That’s one reason foundations haven’t jumped in to make housing a primary focus of their work. But many individual donors and grantmakers are doing more, especially those that work to solve problems with education, health, and economic opportunity. They recognize that stable housing is fundamental and that if people don’t have safe, affordable places to live, it’s difficult to help them make progress in the rest of their lives.
“People need a place to live in an area that’s decent, has access to opportunities, and allows them to thrive,” says Susan Thomas, president of the Melville Charitable Trust, which concentrates its grant making on preventing and ending homelessness. “It’s as simple as that.”
Grants to help low- and middle-income people buy and rent homes, prevent foreclosures, and build and renovate housing represent a small fraction of foundation giving, according to data from Candid. From 2006 to 2019, the 1,000 largest foundations gave more than $2.8 billion to groups focused on housing development and services — just 1 percent of their domestic grant making during that time. Most of those grants were made by just a handful of foundations.
Because the housing crisis has many causes that demand a multitude of solutions, grant-maker strategies continue to evolve. Money is going to support policy change, advocacy, and program testing to see what works in the real world. Some foundations are looking beyond grant making, using a variety of financial tools to jump-start housing development.
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