The right capital can change what’s possible.
Hundreds of billions of dollars in charitable capital are invested in capital markets while waiting, sometimes decades, to be given away.
What if more of that capital were invested in communities instead?
Thriving Communities Fund pools philanthropic capital, including capital from foundations and donor-advised funds, to provide patient, low-cost loans and other recoverable investments for community ownership and stewardship.
Instead of waiting for a future grant to create impact, charitable capital can be put to work now. When investments are repaid, that capital can be put to work again.
Put charitable capital to work now, then again in the future.
The sponsoring 501(c)(3) charitable organization is the legal owner and investor of Fund assets. The capital remains charitable throughout. It never returns to a participant personally.
What we invest in
Community ownership means communities gaining durable rights, decision-making power, and economic benefit from the assets that shape their lives and futures.
We look for approaches that keep assets rooted locally, protect community benefit over time, strengthen the relationship between people and place, and give residents, workers, Tribal Nations, and other community stakeholders a meaningful role in ownership and governance.
01Stable & affordable housing
Community land trusts, resident-owned communities, cooperatives, and other models that preserve affordability, prevent displacement, and give residents a lasting stake in their homes and neighborhoods.
02Commercial spaces & local businesses
Worker and community ownership, locally controlled businesses, and commercial spaces that keep economic activity, jobs, and ownership rooted locally.
03Agricultural land & food systems
Land, farms, equipment, and food infrastructure that support producers, sustain working lands, strengthen local food systems, and keep ownership rooted in communities.
04Tribal & Indigenous ownership
Land reacquisition and return, housing, agriculture, businesses, cultural spaces, ecological stewardship, energy, and other community-determined assets that support sovereignty and cultural continuity.
05Natural resources
Forests, watersheds, open space, working lands, and other natural resources owned or stewarded to protect ecosystems, preserve community access, and keep land healthy for generations.
We’re building a learning community alongside the people doing this work.
Our first responsibility is to listen to communities, understand what works, and become better partners and investors. The longer-term goal is bigger: to build broader understanding of community ownership and make it easier for more communities to do it, and for capital to flow to it.
Through Built to Last, we share what we’re learning about the people, projects, history, and ideas shaping community ownership.
Read Built to Last →Put your capital to work.
Learn by doing.
We’re bringing together a group of founding participants interested in putting philanthropic capital to work in community ownership. You don’t need to be an expert or ready to make a commitment.
Invest with us →Seeking patient, flexible capital?
We want to hear from communities working to acquire, build, preserve, reclaim, or steward assets for long-term community benefit.