William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity

What William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity does

The William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity (WALIPP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded on April 15, 1996 in Houston, Texas, operating three distinct community programs under a single institutional umbrella. The Lawson Academy is a Texas State Charter middle school (charter awarded 2010, rebrand to current name in 2015) operating single-gendered campuses — boys at Texas Southern University and girls at St. James Episcopal Church — serving underserved youth with college-preparatory curricula. The WALIPP Senior Residence is a four-story, 50-apartment independent living facility for adults aged 55+ in Houston's Third Ward, opened in 2004, with 26 of 51 units designated Affordable under the City of Houston HOME program. The WALIPP Public Defender Program is a legal advocacy initiative that led the successful county-level effort to confirm Alex Bunin as Harris County's first Chief Public Defender, expanding legal counsel access for indigent defendants.

WALIPP's revenue model blends charitable donations (preset tiers from $5 to $1,000, recurring monthly giving via the Community Builders Circle, tribute gifts, employer matching, and text-to-give), rental income from the Senior Residence ($850/month 1BR, $1,050/month 2BR), retail lease income from two ground-floor commercial spaces, and restricted grants from partners including World Central Kitchen and Houston Food Bank. The technology footprint is intentionally lean: a WordPress-based public website (walipp.org) with donation forms, contact forms, SMS messaging program, and PDF-hosted financial statements; no proprietary software, public APIs, or technology platform. Distribution is community-led and direct, leveraging faith-based venues (Wheeler Avenue Baptist, St. James Episcopal) and the TSU campus as service sites, with beneficiary enrollment and donor acquisition handled in-house.

The organization is governed by a 7-member Board of Directors and a 14-member Advisory Committee that includes federal judge Kenneth Hoyt, Melanie Lawson, and corporate and civic leaders. Corporate supporters listed on the About Us page include Capital One, HEB, Southwest Airlines, Comerica, AECOM, Linbeck, CAMAC, and 4W Solutions. WALIPP carries a Charity Navigator 4-star rating, EIN 76-0496051, and operates exclusively within Houston's Third Ward and Harris County, Texas.

Name

William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity

Legal name

The William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity

Website

https://walipp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WALIPP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1996 in Houston, Texas, operating three programs serving underserved youth (The Lawson Academy charter middle school), low-income seniors 55+ (a 50-apartment independent living facility), and indigent defendants (a public defender advocacy initiative) within Houston's Third Ward.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Special Education Schools & Programs (EDAJAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

IEP/504 Planning, Case Management & Compliance (EDAJAKAB), Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Charter school education
• Senior independent living
• Affordable housing programs
• Public defender advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations: Individual donations via online form with preset tiers ($5, $10, $50, $100, $500, $1,000) and 'Other' option; tribute/memorial gifts; Community Builders Circle monthly recurring giving; corporate matching; and text-to-give (text ACADEMY to 832-280-5443). Donor receipts issued immediately by email.
2. Senior Residence rental income: Market-rate apartment rental income from the WALIPP Senior Residence: $850/month for 1BR/1BA and $1,050/month for 2BR/2BA, with 12-month leases, $35 non-refundable application fee, and lower rents on 26 affordable units under the City of Houston HOME program.
3. Grants and restricted funds: Restricted-fund giving directed to specific programs (Lawson Academy, Senior Residence, Where Needed Most); funding from external partners including World Central Kitchen (for senior meal program) and Houston Food Bank (vegetables and goods).
4. Retail lease income: Two ground-floor retail spaces (barber and beauty salon) leased on the WALIPP Senior Residence property.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity (WALIPP) operates three community programs in Houston's Third Ward: (1) The Lawson Academy, a state-chartered college-preparatory middle school with single-gendered campuses (boys at Texas Southern University, girls at St. James Episcopal Church); (2) WALIPP Senior Residence, a four-story independent living facility offering 50 affordable and market-rate apartments for low-income seniors aged 55+; and (3) the WALIPP Public Defender Program, a legal advocacy initiative that led to the appointment of the first Chief Public Defender of Harris County to represent indigent defendants.

Product overview

WALIPP's portfolio is a unified nonprofit mission delivered through three distinct community programs rather than a technology platform. The Lawson Academy is the youth education program (a charter middle school operating on two single-gendered campuses), the WALIPP Senior Residence is the senior housing program (a four-story independent living facility with 50 apartments), and the WALIPP Public Defender Program is the legal advocacy program that helped establish Harris County's first Chief Public Defender. Together these three programs constitute WALIPP's offering to bridge generational gaps in Houston's Third Ward.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Lawson Academy: Charter school for middle school students in Houston's Third Ward; operates single-gendered campuses (boys at Texas Southern University and girls at St. James Episcopal Church) with a college preparatory curriculum.
• WALIPP Senior Residence
• WALIPP Public Defender Program

Products and services

• The Lawson Academy A college-preparatory charter middle school program serving youth in underserved Houston Third Ward communities, providing enhanced academic and social development with hands-on learning experiences, skills training, and career preparation. Operates two single-gendered middle school campuses — a boys campus at Texas Southern University and a girls campus at St. James Episcopal Church — under a Texas State Charter from the State Board of Education (2010).
• WALIPP Senior Residence An independent living facility for adults age 55 and above in Houston's Third Ward, providing 50 spacious apartments (42 two-bedroom and 8 one-bedroom) compliant with the American Disabilities Act. Includes on-site amenities such as a barber shop, beauty salon, activity room, and secured parking, with rents offered at market or affordable rates under the City of Houston HOME program; 26 of 51 apartments are maintained as affordable.
• WALIPP Public Defender Program A legal advocacy program that provides free legal counsel for individuals who cannot acquire quality legal services through their own means. WALIPP led the advocacy efforts before the Harris County Commissioners Court to confirm Alex Bunin as the first Chief Public Defender in the county's history, marking a major improvement in the criminal justice system for Houston's indigent population.

Quantifiable outcome

• Near 100% occupancy at WALIPP Senior Residence since 2005 opening
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Texas Southern UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTSU hosts the boys campus of The Lawson Academy. Rev. Lawson himself served as director of the Baptist Student Union and Professor of Bible at TSU for ten years while also directing Upward Bound. TSU listed as a Supporter on the About Us page.
• St. James Episcopal ChurchflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. James Episcopal Church hosts the girls campus of The Lawson Academy. Listed as a Supporter on the About Us page.
• Wheeler Avenue Baptist ChurchflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lawsons founded Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in 1962 in their home with 13 members, now grown to over 14,000 members. The church purchased 15,000 microwaveable take-out containers to support WALIPP's senior meal program during COVID-19. Listed as a Supporter on the About Us page.
• Harris County Commissioners Court / Office of the Public Defender (Alex Bunin)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWALIPP led the advocacy efforts before the Harris County Commissioners Court, together with religious leaders of all faiths, to confirm Alex Bunin as Chief Public Defender, the first in the county's history. The office of the Public Defender provides legal counsel to accused persons who cannot afford a lawyer.
• Lucille's (Houston restaurant)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMinority-owned restaurant in Houston's Museum District providing free meals to WALIPP seniors and other community seniors during COVID-19. Originally funded by World Central Kitchen, with funding expired by July 2020; WALIPP and Lucille's collaborated to continue the program.
• Houston Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides free vegetables and other items to support the senior meal program serving WALIPP Senior Residence and other senior housing communities.
• The T.R.E. MagazineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a Supporter on the WALIPP About Us page with a logo linking to thetremag.com.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Texas Southern University Community Programs: Houston HBCU whose campus hosts The Lawson Academy boys school and which operates community-facing programs serving Third Ward — comparable as an education-and-community nonprofit partner serving the same geography and beneficiary base as WALIPP.
• KIPP Texas Public Schools: Texas charter school network serving underserved students in Houston and other cities, operating state-chartered campuses with a college-preparatory mission — directly comparable to The Lawson Academy in product category, regulatory structure, and target beneficiary.
• Houston Food Bank: Major Houston hunger-relief nonprofit distributing food to seniors, families, and partner agencies — directly comparable to WALIPP's senior meal program, and explicitly identified as an active in-kind partner of WALIPP.
• United Way of Greater Houston: Houston-based community-impact nonprofit that funds and convenes health, education, and income programs across the region — directly comparable to WALIPP as a Houston-focused umbrella social-services organization. Notably, Rev. Lawson himself co-conceived the Houston Homeless Initiative alongside United Way leadership.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston: Houston youth development nonprofit serving low-income K-12 students with after-school programming, college prep, and career readiness — closely comparable to The Lawson Academy's youth education mission and Third Ward / inner-city beneficiary base.
• Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Community Outreach: Houston Third Ward faith institution founded by Rev. Lawson in 1962, an active WALIPP supporter and operational partner in the senior meal program — comparable as a faith-rooted community services organization serving the same neighborhood.

Broad incumbents

• Houston Endowment: One of the largest Houston-focused philanthropic foundations, funding education, civic engagement, and community development initiatives — comparable to WALIPP's mission and geographic scope but operating as a grantmaker rather than direct service provider.
• Greater Houston Community Foundation: Houston's primary community foundation managing charitable assets and donor-advised funds for regional causes — comparable to WALIPP in mission focus on Houston community well-being, but operating at a substantially larger scale as a permanent philanthropic vehicle.
• Habitat for Humanity Houston: Houston affordable housing nonprofit providing homeownership opportunities for low-income families — comparable to WALIPP's affordable housing mission at the Senior Residence but operating at a much larger scale and with a homeownership rather than rental model.

Regional players

• Senior Living Alternatives (Houston-area affordable senior housing operators): Other City of Houston HOME-program affordable senior housing operators serving 55+ residents, comparable to WALIPP Senior Residence in regulatory regime (HOME affordability, Blue Star), resident demographic, and Houston geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WilliamALawsonInstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/williamalawsoninstitute

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about William A. Lawson Institute for Peace and Prosperity