validate that all fiscal operations are lawful, efficient, and reflect good management practices.
The first page of our 2009 Form 990 financial report is available here. For a full copy of our financial report, please contact us .