Habitat for Humanity International Announces New Partnership to Invest $82.5 Million in Affordable Housing

This initiative ensures that U.S. Habitat affiliates and mission-aligned entities have access to capital essential to land and property acquisition.

ATLANTA, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Habitat for Humanity International's community development financial institution, Habitat Capital, announced today a new partnership to establish an $82.5 million property acquisition fund to boost affordable housing production throughout the U.S., by an estimated 1,000 homes — a projected 5% increase over Habitat's most recent baseline production of 3,482 housing units.

The capital was raised through the support of mission-aligned investors, with an innovative structure and impact-driven operational principles. This includes Class A investors such as JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Enterprise Community Loan Fund. Class B investors include ImpactAssets, Arnold Ventures, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and equity from Habitat for Humanity International. Their support underscores a shared commitment to addressing ongoing barriers to affordable housing and fostering equitable access to homeownership opportunities for underserved communities.

The Enterprise Community Loan Fund will oversee the operations of the Property Acquisition Fund, as fund manager, ensuring its effective implementation and alignment with its mission-driven goals. The Larson Foundation provided critical seed funding to launch the property acquisition fund, helping to catalyze investment. Holland & Knight LLP represented Habitat, with assistance from Paradise Law Group, providing primary legal support related to fund creation, structuring, and closing. In addition to acquisition funding, Habitat Capital will provide technical assistance and capacity-building grants to support Habitat for Humanity affiliates, with fundraising efforts currently underway for these grants.

"This financing will mean more shovels in the ground and marks a transformative step in our mission to expand access to affordable housing, providing flexible capital to empower nonprofit housing developers in navigating the challenging land acquisition market," said Daniel Gura, executive director and vice president, Habitat Capital, at Habitat for Humanity International. "We're in the midst of an affordability crisis that demands greater levels of collaboration, and we are incredibly proud to be working with a broad coalition of investors representing a unified belief in the power of innovative financial tools to transform communities and create lasting social impact."

The fund's impact goals are focused in four primary ways:

• Increasing equitable access to housing solutions for underserved communities, which creates and preserves stability, vibrancy and affordability.
  
  
• Driving the construction, development and investment sectors to prioritize affordable housing.
  
  
• Expanding the U.S. Habitat network's ability to build more affordable homes for purchase across the country.
  
  
• Increasing the quality of life and financial stability of residents by improving the quality of available housing opportunities, with a specific focus on environmental resiliency.

The fund will use a comprehensive impact framework that aligns its objectives and goals with emerging successful practices in impact measurement and management for debt vehicles. It will incorporate the Impact Management Project's Five Dimensions of Impact into project evaluation, selection and reporting. In the long term, Habitat Capital will continue to offer a range of financial products, services and tools designed to facilitate increased production of affordable housing and deepen mission impact.

To learn more about Habitat Capital, please visit Habitat Capital | Habitat for Humanity. 

About Habitat Capital

Habitat Capital, Habitat for Humanity International's community development financial institution, supports U.S. Habitat affiliates in their work as affordable mortgage originators, homebuilders, sellers, and partners for housing and community solutions. Habitat Capital creates and provides financial services and capital that enable equitable homeownership opportunities and affordable housing solutions for underserved people. By helping to remove barriers to homeownership, Habitat helps foster vibrant and diverse communities.

About Habitat for Humanity

Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in south Georgia. Since its founding in 1976, the Christian housing organization has grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in local communities across all 50 states and Puerto Rico in the U.S. and in more than 70 countries. Families and individuals in need of a hand up partner with Habitat for Humanity to build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. Through shelter, we empower. To learn more, visit habitat.org.

SOURCE Habitat for Humanity International