WASHINGTON --Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), a collaborative of nonprofit affordable housing providers, today announced the receipt of a major investment from MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropy, Yield Giving. The donation marks the largest individual contribution in SAHF’s 20-year history. It will support the organization’s mission to foster equity, opportunity, and wellness in the production and preservation of quality affordable housing.
“The gift from Ms. Scott—and gifts from our generous donors over the years—will ensure we can continue to be an innovator and accountability partner within the affordable housing industry as we advance this important work.”
“The donation from Ms. Scott and Yield Giving comes at a crucial time for SAHF as we seek to address mounting market pressures and the repercussions of historically unjust policies that have made housing less affordable and less accessible, particularly for the most marginalized communities,” said Andrea Ponsor, President and CEO of SAHF. “We are grateful to Ms. Scott for believing in our vision, and we look forward to realizing the impact of this generous investment.”
SAHF’s approach to affordable housing is grounded in a deep commitment to build vibrant communities that center the needs of individuals and families. The investment from Yield Giving bolsters SAHF’s capacity to continue to develop and promote U.S. policy and programmatic improvements that advance racial equity by creating and preserving affordable, environmentally sustainable homes connected to what we all need to thrive.
“Access to an affordable home of one’s choosing is critically important for building healthy, equitable communities. And when affordable housing is enriched with resident services like childcare, internet access or access to food, we see residents experience transformative outcomes,” said Michelle Norris who is the SAHF Board President and EVP, National Church Residences. “The gift from Ms. Scott—and gifts from our generous donors over the years—will ensure we can continue to be an innovator and accountability partner within the affordable housing industry as we advance this important work.”
Through its newly released 2023-2025 strategic plan, SAHF will continue its work to create and preserve homes that are resident-centered and sustainable and will activate its Pledge to Advance Racial Equity. SAHF, and its twelve affordable housing developer member organizations, have pledged to drive internal and external racial equity improvements across six focus areas. This collaborative effort aims to recruit and retain board members, senior leadership, and staff with lived experience relevant to the communities our organizations serve, advance ongoing commitments to resident-centered and trauma-informed approaches to affordable housing and identify policy and financial solutions for more equitable approaches to developing affordable rental homes.
Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) is a nonprofit collaborative of twelve exemplary multi-state nonprofit affordable housing providers who own nearly 150,000 affordable rental homes. SAHF brings a knowledge base garnered from and informed by its members, who have a proven track record of delivering financially responsible affordable housing that encompasses resident voice and community choice. Additionally, SAHF brings an experienced, respected, and developer-informed policy perspective to the partnership.