Faith-based organizations (FBOs) in New York City are true anchor institutions in their communities, providing critical social services for those in need.

Today, many such organizations recognize the dire need for affordable housing, but also face issues such as financial health concerns, changing congregational membership, and the need to renovate existing houses of worship. Redeveloping property to create affordable housing is an opportunity to address these challenges. Enterprise New York and Kingdom Faith Developers provide pro-bono support to faith-based organizations that are interested in re-purposing their land for affordable housing development. Faith-based organizations can help create new housing in a way that serves communities, strengthens congregations, and promotes diversity and inclusion in New York City.

Our Faith-Based Development Initiative seeks to build the capacity of our faith-based partners and increase affordable housing production by:

  • Guiding organizations through the early pre-development process, with one-on-one technical assistance and group trainings
  • Offering access to experts in housing development, feasibility, finance, and legal matters
  • Providing grant resources that fund early pre-development work
  • Sharing tools to understand and navigate the development process, including the Enterprise Joint Venture Guidebook and case studies of successful development projects 
  • Helping find potential partners for mission-aligned joint venture partnerships
  • Spurring job creation for community members by connecting faith-based organizations with non-profit and Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) developers

Enterprise and Kingdom Faith Developers are currently seeking FBOs to participate in the next cohort of the initiative. On May 13th, we convened an event, A Clarion Call - Reimagining Faith-Owned Properties Post-Pandemic, which brought together speakers experienced in mission-based housing development to discuss the challenges faced by New York City faith organizations and how property redevelopment can be part of the solution to these issues, while creating housing for people in need.

On June 9, our Start Your Journey With Development: How We Can Help event provided FBOs with the opportunity to meet the Faith-Based Development Initiative team, learn more about FBDI, including the resources, technical assistance and guidance, and how to apply to be a part of the next cohort.

Important Dates

How to Apply

Interested organizations in New York City should email Betty Fong with the completed assessment form. Kingdom Faith Developers and Enterprise Community Partners will review and arrange a time for a video/call interview with your team. Assessments due by June 30, 2022.