National Housing Innovation Grant Competition

Solving the nation’s housing affordability crisis calls on us to do more than find new ways to accelerate production. We also need innovations that make housing a true platform for opportunity in communities across the nation.

Meet the 2023 Winners

Made possible by the leadership and support of the Wells Fargo Foundation, the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge is a $20 million initiative to inspire, propel, and scale housing solutions. This is the second innovation challenge led by Enterprise and Wells Fargo.

With grants of $2 million to $3 million, two years of technical guidance, and the benefit of an engaged cohort, the winners will advance and expand the reach and impact of their housing innovations.

Our call for proposals sought innovations that prioritize racial equity and environmental sustainability. The winners and their breakthrough ideas reflect the diversity of their communities — from a lending and education innovation created with and for Tribal homebuyers, to a high school setting up students for success in the construction trades and other industries, to a financing solution turning long-term renters into homeowners in rural communities. All the innovations are designed to build a more accessible and sustainable housing system.

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Through the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge, we are intentionally lifting up solutions to serve communities that have experienced disinvestment and marginalization for far too long. And the winners truly combine expertise with the lived experiences of the communities we aim to serve.

Stacy Spann, Head of Housing Access and Affordability Philanthropy, Wells Fargo Foundation

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An Exhibit Inspired by Housing Innovation

Our interactive exhibit, “A Better Way Home: The Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge,” at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., drew over 26,000 visitors during its 16-month run from October 2022 through January 2024.

Created by Mass Design Group, the exhibit featured the winners of the 2020 Breakthrough Challenge and the stories of their housing innovations through photography, diagrams, videos, and more. A review of the exhibit in Fast Company called each of the innovations “a replicable idea that can make more and better housing.”

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Cornerstone Blue

Live Pitch Competition

Two Exhilarating Days

Sixteen finalists pitched their housing innovation before a panel of judges with deep expertise and experience. While nerves ran high, ideas and inspiration flowed freely, on and off stage at the National Building Museum and throughout the pitch competition. “One of the hardest parts of the work is sometimes you feel like you’re in it alone,” said finalist Kavya Shankar, cofounder and COO of Trust Neighborhoods. “To be surrounded by a community of peers and collaborators was a great way to re-energize and celebrate what we’ve accomplished so far.”

The Power of Innovation

Our inaugural cohort of Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge winners and their collective impact represent the future of our sector — and they are committed to making it more flexible, equitable, and inclusive. They challenged us to do better, and because of their example, we will.

Read the report

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