Wells Fargo Growing Diverse Housing Developers

  • Growing Diverse Housing Developers

Expanding Affordable Housing and Supporting Diverse Developers

Affordable housing development firms led by people of color – both nonprofit and for-profit – are highly underrepresented in the housing industry, yet are a critical resource for strengthening the housing development ecosystem as a whole and expanding the supply of homes that are affordable.

To increase the supply of homes that are affordable and to support the sustained growth and financial independence of experienced development firms that are led by people of color, Wells Fargo launched Growing Diverse Housing Developers (GDHD). Flexible and patient capital, a strengthened balance sheet, and increased access to industry connections and resources will help experienced development firms led by people of color to grow their capacity and expand their affordable housing production into the future.

Capital Impact Partners, Low Income Investment Fund, and Reinvestment Fund – three national Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) – have partnered to implement this $30 million initiative on behalf of Wells Fargo.

The Growing Diverse Housing Developers builds on Capital Impact’s successful Equitable Development Initiative training program for emerging diverse real estate developers across the country.

Program Implementation

Capital Impact Partners, LIIF, and Reinvestment Fund will work to deliver essential capital and capacity building to development firms led by people of color based in GDHD’s core geographies: California; Texas; Georgia; and the New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington Metro regions.

With the goal of supporting development firms led by people of color to produce a minimum of 1,500 affordable housing units across the cohort over the next six years, we have selected 27 development firms led by people of color with affordable housing development pipelines in these focus geographies to join a national learning cohort, which will take place over four years.

In committing to the program, participants will receive access to:

  • The Wells Fargo National Learning Cohort, featuring a monthly curriculum tailored to participants’ desired learning outcomes; peer learning sessions; advisory services; dedicated mentors; and national and regional events to provide essential knowledge and networks to support business growth.
  • Access to enterprise-level grants to fund investments in infrastructure, staff, and other resources needed to build the capacity of participants’ organizations.
  • Access to flexible loan products to fund their affordable housing pipeline in the focus geographies.

Our Partner

This initiative is made possible through Wells Fargo’s $40 million grant initiative that aims to increase racial equity in access to capital and training for housing entrepreneurs of color to grow their businesses. Capital Impact, LIIF, and RF are implementing the program using $30 million of that investment.

Coalition Partners

Our Broader Support for Diverse Developers

Growing Diverse Housing Developers expands on each of the coalition partner’s programming supporting diverse developers to participate in real estate development in their regions. Here are examples of initiatives we are each working on that invest in the futures of developers.

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Questions?

Meet Our Growing Diverse Housing Developers Participants

Our Growing Diverse Housing Developers participants represent a diverse group of individuals with a range of backgrounds and experience. We invite you to learn more about them by downloading the fact sheet below.

Stories of Impact

CEO Ellis Carr On Breaking Barriers to Success

In this video, Ellis Carr talks about Capital Impact’s efforts to utilize mission-driven financing, social innovation programs, capacity building, and impact investing, to advance issues of social and economic justice.

Watch the Video

Equitable Development Initiative graduate poses inside of housing property.

Learning New Skills to Shape Their Future

The EDI program provides key skills to promising individuals representing a broad spectrum of community development expertise. Follow along as we take a deep dive with three participants to learn more about their backgrounds and their future plans.

Meet Three EDI Graduates

Connecting DMV Developers to Capital

In an effort to support a more diverse pool of local real estate developers, Capital Impact launched its Diversity in Development – DMV Loan Fund. This Fund also includes a grant program to provide additional equity support.


Learn More and Apply