Housing Justice Initiative Grants

Geographic Scope: Bay Area (8 counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano)

Focus Areas:

• Increase access to stable and affordable housing
• Address the racial wealth gap
• Prevent homelessness
• Support policy advocacy around housing issues
• Close racial wealth gap by supporting BIPOC-led organizations increasing pathways to homeownership

Background:
United Way Bay Area's Housing Justice Initiative is focused on advancing Housing Justice for Bay Area residents with a focus on equity. The initiative advances policies that advance housing justice at state and local levels, redresses past discriminatory housing policies that disenfranchised communities of color, and fights for housing stability and affordability.

As of 2023, 1 in 4 Bay Area families cannot afford food, shelter, and other basic necessities. Nearly 4 out of 10 Bay Area households pay more than 30% of their monthly income on housing, with the highest rent burden among Black and Latinx households. The Bay Area needs to build 30,000 affordable housing units for low-income families, but only 3,645 building permits have been issued.

Funding Source: MacKenzie Scott transformational gift (2021)

Award Examples:

• 2022 Round: $1,000,000 awarded to 20+ organizations ($12,500 - $75,000 per grant)
• 2023 Round: $750,000 awarded to 23 organizations

Contact for Future Information: Contact UWBA directly for future Housing Justice Initiative Grants information