Our mission is to cultivate communities — equitable, inclusive and rich in opportunity — by advancing affordable housing solutions that last for generations.
Grounded Solutions Network centers its grantmaking on shared equity homeownership and community land trusts, with capital moving into organizations that keep housing affordable over time. A clear pattern is support for community land trusts in major metro markets: in 2023 it awarded $125,000 each to the City of Lakes Community Land Trust in Minneapolis, Atlanta Land Trust, Houston Community Land Trust, and Chicago Community Land Trust. Those awards point to a funder focused on organizational scale, portfolio growth, and long-term affordability rather than short-term project aid. The foundation also uses program-related investments and capital initiatives, including Homes for the Future and the CLT Pilot Program. That mix shows an emphasis on preserving single-family homes, building shared-equity pipelines, and giving land trusts tools to expand their housing portfolios. Its work extends beyond direct grants to training, certification, technical assistance, and research support for shared-equity practitioners. In the recent grants list, support also reaches BIPOC homeownership stabilization and sector growth, indicating that the foundation funds both housing outcomes and the organizations needed to deliver them.
Community land trusts are a central focus. In 2025, Grounded Solutions Network gave $55,000 to Atlanta Land Trust Inc for BIPOC homeownership stabilization, and $35,000 to Houston Community Land Trust for the same purpose, linking land trust work to homeowner retention. The foundation also supports sector growth and practitioner training. It awarded $38,000 to Chicago Community Land Trust for Chicago Scholars (sector growth), alongside $18,000 each to Here to Stay CLT Inc and Big Nfp for the same Chicago Scholars effort. Shared-equity infrastructure appears in its certification and capital work. The Duty to Serve Shared Equity Homeownership Certification is a national application-based program run with Fannie Mae, while Homes for the Future acquires single-family homes and later places them into shared-equity portfolios or sells them below market.
Typical grants sit at a median of $26,500, with a p25 of $10,000 and a p75 of $72,500. Recent awards show both modest operating-style support and larger capacity-building grants, including $125,000 awards in 2023 and smaller $7,500 to $10,000 grants in the same year. The foundation’s structure also includes program-related investments, which fits its capital-oriented initiatives. The recent grants list shows repeated support to the same organizations over time, especially Chicago Community Land Trust, Atlanta Land Trust, Houston Community Land Trust, and Minneapolis-area recipients. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-off awards. At least one program, Duty to Serve Shared Equity Homeownership Certification, accepts unsolicited applications; the other active programs listed do not.
$274K
$21.2M
$9.4M
$6.5M
Most grants fall between $10K and $73K, with a median of $27K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$27K
75th Percentile
$73K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in IL.
TONY PICKETT
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Grounded Solutions Network gives nationally, with all recent grants going to U.S. recipients. Chicago appears most often among recent grantees, followed by Atlanta, Houston, Minneapolis, and New York. The recipient list also includes Portland and Salem, North Carolina. Although the foundation is headquartered in Oakland, its giving in the recent grants list does not go to California recipients. The top state by grant count is Illinois, reflecting a strong concentration in Chicago-based organizations.
Its recent grants favor community land trusts and related shared-equity organizations, including Chicago Community Land Trust, Atlanta Land Trust Inc, Houston Community Land Trust, and Here to Stay CLT Inc. Its active programs also focus on shared equity homeownership, CLTs, and training for practitioners.
The typical grant size is $26,500 at the median, with grants falling around $10,000 at the 25th percentile and $72,500 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards range from $7,500 to $125,000 in the provided list.
The recent grants listed here are entirely U.S.-based, and the recipient country distribution is 100% US. The active programs are also described as national or U.S.-focused.
Most active programs listed do not accept unsolicited applications. The Duty to Serve Shared Equity Homeownership Certification is the exception in the provided data, and it is marked as accepting unsolicited applications.
The provided data points to community land trusts, shared equity homeownership, BIPOC homeownership stabilization, sector growth, and capital or finance solutions. The active programs also include training, technical assistance, certification, and single-family home preservation.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Grounded Solutions Network that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Shared equity homeownership programs that meet Fannie Mae's Duty to Serve definition and industry standards (programs must complete the short certification application).
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATLANTA LAND TRUST INC | ATLANTA, GA | $55,000 | 2025 | BIPOC HOMEOWNERSHIP STABILIZATION |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY PORTLAND REGION | PORTLAND, OR | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | CHICAGO, IL | $38,000 | 2025 | CHICAGO SCHOLARS (SECTOR GROWTH) |
| HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | HOUSTON, TX | $35,000 | 2025 | BIPOC HOMEOWNERSHIP STABILIZATION |
| HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | HOUSTON, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ATLANTA LAND TRUST | ATLANTA, GA | $20,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| HERE TO STAY CLT INC | CHICAGO, IL | $18,000 | 2025 | CHICAGO SCHOLARS (SECTOR GROWTH) |
| BIG NFP | CHICAGO, IL | $18,000 | 2025 | CHICAGO SCHOLARS (SECTOR GROWTH) |
| HABITAT FOR HUMANITY PORTLAND REGION | PORTLAND, OR | $50,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ATLANTA LAND TRUST | ATLANTA, GA | $20,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | CHICAGO, IL | $20,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | HOUSTON, TX | $20,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHICAGO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | CHICAGO, IL | $125,000 | 2023 | — |
| ATLANTA LAND TRUST | ATLANTA, GA | $125,000 | 2023 | — |
| CITY OF LAKES COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $125,000 | 2023 | — |
| HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST | HOUSTON, TX | $125,000 | 2023 | — |
| INTERBORO CLT | NEW YORK, NY | $50,000 | 2023 | — |
| PROUD GROUND | PORTLAND, OR | $10,000 | 2023 | — |
| RESOURCES FOR RESIDENTS & COMMUNITIES OF GEORGIA INC | ATLANTA, GA | $10,000 | 2023 | — |
| NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES OF CHICAGO INC | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | — |
| AVENUE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP | HOUSTON, TX | $10,000 | 2023 | — |
| PRG INC | MINNEAPOLIS, MN | $10,000 | 2023 | — |
| CCMNT SPEAKERS - AMP - 1177 KEYNOTE | SALEM, NC | $7,500 | 2023 | — |
ATLANTA LAND TRUST INC
$55,000BIPOC HOMEOWNERSHIP STABILIZATION
CHICAGO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$38,000CHICAGO SCHOLARS (SECTOR GROWTH)
HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$35,000BIPOC HOMEOWNERSHIP STABILIZATION
HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHICAGO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ATLANTA LAND TRUST
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
HERE TO STAY CLT INC
$18,000CHICAGO SCHOLARS (SECTOR GROWTH)
ATLANTA LAND TRUST
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHICAGO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHICAGO COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$125,000ATLANTA LAND TRUST
$125,000CITY OF LAKES COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$125,000HOUSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST
$125,000INTERBORO CLT
$50,000RESOURCES FOR RESIDENTS & COMMUNITIES OF GEORGIA INC
$10,000PRG INC
$10,000CCMNT SPEAKERS - AMP - 1177 KEYNOTE
$7,500