Frolic Community
Frolic Community is a Seattle-based cooperative housing developer that builds affordable, small-scale owner-occupied communities through shared cooperative ownership, targeting moderate-income households (50-120% AMI) in Seattle and East Palo Alto priced out of traditional homeownership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Frolic Community does
Frolic Community is a Seattle-based cooperative housing developer founded in 2018 that builds affordable, small-scale owner-occupied communities through cooperative ownership structures. The company transforms urban lots — including odd-shaped, single-family-zoned, or otherwise underutilized parcels — into clusters of 3 to 18 cooperatively-owned homes that share common spaces such as kitchens, courtyards, gardens, and guest suites. Frolic acts as developer or co-developer alongside landowners, architects (Allied8, Hybrid Architecture, Ten Penny, Figure Architects), builders (Green Canopy NODE), and community land trusts (PAHALI), and layers in subsidies and down-payment assistance from the Seattle Office of Housing, HomeSight, Habitat for Humanity, and partner lenders to keep purchase prices between $60,000 and $450,000 and down payments between $3,000 and $40,000, targeting households earning 50–120% of Area Median Income.
The company's core product is the housing community itself — five named projects are active, with Corvidae Co-op (10 units, Seattle) opened in June 2024 as Frolic's first delivered development; Beacon Hill Co-op (3 units, Seattle) under construction; The Cedrus Collective (10 units, Seattle) and Donohoe Cooperative (18 units, East Palo Alto, CA) in development; and Marra Commons (Seattle) in schematic design. Supporting the physical developments is a web-based platform that enables prospective residents to create profiles, submit financial and household information, and join waitlists for specific communities, functioning as a lightweight CRM rather than a technology product. The company's intellectual property lies in the cooperative-ownership and co-development methodology, the multi-stakeholder coalition model, and the design process that integrates future residents into planning charrettes.
Frolic's business model is a developer-developer hybrid: it captures development fees and equity participation on each project rather than charging software subscriptions, with one-time unit sales priced at cost (not market) and the cooperative entity retaining shared ownership of land and common elements. Revenue is therefore project-by-project and lumpy, dependent on construction completion and unit closings. The company is funded primarily through philanthropic grants ($230,000 from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative / Silicon Valley Community Foundation in 2024), an undisclosed equity investment from National Cooperative Bank in July 2025, and stacked subsidies and concessionary debt from city housing offices and CDFIs. Frolic is privately held, co-founded and led by CEO Tamara Knox and COO Joshua Morrison, is a Certified B Corporation (April 2025), and employs 1–10 people.
Frolic Community firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Frolic Community
- Legal name
- Frolic Community Inc.
- Website
- https://frolic.community
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Frolic Community is a Seattle-based cooperative housing developer that builds affordable, small-scale owner-occupied communities through shared cooperative ownership, targeting moderate-income households (50-120% AMI) in Seattle and East Palo Alto priced out of traditional homeownership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Frolic Community industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Affordable Cooperative Housing Development
- NAICS
- Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (6233)
- SIC
- Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Co-Living Property Management (BPAJAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Master-Planned Community & POA Management (BPAJAHAD), HOA / Condominium Association Management (BPAJAFAH)
Keywords
Where Frolic Community is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Frolic Community business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Cooperative Housing Development: Frolic acts as developer and co-developer of cooperative housing communities. Revenue comes from development fees, equity investments, and potentially property management services for the co-ops they create.
- Equity Investment Returns: National Cooperative Bank provided equity investment to scale operations nationally. Financing structures enable cooperative development that may generate returns through equity appreciation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Corvidae Co-op - Columbia City/Beacon Hill, Seattle |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Corvidae Unit J - Available unit |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Donohoe Cooperative - East Palo Alto, CA |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Beacon Hill Co-op - Seattle |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Marra Commons - South Park, Seattle |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | The Cedrus Collective - Central District, Seattle |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Frolic Community product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Frolic Community develops cooperatively owned housing communities where residents co-own the property and share common spaces. The company acts as developer and co-developer of small, affordable co-op housing projects in Seattle and the Bay Area, financing them through a coalition of lenders, grants, and down payment assistance to keep purchase prices and down payments well below market. A web-based platform supports prospective resident profiles, waitlists, and onboarding into specific communities.
Product overview
Frolic Community operates as a cooperative housing development company offering a portfolio of housing communities and a web-based resident engagement platform. The core offering consists of five named co-op housing projects in Seattle, WA and East Palo Alto, CA: Corvidae Co-op (10 units, open), Beacon Hill Co-op (3 units, under construction), Donohoe Cooperative (18 units, under development), Marra Commons (in design), and The Cedrus Collective (10 units, in development). The platform enables prospective residents to create profiles, specify housing preferences, and join community waitlists. All homes are priced below market rate through cooperative ownership models with small down payments ($3k-$40k) and shared common spaces designed to foster community living.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Corvidae Co-op A 10-unit cooperative housing community in Seattle's Columbia City/Beacon Hill neighborhood featuring private studios and 1–2 bedroom homes with approximately 1,500 SF of shared common space, including communal kitchens, dining areas, and a guest suite. Homes are priced from $220,000 to $450,000 with down payments between $9,000 and $25,000, targeted to households earning 50–120% of Area Median Income.
- Beacon Hill Co-op A cooperatively owned community house in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood designed for three families, with the existing house preserved on site as a neighborhood gathering space. Homes are priced at $60,000 with $20,000 down payments, designed and built in partnership with Ten Penny Studio.
- Donohoe Cooperative An 18-unit cooperative community for Placekeepers in East Palo Alto, co-developed with EPACANDO and PAHALI Community Land Trust, designed by Figure Architects. Includes 1BR, 2BR, and 3BR homes with down payments of $20,000–$40,000, a central plaza with outdoor kitchen pavilion, and shared community garden, with land held by PAHALI to ensure permanent affordability.
- Marra Commons A housing community on a tree-filled lot in Seattle's South Park neighborhood directly adjacent to Marra-Desimone Park and one of Seattle's largest urban farms, designed by Hybrid Architecture. Homes are priced between $115,000 and $175,000 with down payments of $12,000–$17,000, currently in schematic design.
- The Cedrus Collective A 10-unit urban cooperative community in Seattle's Central District within walking distance of Downtown and Capitol Hill, designed by Hybrid Architecture. Includes three 1-bedroom, five 1-bedroom half, and two 2-bedroom units with a 1,098 SF common kitchen and dining area. Homes priced from $180,000 to $450,000 with down payments of $10,000–$40,000.
- Homebuyer Onboarding Program A multi-step intake service that enables prospective residents to create Frolic profiles, specify housing preferences (bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen types), share financial information, and join waitlists for specific cooperative communities. The program matches eligible buyers with available and upcoming co-op units.
Quantifiable outcome
- Down payments as low as $3,000-$9,000 compared to typical $100,000+ in Seattle
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Frolic Community
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Frolic Community technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Frolic Community partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.
- Allied8 ArchitectscoreCo-developer and architect for Corvidae Co-op. Collaborative partnership that has been recognized by FastCompany as innovative. Allied8 shared the #3 spot with Frolic in FastCompany's Most Innovative Companies.
- Hybrid ArchitecturecoreArchitect for Marra Commons and The Cedrus Collective projects. Site purchaser for Marra Commons project. Co-developer partner for multiple Seattle projects.
- EPACANDOcoreCo-development partner for Donohoe Cooperative in East Palo Alto. Community organization rooted in the community they're built to serve.
- PAHALI Community Land TrustcoreHolds land for Donohoe Cooperative ensuring permanent affordability. Key partner ensuring homes remain affordable in perpetuity.
- Ten Penny StudiocoreArchitect and builder for Beacon Hill Co-op. Designed project to preserve existing house and community gathering space.
- Figure ArchitectscoreArchitect for Donohoe Cooperative in East Palo Alto, CA.
- Green Canopy NODEcoreBuilder for Corvidae Co-op project. Collaborated on transforming empty lot into cooperative community.
- Wa Na WaricoreCommunity arts organization partnership for Black Homeowner Design Charrette during Walk the Block festival. Collaborative work on empowering Black homeowners to lead development in their communities.
- Seed the VoteminorCivic engagement organization. Frolic team participated in canvassing activities, demonstrating community commitment beyond housing development.
- Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA)minorArizona advocacy organization. Frolic team participated in voter engagement activities alongside this organization.
- AIA (American Institute of Architects)supportingFeatured in AIA article on co-op development as housing crisis solution. Architectural organization highlighting Frolic's work.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Frolic Community competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ROC USA: Nonprofit that helps residents of manufactured-home communities cooperatively purchase their parks. Closest comparable to Frolic's model: cooperative ownership, technical assistance, financing partnerships, and resident-led governance for permanent affordability.
- Grounded Solutions Network: National membership organization supporting community land trusts and shared-equity homeownership programs. Comparable network/ecosystem role for CLT-based affordable homeownership; also a likely peer organization to Frolic's partnerships with PAHALI and similar CLTs.
- Champlain Housing Trust: Burlington, VT-based community land trust operating shared-equity, permanently affordable homes in partnership with the city. Directly comparable community land trust + cooperative ownership model and permanent affordability mechanism used in Donohoe Cooperative.
Broad incumbents
- BRIDGE Housing: Major California-focused nonprofit affordable housing developer producing rental and ownership homes for low- and moderate-income households. Comparable mission and California geography (Donohoe in East Palo Alto is in BRIDGE's territory), though at vastly larger scale and primarily rental.
- Habitat for Humanity: Largest nonprofit affordable homeownership developer in the U.S., building and selling homes at affordable prices to low- and moderate-income buyers. Comparable in mission and target customer segment (first-time, lower-income homebuyers) but vastly larger in scale and uses traditional fee-simple ownership rather than cooperative structure.
- Mercy Housing:
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Frolic Community social profiles
Digital presenceFrolic Community compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Frolic Community financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Frolic Community leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Frolic Community funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frolic Community M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Frolic Community
What does Frolic Community do?
Frolic Community develops cooperatively owned housing communities where residents co-own the property and share common spaces. The company acts as developer and co-developer of small, affordable co-op housing projects in Seattle and the Bay Area, financing them through a coalition of lenders, grants, and down payment assistance to keep purchase prices and down payments well below market. A web-based platform supports prospective resident profiles, waitlists, and onboarding into specific communities.
Is Frolic Community a public or private company?
Frolic Community is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Frolic Community founded?
Frolic Community was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Frolic Community based?
Frolic Community is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Frolic Community make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Cooperative Housing Development is the primary driver. The others are equity Investment Returns.
Who are Frolic Community's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ROC USA, Grounded Solutions Network and Champlain Housing Trust. Broad incumbents are BRIDGE Housing, Habitat for Humanity and Mercy Housing.
Does Frolic Community have an API?
No public API is recorded for Frolic Community.
What industry is Frolic Community in?
Frolic Community's product category is Affordable Cooperative Housing Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAFAJ, Co-Living Property Management, with a secondary code of BPAJAHAD, Master-Planned Community & POA Management. Its NAICS code is 62331 and its SIC code is 6513.