Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust

Name

Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust

Legal name

Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust

Website

https://rmclt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing (Community Land Trust)

NAICS

Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111), Residential Property Managers (531311)

SIC

Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD), Affordable & Public Housing Asset Management (BPAJAMAI)

Keywords

• Community land trust
• Affordable homeownership
• Ground lease housing
• Housing counseling services
• Nonprofit housing development

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Others, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Land Investment Buy-Down: RMCLT invests funds to reduce the purchase price of homes by at least 20%, enabling affordable homeownership. This investment stays with the home and is not a loan requiring repayment. Homeowners earn equity through mortgage principal paydown and a reasonable share of appreciation.
2. Ground Lease Fees: Monthly lease fees from homeowners: $60 for townhomes/condos and $75 for single-family homes. These nominal fees support RMCLT's general operations and help other families in the community. Approximately $25 per family monthly supports operational costs.
3. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, RMCLT relies on donations, grants, and charitable contributions. For every $1 received for operational support, RMCLT leverages another $9 for acquisitions. Cash donations of $500+ can be made through the El Paso County Enterprise Zone for 25% state income tax credit.
4. Property Acquisitions and Development: RMCLT purchases distressed properties for rehabilitation and resale, builds new construction on infill lots, and develops affordable housing projects. Total purchase price of 390 closings amounts to approximately $30 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RMCLT operates a Community Land Trust model that provides permanently affordable homeownership to low-income families earning at or below 80% of Area Median Income. The organization invests at least 20% of each home's purchase price to reduce the homeowner's mortgage burden, retains ownership of the underlying land through a 99-year renewable and inheritable ground lease, and supplements the program with mandatory homebuyer education, post-purchase support, new construction, and rehabilitation of distressed properties.

Product overview

Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust (RMCLT) operates a single integrated product called the Affordable Homeownership Program, which is supported by several complementary modules including a CHFA-certified First-Time Homebuyer Workshop, Post-Purchase Support Program, Transitional Housing Program, New Construction Program, and Rehabilitation Program. The core program enables low-income families to achieve homeownership through RMCLT's investment model that reduces mortgage costs by at least 20%, while supporting modules provide mandatory education, ongoing homeowner support, and community development through construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing properties throughout El Paso County and Colorado Springs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affordable Homeownership Program RMCLT's core program that partners with low-income families (at or below 80% of Area Median Income) in Colorado Springs and El Paso County to provide affordable homeownership. RMCLT invests at least 20% of each property's purchase price to reduce the homeowner's mortgage, retains ownership of the underlying land through a 99-year renewable and inheritable ground lease, and offers homes as single-family houses, townhomes, or condos.
• New Construction Program RMCLT purchases infill lots in Colorado Springs and builds new construction homes with energy-efficient features for resale through the Affordable Homeownership Program, bringing new affordable housing supply to the market.
• Rehabilitation Program RMCLT purchases distressed homes in the community, rehabilitates them (including windows, furnaces, hot water heaters, water mitigation, crawlspace insulation, and bathroom rehabs), and resells them through the Affordable Homeownership Program.
• Transitional Housing Program Partnership-based program with other local nonprofit organizations to provide transitional housing for homeless families and affordable rentals for low-income households in El Paso County and Colorado Springs.
• First-Time Homebuyer Workshop CHFA-certified, HUD-approved mandatory workshop that prospective homebuyers must attend as part of program requirements to qualify for homeownership with RMCLT, available free to the broader community.
• Post-Purchase Support Program Ongoing support services for RMCLT homeowners including guidance on property taxes, insurance requirements, maintenance resources, and lease fee management to help families maintain successful homeownership.

Quantifiable outcome

• RMCLT's investment reduces homeowner mortgage by at least 20%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Energy Resource CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnered with Energy Resource Center for a portion of the 2016 rehab projects for 20 families.
• Habitat for HumanitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Collaboration on Institute Street property (2012) for two single-family homes for very-low income families, and Home Depot Day 2010 with 600+ volunteers.
• Greccio HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Collaborated on Bentley Commons (24-unit complex, 2009), Woodmen Vistas development, and multiple affordable housing projects including 3-acre property purchase for 2019-2020 construction.
• Partners In Housing (PIH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000Long-standing collaboration since 2000 on multiple housing projects including Dale Street Townhomes, Park Meadows Apartments, Colorado House and Resource Center, and various property acquisitions for transitional housing and affordable homeownership.
• PNC BankcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved lender partner for RMCLT homebuyers. Contact: Sarah Rathke at Colorado Springs location. Provides conventional, fixed-rate 30-year mortgages for 70-80% of purchase price.
• LeaderOne FinancialcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved lender partner for RMCLT homebuyers. Contact: Todd Grizzell at Colorado Springs location. Provides conventional, fixed-rate 30-year mortgages.
• Novus Home MortgageminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApproved lender partner for RMCLT homebuyers. Contact: Brian Enloe. Provides conventional, fixed-rate 30-year mortgages for qualified buyers.
• Colorado Springs Home Builder's AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Parade of Homes events starting in 2010, providing visibility for RMCLT and the Continuum of Housing concept.
• Colorado CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated three homes in 1999 for West Monument Street property used for transitional housing by Partners In Housing.
• Home DepotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Home Depot Day 2010 where over 600 volunteers swarmed the Woodmen Vistas neighborhood for a full day of home improvement activities.
• Youth Build ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Yampa Street property in 2000 where four homes were built through the Youth Build Program.
• Home & Health CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in 1999 to provide a home for brain injured adults.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Champlain Housing Trust: The largest community land trust in the United States, based in Burlington, VT. Operates an essentially identical CLT model with ground leases on scattered-site and new construction homes for low- and moderate-income buyers, plus shared-equity resale formulas — directly comparable to RMCLT's structure and mission.
• Thistle Communities: A Washington-state community land trust operating a ground-lease, permanently-affordable homeownership model similar to RMCLT, with homebuyer education, lender partnerships, and scattered-site acquisition across multiple counties.
• Greccio Housing: Colorado Springs-based affordable housing nonprofit that co-develops properties with RMCLT (Bentley Commons, Woodmen Vistas, GPR Properties joint ventures). Direct comparable in geography, mission, and operating model, with a heavier emphasis on affordable rentals.
• Sawmill Community Land Trust: Albuquerque-based CLT using ground leases to deliver permanently affordable homeownership to low-income families — same legal model, similar target population, and similar partnership-driven acquisition approach as RMCLT.
• Partners In Housing: Colorado Springs-based nonprofit providing transitional and affordable housing; long-standing co-development partner with RMCLT since 1999. Comparable in geography and target population, focused more on transitional/rental housing than CLT ownership.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity: The largest nonprofit affordable housing provider globally. RMCLT partners directly with local Habitat affiliates on joint projects (e.g., Institute Street, Woodmen Vistas); Habitat operates a broader, less-restrictive affordable homeownership model without the CLT ground-lease structure.
• Mercy Housing: National nonprofit providing affordable rental and some homeownership housing across the U.S. Comparable to RMCLT in mission and 501(c)(3) structure, but broader in scope (multifamily rental focus) and not a CLT/ground-lease operator.
• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit and CDFI investing in affordable housing development and preservation. Comparable mission orientation and capital-deployment model, but operates at much larger scale and across rental as well as ownership, with structured finance capabilities RMCLT does not have.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National CDFI providing funding and capacity-building to community development organizations including CLTs. Comparable in affordable housing mission and 501(c)(3) status; functions more as a funder/intermediary than a direct homeowner partner, but addresses the same end population.

Others

• Grounded Solutions Network: National membership network supporting community land trusts and shared-equity housing organizations. Not an operating peer, but RMCLT benefits from the broader CLT ecosystem, shared standards, advocacy, and grant capital Grounded Solutions channels to member CLTs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RMCLT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rocky-mountain-community-land-trust

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Rocky Mountain Community Land Trust