Burlington Associates

What Burlington Associates does

Burlington Associates — In Community Development, LLC is a national consulting cooperative founded in 1993 to provide technical assistance to community land trusts (CLTs) and other organizations committed to permanently affordable housing. The firm operates from six U.S. offices (Burlington VT, Bozeman MT, Boston MA, Minneapolis MN, Petaluma CA, Athens GA) and is staffed by 7 partners and 1 associate, all of whom have multi-decade involvement in the CLT movement; several partners have previously served as executive directors of leading U.S. CLTs. Burlington Associates has helped more than 200 CLTs across 46 states and has provided occasional advisory work in Canada, England, Belgium, and Australia.

The firm delivers five categories of consulting services: Organization (incorporation, conversion, and CLT program formation), Training (advising and mentoring practitioners), Planning (business and strategic plans), Partnerships (facilitation of cooperative relationships among CLTs), and Policies (development of governmental policies supporting permanently affordable housing). Engagements are scoped and priced per project; the firm matches clients with the partner whose expertise best fits the engagement. Burlington Associates does not operate a software or technology platform and generates no disclosed software revenue; its assets are the partner bench, its publication library (including The Community Land Trust Handbook and Shared Equity Homeownership), and its position within the U.S. CLT ecosystem through relationships with Grounded Solutions Network, NeighborWorks America, the Housing Partnership Network, and the International Center for Community Land Trusts (co-founded by partner John Emmeus Davis in 2018).

The firm's customer base spans newly-forming CLTs, established CLTs seeking strategic or operational planning, city/county/state government agencies crafting affordable-housing policy, and community development nonprofits (CDCs, CDFIs, Habitat for Humanity affiliates). Marquee engagements include the Houston CLT (where the City of Houston committed $60 million), the Champlain Housing Trust (the largest U.S. CLT with 3,200+ units), and multi-year business plan work for clients such as the Kaniksu Land Trust (2024-2028). Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the firm has no parent company, external investors, or subsidiaries; ownership and operations rest with the partner-owners.

Name

Burlington Associates

Legal name

Burlington Associates – In Community Development, LLC

Website

https://burlingtonassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Burlington Associates is a 1993-founded national consulting cooperative of 8 partners and associates providing technical assistance to more than 200 community land trusts across 46 U.S. states. It delivers five service areas — Organization, Training, Planning, Partnerships, and Policies — to CLTs, government agencies, and nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing Consulting Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community land trusts
• Affordable housing consulting
• Shared equity homeownership
• Nonprofit technical assistance
• Housing policy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Technical Assistance Consulting Services: Burlington Associates generates revenue through providing five types of technical assistance: Organization (incorporation of new CLTs), Training (advising and mentoring CLT practitioners), Planning (creation of business and strategic plans), Partnerships (facilitation of cooperative relationships among CLTs), and Policies (development of governmental policies supporting permanently affordable housing). They work with newly-formed and long-established CLTs, nonprofit organizations, and government entities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Burlington Associates is a national consulting cooperative that provides technical assistance to community land trusts (CLTs) and related nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and cooperative enterprises. It delivers five core service categories — Organization (incorporation and formation), Training (advising and mentoring practitioners), Planning (business and strategic plans), Partnerships (facilitation of cooperative relationships among CLTs), and Policies (development of governmental policies supporting permanently affordable housing).

Product overview

Burlington Associates is a national consulting cooperative that provides technical assistance services for community land trusts (CLTs) and shared equity homeownership strategies. The company offers five core consulting service areas: Organization (incorporation and formation of CLTs), Training (advising and mentoring practitioners), Planning (business and strategic plans), Partnerships (facilitation of cooperative relationships among CLTs), and Policies (development of governmental policies supporting permanently affordable housing). These services are delivered through their team of partner consultants and are not packaged as software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organization Technical Assistance Incorporation of a new community land trust, conversion of an existing nonprofit corporation into a CLT, or formation of a CLT program within an existing organization; designed for newly-formed and developing community land trusts.
• Training Services Advising, teaching, and mentoring CLT practitioners, homeowners, and community leaders on organizational policies, operational procedures, and project development.
• Planning Services Creation of business plans and strategic plans for CLTs and other nonprofits dedicated to the expansion and stewardship of permanently affordable housing.
• Partnerships Facilitation Facilitation of cooperative relationships among community land trusts located within the same city, county, state, or region; includes regional/statewide coalition building and partnership facilitation between Habitat for Humanity affiliates or conservation land trusts with CLTs.
• Policies Advisory Development of governmental policies and programs supporting housing and other land-based assets designed to remain affordable forever; assists city, county, and state agencies in crafting CLT-supportive policy frameworks.

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grounded Solutions NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing collaborative relationship for CLT technical assistance. Burlington Associates provides content for Grounded Solutions Network's CLT Technical Manual and Start-up CLT Hub. Grounded Solutions is a national nonprofit focused on affordable housing and community land trusts.
• International Center for Community Land TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Emmeus Davis co-founded the International Center for CLTs in 2018 and serves on its board. The Center advances the CLT movement internationally through research, publications (Terra Nostra Press), and network building.
• NeighborWorks AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBurlington Associates partners have been involved with NeighborWorks America's Achieving Excellence leadership program (Harvard Kennedy School). Michael Monte serves on the Board of the National NeighborWorks Association. Partner Mary O'Hara has worked extensively with NeighborWorks networks.
• Housing Partnership NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael Monte serves on the CEO forum of the Housing Partnership Network and chairs HPIex, a national insurance captive providing workers comp, health care, and property/liability insurance to members.
• Lincoln Institute of Land PolicyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on publications including The Community Land Trust Reader (2010). John Emmeus Davis serves as editor for Terra Nostra Press imprint of the International Center for CLTs, published in partnership with academic institutions.
• ROC USA NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner Mary O'Hara served as founding director of ROC USA Network, building the initiative from development through national scale. ROC USA supports resident-owned manufactured home communities as cooperatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Grounded Solutions Network: National membership organization for community land trusts and shared equity programs. Most directly comparable to Burlington Associates — both serve the U.S. CLT ecosystem, and the two maintain a content collaboration partnership around the CLT Technical Manual and Start-up CLT Hub.
• International Center for Community Land Trusts: International CLT research and advocacy organization co-founded by Burlington Associates partner John Emmeus Davis. Directly comparable as a CLT-focused mission-driven organization operating in the same niche and overlapping leadership.

Broad incumbents

• NeighborWorks America: Federally chartered nonprofit that supports a national network of affordable housing and community development organizations. Burlington Associates partners have been active in NeighborWorks' leadership programs and Michael Monte serves on the National NeighborWorks Association board.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Large national nonprofit working on affordable housing and community development through development, lending, and policy. Broader scope than Burlington Associates but overlapping customer base in mission-driven affordable housing organizations and government agencies.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Largest U.S. nonprofit affordable housing organization. Burlington Associates actively facilitates partnerships between Habitat affiliates and CLTs, indicating overlap in client organizations and mission alignment on affordable homeownership.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution supporting affordable housing and economic development. Comparable as a major intermediary that provides technical assistance and capital to CDCs and CLTs, though with much broader scope and balance sheet scale.

Others

• Housing Partnership Network: Membership collaborative of the largest U.S. affordable housing and community development nonprofits. Michael Monte leads HPN's CEO forum and chairs HPIex, indicating deep partnership and overlap with Burlington Associates' client base.
• Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: Independent research and policy organization focused on land use, including affordable housing. Burlington Associates collaborated with Lincoln Institute on The Community Land Trust Reader (2010) and partners contribute to its land policy publications.
• ROC USA Network: National nonprofit supporting resident-owned manufactured home communities as cooperatives. Highly comparable mission and operational model; Mary O'Hara served as ROC USA's founding director and the two organizations share an approach to community ownership of land.

Regional players

• Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts: Canadian CLT membership organization representing a parallel but geographically distinct CLT ecosystem. Comparable as a CLT support and advocacy body, though operating exclusively in Canada rather than competing in Burlington Associates' U.S. market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BurlingtonAssociatesInCommunityDevelopment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burlington-associates-in-community-development-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Burlington Associates