San Diego Habitat for Humanity

What San Diego Habitat for Humanity does

San Diego Habitat for Humanity is a regional affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, operating as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 33-0259190) headquartered at 8128 Mercury Court, San Diego. Founded in 1988, the organization delivers an affordable homeownership pathway for low- and moderate-income working families in San Diego County through volunteer-built, sweat-equity homes sold at zero-interest mortgages, supplemented by a home preservation/repair program, veteran services, a developer-partnership program, and playhouse/community-building programs. Cumulative reported impact includes 194 homes built, 207 homes repaired, and 1,246 people served since inception, with a current development pipeline of 38 homes — described as the largest in recent history — in a market where only ~11% of San Diego County households can afford a median-priced home of $931,600. Co-developed communities include Comm22 (11 townhomes, Logan Heights, completed November 2020), El Norte Parkway (10 townhomes, Escondido, completed June 2024), Cypress Point, and Liberty in Oceanside.

Revenue and funding come from nine streams: one-time and recurring individual donations (Builders Circle, HopeBuilder monthly giving), institutional grants (notably $60,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation in July 2024), the revolving Homebuilding Investment Fund ($2M+ mobilized in Fund I launched 2018, $1.8M repaid February 2024, with expansion to a larger Fund under way), vehicle donations (Cars for Homes), planned/legacy gifts, signature fundraising events (Taste of Home and Women Build — the latter raised $104K+ with 170+ volunteers in 2024), no-interest mortgage repayments recycled through the Fund, and — until October 31, 2024 — ReStore retail sales of donated furniture, appliances, and recycled paint (Visions partnership). The ReStore, launched in 1998 in a Lemon Grove warehouse, had operated in Kearny Mesa and National City; both were permanently closed effective October 31, 2024 to redirect resources toward homebuilding. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, combining direct-to-consumer orientation/qualification for prospective buyers with corporate and faith partnerships (Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Realty Income, Hotel del Coronado, Premium Cabinets USA, Kiwanis) and grassroots volunteer mobilization. The technology stack is standard nonprofit infrastructure: WordPress on WP Engine, Hotjar for UX analytics, Classy for ticketing and donations, VolunteerHub for volunteer scheduling, and a separate ReStore online storefront. Leadership is led by President & CEO Kwofi Reed (named 2024 SDBJ CEO of the Year — Nonprofit), supported by Director of Communications Devonna Almagro and Director of ReStore Operations Fernando Torres.

Name

San Diego Habitat for Humanity

Legal name

San Diego Habitat for Humanity Inc.

Website

https://sandiegohabitat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

San Diego Habitat for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that builds and preserves affordable homes in San Diego County for low- and moderate-income working families using volunteer labor, sweat-equity participation, and zero-interest mortgages, funded via donations, grants, events, and a revolving Homebuilding Investment Fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing Services

NAICS

Other Residential Care Facilities (623990), Other Residential Care Facilities (6239)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI)

Keywords

• Affordable housing construction
• Homeownership programs
• Home preservation services
• Nonprofit community development
• Volunteer homebuilding

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual donations (one-time): Tax-deductible one-time gifts from individuals via the website donation page; part of the foundational funding base supporting home construction and repair.
2. Recurring monthly giving (HopeBuilder / Builders Circle): Recurring monthly donations from supporters, providing a steady, predictable source of unrestricted funding for homebuilding and preservation.
3. Homebuilding Investment Fund: Pooled capital from philanthropic investors and donors ($2M+ in Fund I, launched 2018, fully repaid at $1.8M) deployed to finance home construction, repaid from home sale proceeds. Functions as a revolving impact-investment vehicle.
4. Institutional grants (corporate/foundation): Restricted grants from corporate and private foundations (e.g., $60,000 Wells Fargo Foundation grant in July 2024) to expand access to affordable housing.
5. Vehicle donation program (Cars for Homes): Donated cars, trucks, and vans are converted into funding for homebuilding and preservation. Funds stay local; towing is free.
6. ReStore retail sales (now closed): Social-enterprise thrift/home-goods stores in Kearny Mesa and National City (permanently closed effective October 31, 2024) sold donated furniture, appliances, building materials, and recycled paint. All proceeds went to affordable housing construction.
7. Special-event fundraising (Taste of Home, Women Build): Ticketed culinary events (Taste of Home) and multi-day build events (Women Build) generate net proceeds for the construction pipeline. Taste of Home 2024 is sponsored by Jack and Caroline Raymond and celebrated 13 years of Carlsbad homeownership.
8. Planned giving / legacy gifts: Donor designations via bank accounts, appreciated securities/investment funds, life insurance, IRAs, or CDs, supporting future-generation homebuilding.
9. Affordable home sales (no-interest mortgages): Qualified working families purchase newly built Habitat homes at affordable prices, with no-interest mortgages. Mortgage repayments recycle back into the mission through the Homebuilding Investment Fund structure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

San Diego Habitat for Humanity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and sells affordable homes to qualified working families in San Diego County, supported by a sweat-equity volunteer construction model and zero-interest mortgages. It also provides home preservation (repair and weatherization) services for existing low-income homeowners and partners with municipal agencies and nonprofit developers on multi-family affordable-housing communities.

Product overview

San Diego Habitat for Humanity is a single-organization nonprofit (501(c)(3), EIN 33-0259190) operating a portfolio of affordable housing programs rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include the Homeownership Program (constructing and selling affordable homes to qualified working families), Home Preservation (repair services for low-income homeowners), and Developer Partnerships (collaborations with municipal agencies, BRIDGE Housing, MAAC Project, and Mission Driven Finance). Specialty/community programs — Veteran Services, Playhouses Program, and Global Impact — extend the mission to specific populations, while Advocacy drives state and federal policy work (including CalHome funding). Revenue-generating and engagement programs — the ReStore retail social enterprise, Cars for Homes vehicle donation, Builders Circle, HopeBuilder monthly giving, Homebuilding Investment Fund, and annual events Taste of Home and Women Build — together fund the affordable homebuilding pipeline that delivered communities such as Comm22 (Logan Heights), El Norte Parkway (Escondido), Cypress Point (Oceanside), and Liberty (Oceanside). The ReStore's two area locations (National City and Kearny Mesa) were permanently closed effective October 31, 2024 to refocus resources on homebuilding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReStore: San Diego Habitat's retail social enterprise, established in 1998, that resells donated furniture, appliances, building materials, and other household items to generate funds for affordable homebuilding. Operated online and through physical locations in Kearny Mesa and National City until the retail ReStores were closed effective October 31, 2024.

Products and services

• Homeownership Program Affordable homeownership pathway for working San Diego families. Qualified buyers purchase newly built or renovated Habitat homes at an affordable price (target ~30% of income for PITI), supported by volunteer labor, donations, and sweat equity contributed by future homeowners. Zero-interest mortgages with repayments recycled into the Homebuilding Investment Fund.
• Home Preservation Home repair and preservation services for existing low-income homeowners in San Diego County, helping families remain safely in their homes. Includes critical repairs, accessibility modifications, and weatherization.
• ReStore (Retail Social Enterprise) Retail social enterprise that resells donated furniture, appliances, building materials, and earth-friendly recycled paint (via the Visions Quality Coatings partnership) to fund affordable home construction. Physical locations in Kearny Mesa and National City have permanently closed as of October 31, 2024; the online storefront continues to be referenced.
• Cars for Homes Vehicle donation program accepting cars, trucks, and vans with free towing. Donated vehicles are converted into funding for San Diego Habitat's homebuilding and preservation efforts; all funds stay local.
• Homebuilding Investment Fund Mission-related impact-investing vehicle that mobilizes capital from philanthropic investors and donors to finance affordable home construction. Fund I ($1.8M) was fully repaid in 2024; a second fund has been expanded to support 38 homes in development over the next five years.
• Builders Circle Donor recognition and recurring giving circle supporting San Diego Habitat for Humanity's homebuilding mission.
• HopeBuilder (Monthly Giving) Recurring monthly donation program providing steady, predictable support to sustain affordable homebuilding for families striving for affordable homeownership.
• Taste of Home (Annual Fundraiser) Annual culinary fundraising event held in Carlsbad, sponsored by Jack and Caroline Raymond, featuring food and beverage partners and an online auction. Net proceeds support the affordable home construction pipeline.
• Women Build (Annual Event) Annual women-led volunteer build event (16th annual in 2024) that brings together volunteers for playhouse construction, home preservation, and fundraising. The 2024 edition raised more than $104,000 with over 170 volunteers.
• Comm22 | Logan Heights Community Completed Habitat community of 11 townhomes (3–4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 1,270–1,389 s.f.) in Logan Heights, San Diego. 11 households (19 adults, 33 children) purchased homes; co-developed with the City of San Diego, San Diego Housing Commission, San Diego Unified School District, MAAC Project, BRIDGE Housing, and Mission Driven Finance.
• El Norte Parkway | Escondido Community Completed Habitat community of 10 duplex-style townhomes (3 bedrooms, 1,300 s.f., attached 2-car garages, solar panels) in Escondido, California. 10 households purchased homes; 22 children served across the community.
• Cypress Point | Oceanside Community Recently completed Habitat community located in Oceanside, California.
• Liberty | Oceanside Community Recently completed Habitat community located in Oceanside, California; features homeowners including Melissa (single mother of a 12-year-old pursuing social-work licensure) and Victoria (pursuing a Master's in Social Work with her five-year-old son), among others.
• Developer Partnerships Collaborative program partnering with private developers, municipal agencies (City of San Diego, SDHC, City of Escondido), and mission-driven lenders (MAAC Project, BRIDGE Housing, Mission Driven Finance) to expand affordable housing supply across San Diego County.
• Veteran Services Targeted affordable housing and support services for military and veteran families throughout San Diego County, including veteran-focused build days and playhouse donations.
• Playhouses Program (including STEM Playhouse) Volunteer-built playhouses (including a STEM Playhouse program) gifted to local children, military and veteran families, children's centers, and Habitat ReStores. The Kiwanis Club of San Diego sponsored materials for 57 playhouses in 2024.
• Advocacy State and federal affordable housing advocacy, including participation in Habitat for Humanity California's 13th Annual Advocacy Day. Focus areas include restoring CalHome program funding and equitable housing policy.
• Global Impact San Diego Habitat's contribution to the global Habitat for Humanity mission of building affordable housing worldwide, as one regional affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International.
• Planned Giving Donor designations via bank accounts, appreciated securities/investment funds, life insurance, IRAs, or CDs, supporting future-generation homebuilding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 194 homes built, 207 homes repaired, 1,246 people served since 1988
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered secondary — recurring programmatic sponsor of the stem playhouse program., flagship — high-profile corporate donation partner featured in major press release., core public-sector co-development partner on the el norte parkway community., core public-sector co-development partner on affordable-housing communities., adjacent — land or facility partner for the comm22 site., adjacent nonprofit co-development partner on comm22., secondary — featured sponsor logo, likely in-kind materials provider for home construction., specialty retail-supply partner for restore paint program., adjacent — parent brand of hotel del coronado, the restoration donor. and state-level advocacy affiliate; nearly 100 advocates coordinated at the 13th annual advocacy day..

• Kiwanis Club of San Diegosecondary — recurring programmatic sponsor of the stem playhouse program.GTM or Marketing Partner · 24 May 2024Kiwanis Club of San Diego sponsored the materials for 57 playhouses for 2024, supporting a hands-on team-building experience for volunteers, community connection through the STEM Playhouse program, and playhouse donations to families across San Diego County.
• Hotel del Coronadoflagship — high-profile corporate donation partner featured in major press release.Strategic or Co-development Partner · 22 February 2024As part of the Hotel del Coronado's historic Victorian Neighborhood restoration project, the hotel donated hundreds of pieces of furniture, electronics, and appliances to the San Diego Habitat ReStore. Per the March 11, 2024 press release, the donation diverted 72 tons from landfill and represents $90,000–$150,000+ in value. Items were resold at Kearny Mesa and National City ReStores, with all proceeds supporting affordable home construction.
• City of Escondidocore public-sector co-development partner on the el norte parkway community.Strategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022Public co-development partner on the El Norte Parkway 10-townhome community in Escondido (groundbreaking May 2022, completion June 2024).
• City of San Diegocore public-sector co-development partner on affordable-housing communities.Strategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017Co-development partner on the Comm22 Logan Heights 11-townhome community (groundbreaking April 2017, completion November 2020), along with other public and nonprofit partners. Likely contributed land, fee waivers, or local funding.
• San Diego Housing Commissioncore public-sector co-development partner on affordable-housing communities.Strategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017Co-development partner on the Comm22 Logan Heights 11-townhome community, providing affordable-housing financing/oversight.
• San Diego Unified School Districtadjacent — land or facility partner for the comm22 site.Strategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017Listed as a Comm22 Logan Heights co-development partner; likely provided land disposition or facility access for the 11-townhome community on Harrison Avenue.
• MAAC Projectadjacent nonprofit co-development partner on comm22.Strategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017Listed as a co-development partner on the Comm22 Logan Heights 11-townhome community, contributing capacity/services to affordable-housing delivery.
• BRIDGE Housingadjacent nonprofit co-development partner on comm22.Strategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2017Listed as a co-development partner on the Comm22 Logan Heights community; BRIDGE Housing is a regional nonprofit developer of affordable housing.
• Premium Cabinets USAsecondary — featured sponsor logo, likely in-kind materials provider for home construction.Strategic or Co-development PartnerPremium Cabinets USA logo is displayed on the homepage as one of San Diego Habitat's local sponsors and partners. Likely provides cabinetry or building materials for Habitat homes.
• Visions Quality Coatingsspecialty retail-supply partner for restore paint program.OEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThrough a partnership with Visions, San Diego ReStores sell an earth-friendly brand of paint recycled from excess and leftover paint. Available in three colors in one- and five-gallon increments across all ReStore locations (originally three locations, later reduced).
• Curio Collection by Hiltonadjacent — parent brand of hotel del coronado, the restoration donor.Strategic or Co-development PartnerHotel del Coronado (part of Curio Collection by Hilton) donated hundreds of furniture/appliance pieces to the San Diego Habitat ReStore as part of its historic Victorian Neighborhood restoration. Curio Collection is named as a participating brand in the March 11, 2024 press release.
• Habitat for Humanity Californiastate-level advocacy affiliate; nearly 100 advocates coordinated at the 13th annual advocacy day.Strategic or Co-development PartnerState-level Habitat affiliate that convenes affiliates for advocacy. San Diego Habitat joined ~100 advocates at Habitat for Humanity California's 13th Annual Advocacy Day to engage the Governor's office and California legislators on affordable-homeownership funding (notably CalHome).

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity International: Global parent umbrella organization overseeing 1,000+ local affiliates including San Diego. Provides brand, advocacy, and operational standards; San Diego operates as an independent affiliate within this network.

Direct peers

• Habitat for Humanity California: State-level Habitat affiliate that convenes California affiliates for advocacy and shared services. San Diego Habitat actively participates in its 13th Annual Advocacy Day and coordinates CalHome program defense.
• BRIDGE Housing: Regional nonprofit affordable-housing developer listed as a co-development partner on San Diego Habitat's Comm22 Logan Heights community. Operates the same affordable-housing development model across California and the Pacific Northwest.
• MAAC Project: San Diego-headquartered nonprofit providing affordable housing, workforce development, and family services. Listed as a co-development partner on San Diego Habitat's Comm22 community, with overlapping affordable-housing production mission.
• Habitat for Humanity of Orange County: Sister Habitat for Humanity affiliate serving neighboring Orange County with the same homeownership, home preservation, and ReStore model. Most directly comparable peer in business model, funding mechanisms, and program mix.
• Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles: Larger sister Habitat affiliate serving the LA region. Operates the same affordable-homeownership and home-preservation programs at greater scale; useful comparable for pipeline sizing and capital deployment.
• Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley: Another California Habitat affiliate with overlapping homeownership, repair, and ReStore operations in a similarly high-cost housing market. Directly comparable on donor base, program mix, and policy environment.

Emerging players

• Mission Driven Finance: San Diego-based impact finance nonprofit providing capital-stack support for affordable housing. Listed as a Comm22 co-development partner with overlapping recoverable-capital model similar to Habitat's Homebuilding Investment Fund.
• HomeAid San Diego: San Diego chapter of HomeAid America, a nonprofit builder of housing for the homeless and those at risk. Operates in the same San Diego affordable-housing ecosystem with a more focused mission on transitional and supportive housing.

Others

• San Diego Housing Commission: Public-sector affordable-housing finance and oversight agency for the City of San Diego. Acts as a co-development partner on Comm22 rather than a competitor, but operates in the same affordable-housing production ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/habitatsandiego
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNxRofuhW-xIsioN8DD19_A
• Facebookfacebook.com/sdhabitat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-diego-habitat-for-humanity
• Instagraminstagram.com/habitatsandiego

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Diego Habitat for Humanity