Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco

What Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco does

Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco (Habitat GSF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity and local affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, founded in 1989 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It builds, sustains, and preserves affordable homeownership opportunities for low-to-moderate income families across Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. The organization's core products include new construction of affordable homes (280+ built by 2023), a mortgage lending arm offering special purpose credit to first-time homebuyers (operating since 1989), a Home Preservation Program delivering critical repairs with 0% forgivable loans of $25,000–$75,000 (260+ homes repaired since 2011), and a Buy Back / Recycled Homes program that purchases departing Habitat homes, renovates them, and resells to the next eligible household to maintain permanent affordability.

The organization's business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating, with four primary income streams: individual donations, government grants (notably California's CalHome program, which represented approximately 30% of project funding before being zeroed out of recent state budgets), corporate sponsorships (including the Playhouse Build team-building program), and mortgage interest from its in-house lending. Housing payments from residents are capped at up to 30% of gross household income on a sliding scale tied to 50–120% of Area Median Income, and home repairs are delivered as 0% forgivable loans forgiven at 20% per year over five years.

Habitat GSF's go-to-market is community-led, combining volunteer-driven construction, faith-community and community land trust partnerships (Bolinas Community Land Trust, Ladera Community Church), municipal collaboration (City of Redwood City), and active state and federal policy advocacy. The organization has no disclosed proprietary technology platform; operations are supported by standard nonprofit tools including a Fundraise Up donation portal and standard CRM/volunteer management infrastructure. Leadership includes a CEO, Chief Real Estate Officer, VP of Homeownership and Community Engagement, Director of Policy & Advocacy, and Director of Volunteer and Partnership Development.

Name

Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco

Legal name

Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco, Inc.

Website

https://habitatgsf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds affordable homes, provides home repairs, and lends mortgages to low-to-moderate income families across Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing Services

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ), Public Housing & Social Housing Development/Modernization Programs (FSALAKAH)

Keywords

• Affordable housing
• Homebuilding services
• Homeownership programs
• Home repair services
• Nonprofit housing

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on donations from individuals to fund affordable homebuilding and homeownership programs.
2. Government Funding / CalHome: Government funding comprises approximately 30% of project funding. CalHome is California's state funding program dedicated to affordable homeownership production and preservation, which has been zeroed out in recent budgets, creating challenges for operations.
3. Playhouse Program Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors fund playhouse builds - team-building activities where groups build playhouses for community organizations. Sponsorship includes materials and staff time, generating funds for affordable homebuilding operations.
4. Homebuyer Mortgages: Habitat GSF acts as a mortgage lender offering affordable mortgages to qualified first-time homebuyers, providing special purpose credit opportunities to low-income residents since 1989.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds and sells affordable homes for working families earning 50-120% of area median income in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties. It operates a homeownership program with mortgage lending, a home preservation program offering 0% forgivable repair loans, and a buy-back program that keeps homes permanently affordable. The organization supplements construction with volunteer labor, corporate sponsorships, government grants, and policy advocacy.

Product overview

Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco is a nonprofit affordable housing organization offering a multi-faceted portfolio of programs. The core offerings include Homebuilding (new construction of affordable homes), the Homeownership Program (mortgage lending and buyer support), Home Preservation (repairs and forgivable loans for low-income homeowners), and Buy Back Home Repair (renovating returned homes for next families). Supporting programs include Housing Advocacy (policy campaigns), the Playhouse Build Program (corporate team-building fundraising), Playhouse Prep Support, Homebuyer Readiness, and Office/Special Skills volunteering. Major current initiatives include 31 Wharf Road in Bolinas (8 homes with BCLT) and Portola Valley (2 homes with Ladera Church). The organization operates across Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Homebuilding
• Homeownership Program
• Home Preservation Program
• Recycled Homes (Buy-Back) Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 280 homes built by 2023 in San Mateo, San Francisco, and Marin counties
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ladera Community ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026Habitat GSF is partnering with Ladera Community Church to build two affordable homes on church-owned land in Portola Valley. The project is inspired by California's Affordable Housing on Faith Lands Act (Yes in God's Backyard law), which allows faith institutions to build 100% affordable housing on their property by right. Construction expected to begin in 2027.
• Bolinas Community Land Trust (BCLT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership to build 8 new affordable homes at 31 Wharf Road in Bolinas. BCLT retains ownership of the land in perpetuity through their community land trust model, ensuring long-term affordability. Construction started in late January 2026 and expected to take 16-18 months.
• Call Marin Home (formerly Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Habitat GSF is a founding member of Call Marin Home, a unified coalition of housing-focused organizations working together to address Marin County's housing challenges. Habitat GSF was honored at the annual Friendraiser event as a founding coalition member.
• Habitat for Humanity CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level Habitat affiliate organization leading CalHome advocacy efforts. Organized statewide advocacy rally in Sacramento on November 17 to call for $500 million investment in CalHome.
• Habitat for Humanity InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational parent organization of which Habitat GSF is a local affiliate. Habitat GSF participates in Habitat on the Hill advocacy events in Washington DC.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Housing: National nonprofit affordable housing developer operating across multiple states. Comparable affordable housing development mission with broader geographic scale; Bay Area presence makes it a relevant broader-incumbent peer.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit that develops and finances affordable housing and community development projects, with significant Bay Area presence. Comparable mission at greater scale; functions as both operator and capital provider.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution supporting affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization. Bay Area office provides comparable funding and capacity-building support to affordable housing developers, including Habitat affiliates.

Direct peers

• BRIDGE Housing: Major Bay Area nonprofit affordable housing developer building and managing rental and ownership homes for low- and moderate-income households across Northern California. Comparable mission and target population, though larger and primarily rental-focused.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Global parent organization of the Habitat for Humanity network, of which Habitat GSF is a local affiliate. Directly comparable operating model and mission; provides brand, standards, and programmatic support to GSF.
• Habitat for Humanity California: State-level Habitat affiliate umbrella organization advocating for CalHome funding and supporting California Habitat affiliates including Habitat GSF. Direct peer in advocacy and programmatic alignment, operating one level above individual affiliates.
• Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC): San Francisco nonprofit developing and managing affordable housing for low-income residents, including families and formerly homeless individuals. Direct peer in the same geography with overlapping target populations, though primarily a rental developer.
• Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley: Another Bay Area Habitat affiliate serving Santa Clara County with the same volunteer-driven affordable homebuilding, mortgage lending, and home repair model. Closely comparable in scale, programs, and revenue mix.
• Habitat for Humanity East Bay: Sister Habitat for Humanity affiliate serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties with the same homebuilding, homeownership, and home repair model. Direct peer because it operates an identical nonprofit affordable-housing model in an adjacent Bay Area geography.
• Mission Housing Development Corporation: San Francisco-based nonprofit affordable housing developer providing rental and ownership housing for low-income residents. Comparable Bay Area geography, target population, and mission; primary direct peer focused on ownership pathways.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/habitatgsf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/HabitatforHumanityGreaterSanFrancisco
• Facebookfacebook.com/habitatgsf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1587970
• Instagraminstagram.com/habitatgsf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco