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Apply Now: Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge

Round 1 of the 2026 Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge is now open. The application period runs from April 1, 2026 to May 15, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET).

Organizations with proven, ready-to-scale housing innovations are invited to apply during this window.

Round 1 is the only open application period in the competition. All eligible applicants must apply in Round 1 to be considered. Organizations selected to advance will be invited to participate in Round 2, with winners selected through a third and final round.

Applicants selected to move forward to Round 2 will be notified this summer.

Apply Now

All applications must be submitted through SlideRoom.
To help you prepare, you can download a PDF preview of the application. 
Please note: this PDF cannot be used to apply.

Three Focus Areas

In SlideRoom, applicants will be asked to name their breakthrough innovation and select its primary focus area. The three focus areas are Design and Construction, Finance, and Service Delivery and Programs.

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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

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FINANCE

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SERVICE DELIVERY AND PROGRAMS

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Design and Construction

Introducing new models, design techniques, housing types, and construction methods that expand affordable housing options and adapt to various cultural and community settings.

Design and Construction innovations must include replicable and scalable approaches that meet resident needs through functional and culturally responsive design.

Design and Construction innovations can include but are not limited to:

  • Methods, technologies, or materials that significantly reduce building costs
  • Supply chain or construction efficiencies that accelerate the building process and lower total development costs
  • Energy-efficient design that improves resident safety, comfort, and long-term affordability
  • Disaster and climate resilience
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Finance

Advancing solutions that broaden access to capital, streamline lending processes, or remove systemic barriers that prevent households from accessing financial products.

Finance innovations must demonstrate how their model can be replicated or scaled, and how it contributes to creating a more accessible housing market for renters and homebuyers.

Finance innovations can include but are not limited to:

  • New sources or structures of capital directed toward preservation, development, or supportive services
  • Systems or processes that expand access to capital, especially for households with limited access to homeownership
  • Expansion or improvements to existing tools that generate new investment(s) in resident wealth building, workforce development, and financial stability
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Service Delivery and Programs

Elevating comprehensive, people-centered programs using housing as a platform for broader outcomes – stability, empowerment, education, or workforce development.

Service Delivery and Programs innovations must have demonstrated impact and a clear pathway to replication or scaling.

Service Delivery and Programs innovations may:

  • Increase housing choice, agency, and empowerment for residents with lower incomes
  • Transform the housing experience, especially for vulnerable populations (e.g., seniors, families with children, unhoused individuals and families, and people with disabilities)
  • Integrate safe, affordable housing into holistic service delivery, mobility pathways, or workforce or education initiatives

 

Round 1: Criteria, Scoring, and Competition Details


Criteria

Your innovation must meet the criteria below to advance to the official scoring stage.

Type of Community

Innovations can serve all types of communities:

  • Rural
  • Urban
  • Suburban
  • Tribal

Location

Priority scoring will be given to applications from entities that are based in – or whose innovations are designed for – one or more of these 28 states, plus D.C.:

  • Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C.

Affordability

Innovations must serve residents at these income levels:

  • Rental: 80% AMI or below
  • Homeownership: 120% AMI or below
  • Workforce housing: 120% AMI or below

Organization Type

The lead organization must be one of the following:

  • Nonprofit organization with 501(c)3 status
  • Mission-oriented for-profit
  • Quasi-governmental organization, Housing Authority, and Housing Finance Agency with 501(c)(3) entity serving as lead applicant
  • Tribally Designated Housing Entity (TDHE)
  • Tribal Housing Authority
Scoring

Applications are scored based on a 55-point rubric with three overarching criteria.

Innovation Efficacy and Feasibility (30 points)

  • Is the idea innovative and transformative? Would the idea revolutionize or reshape the field? (5 points)
  • Is this feasible? Does this innovation provide evidence of a pilot, proof of concept, and implementation that produced clear, measurable outcomes? (5 points)
  • Demonstrated cost savings and/or additional resources (5 points)
  • Demonstrated time savings and/or process efficiencies (5 points)
  • Resident impact, future and/or existing (5 points)
  • Innovation scalability. Can it be replicated or scaled? (5 points)

Readiness (15 points)

  • Demonstrated impact and proof of concept or pilot (5 points)
  • Clarity on use of resources and implementation (5 points)
  • Project team readiness (5 points)

Alignment with Overarching Challenge Priority (10 points)

  • Does the innovation align with the definition of your selected focus area?

Bonus: Priority Market (15 points)

Is the lead entity based in, or is the innovation designed for, any of the following priority markets?

  • Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C.
     
Competition Details

The Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge is a three-round competition. All applicants begin in Round 1, and only those selected as semifinalists and finalists will be invited to advance to Rounds
2 and 3.

Final award recipients will be selected from the Round 3 finalists by a panel of judges, including leaders from Wells Fargo, Enterprise, and nationally recognized housing and community development experts.
 

Round 1: Open Application Round
April 1 - May 15, 2026
Apply Now

Round 2: Semifinalist Selection
Aug. 10 to Sept. 18, 2026

  • Round 2 is open only to applicants selected as semifinalists from Round 1. 
  • Round 2 semifinalists announced: Week of July 27, 2026

Round 3: Finalist Review
Fall 2026 to Winter 2027

  • Round 3 is open only to applicants selected as finalists from Round 2.
  • Round 3 finalists announced: Week of Nov. 2, 2026

Winners Announced
Winter 2027

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