Downtown Dallas

What Downtown Dallas does

Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI), founded in 1958, is a private non-profit membership organization and the designated Downtown Improvement District (DID) for the central business district of Dallas, Texas. Operating from headquarters at 1401 Elm Street, Suite 500, DDI functions as the principal urban management steward for downtown, coordinating between the City of Dallas, property owners, businesses, residents, and visitors. Its mandate spans three functional pillars: (1) Clean & Safe services, including street and park maintenance, safety ambassador programs, homelessness outreach, and the See Say App (free mobile app and SMS line at 972.440.1995) for non-emergency public reporting; (2) Economic Development, including a Matching Grants Program for property improvements, a Downtown Tour & Development Map showcasing available office/retail space, and market information resources; and (3) Experience and Events, including a comprehensive event calendar, visitor discovery guides, and major programming such as RedBall Dallas, Summer Sounds Concert Series, and FIFA World Cup 2026 / Global Games 2026 activations.

DDI's revenue model combines three recurring and episodic streams: membership dues from corporate and business members (subscription/recurring), special assessments levied on property owners within the Downtown Improvement District to fund enhanced district services (subscription/recurring), and event sponsorships from partners including HALL Arts Hotel, the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, and the Texas Commission on the Arts (transactional/sponsorship). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization employs 11–50 staff and is led by President & CEO Jennifer Scripps, with Shalissa Perry as Chief Experience Officer and a board of business leaders. It serves four primary customer segments: business members and property owners, downtown residents and workers, visitors/tourists, and the Downtown Improvement District geography itself. DDI also coordinates with the Dallas Local Organizing Committee (DallasFWC26) and partners such as Better Block on place-making initiatives.

The organization faces material structural headwinds alongside growth programming. Downtown Dallas had a 27.2% vacancy rate in 2026 reports — the second-highest of any U.S. downtown — and AT&T announced the relocation of its global headquarters from downtown Dallas to Plano, Texas in early 2026, placing the future of the $100 million AT&T Discovery District in question. Against that backdrop, DDI has positioned itself as the coordinating body for FIFA World Cup 2026-related improvements (over 70 projects), a major cultural activation (RedBall Dallas, June 19–28, 2026), and a board-endorsed push for City Hall site redevelopment. In late 2025, it received a $1.5M grant from Communities Foundation of Texas to support Global Games 2026 readiness and downtown stewardship.

Name

Downtown Dallas

Legal name

Downtown Dallas, Inc.

Website

https://downtowndallas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Downtown Dallas, Inc. is a 1958-founded non-profit Downtown Improvement District that acts as the principal urban steward for central Dallas, running Clean & Safe programs, economic development services, and a major events calendar for property owners, businesses, residents, and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Management Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN), Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

Keywords

• Urban management services
• Downtown improvement district
• Clean and safe programs
• Destination marketing services
• Economic development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Downtown Dallas, Inc. operates as a membership organization with annual dues from business members, property owners, and corporate partners who join to contribute to and benefit from downtown development initiatives.
2. Special Assessments: The organization collects special assessments from property owners within the Downtown Improvement District to fund enhanced services, maintenance, and improvement projects.
3. Event Sponsorships: Revenue generated through sponsorships of major events and public art installations including RedBall Dallas, Global Games 2026 activations, and ongoing programming.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Downtown Dallas, Inc. operates as a nonprofit Downtown Improvement District that delivers urban management services including the Clean & Safe program (street maintenance, public-safety ambassadors, and homeless outreach), the See Say mobile app for non-emergency reporting, an events and discovery platform, a member business directory, matching grants for property improvements, and economic development resources for companies considering relocation or expansion in downtown Dallas.

Product overview

Downtown Dallas, Inc. operates a unified destination marketing and civic engagement platform that combines a public-facing information portal with member services. The core offering includes the See Say safety app, Clean & Safe program, Events platform, and DDI Members Directory. The platform also provides economic development tools including the Matching Grants Program and Downtown Tour & Development Map. These products function together as an integrated ecosystem serving both visitors seeking information about Downtown Dallas and member businesses seeking community, resources, and visibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• See Say App Free public-facing mobile app (with SMS and web reporting fallback) that lets downtown residents, workers, and visitors report non-emergency safety, cleanliness, and homelessness concerns to DDI's Downtown Security, Homeless Outreach, and Clean Team in real time.
• Clean & Safe Program Public-private program delivering street cleaning, public-safety ambassadors, homelessness outreach, and concierge ambassador services across downtown Dallas, funded through the Downtown Improvement District.
• Matching Grants Program Grant program that provides matching funds to support investment and growth in Downtown Dallas properties and businesses, targeted at property owners and businesses undertaking approved improvement projects.
• Downtown Tour & Development Map Interactive online resource providing an inside look at office, retail, and event spaces available in Downtown Dallas, used by businesses and brokers considering relocation or expansion.
• DDI Membership Program Recurring membership program for business leaders, property owners, and corporate partners that provides advocacy representation, networking opportunities, a listing in the DDI Members Directory, access to member events and the State of Downtown briefing, and eligibility for board participation.
• Events Platform Public-facing calendar and event management system showcasing arts, culture, sports, and community events in Downtown Dallas, with submission, sponsorship, and park rental capabilities for event organizers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Added 20+ acres of greenspace to downtown over 20 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• City of Dallas Office of Arts and CulturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Presenting sponsor and partner for RedBall Dallas public art project, coordinating cultural programming for the 10-day installation across 10 Dallas locations.
• Texas Commission on the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Presenting sponsor supporting RedBall Dallas public art installation, providing state-level arts funding and endorsement for the traveling artwork.
• HALL Arts HotelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHALL Arts Hotel serves as presenting sponsor of RedBall Dallas, the award-winning traveling public artwork by Kurt Perschke visiting Dallas June 19-28, 2026. The sponsorship supports the Dallas Arts District's hosting of this major cultural event during World Cup 2026.
• Better BlockmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to transform Main Street into a pedestrian-friendly civic space during Global Games 2026. Better Block will reutilize parking spaces into community spaces with seating, shade, games, and a large-scale ground mural, collecting data on pilot impact to inform long-term improvements.
• Dallas Local Organizing Committee (DallasFWC26)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with local municipalities, business associations, and community organizations to ensure Dallas businesses and residents benefit from FIFA World Cup 2026 opportunities. Coordinating over 70 improvement projects including murals, vinyl window wraps, trees, medians, and art installations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Alliance for Downtown New York: Manages the Lower Manhattan BID with cleaning, safety, and economic-development services funded by property assessments. Same assessment-funded BID model with comparable programs.
• Chicago Loop Alliance: BID serving Chicago's central business district with public-safety, streetscape, and activation programming. Functionally analogous to DDI at a larger scale.
• Downtown Detroit Partnership: Nonprofit steward of Downtown Detroit focused on public-space activation, safety, and economic development. Mirrors DDI's advocacy-plus-services structure in a peer downtown-revitalization market.
• Downtown Indy (Indianapolis Downtown Inc.): Nonprofit management and BID for downtown Indianapolis offering ambassador, cleanliness, and economic development programs. Closely comparable BID structure and event-driven GTM.
• Downtown Denver Partnership: A nonprofit Downtown Improvement District serving Downtown Denver with clean-and-safe programs, economic development, and event programming. Operates the same BID/DID model with comparable member-assessment and sponsorship revenue mix.
• Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership: BID-style organization managing clean-and-safe, economic development, and signature events for Downtown Pittsburgh. Same operating model and revenue mix as DDI.
• Downtown Atlanta Improvement District: Self-taxing district providing clean, safe, and vibrant services for Downtown Atlanta. Operates the same DID funding mechanism and service portfolio as DDI.
• Central Houston (Downtown Houston+): Nonprofit management entity for Downtown Houston providing public-safety, streetscape, and event programming funded by a special improvement district. Closely comparable peer with similar Texas-market context.

Broad incumbents

• Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) / LA Downtown News: A broader coalition of downtown-LA stakeholders coordinating activation, public-realm programming, and advocacy — overlapping with DDI's role but spanning a wider set of constituencies.

Emerging players

• Better Block: Nonprofit specializing in tactical urbanism pilots (parklets, pedestrianization, pop-ups). Already a DDI partner on the Main Street Global Games 2026 activation; a comparable emerging player in the same civic-tech-for-cities category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DtownDallasInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/DtownDallasInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/downtown-dallas-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Downtown Dallas