Rondo Community Land Trust

What Rondo Community Land Trust does

Rondo Community Land Trust is a nonprofit community land trust founded in 1993 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the first CLT established in the state. The organization uses a 99-year renewable ground lease model to separate land ownership from building ownership, enabling permanently affordable homeownership for households at or below 80% of Area Median Income in Saint Paul, Ramsey County, and Dakota County. Its core residential offerings include the Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP), Acquisition/Rehab/Resale Program, Inheritance Fund ($50,000 to $110,000 in downpayment assistance for descendants of families displaced by I-94 construction), and the Right to Return Initiative. Rondo CLT also pioneered Minnesota's first commercial land trust model in 2017/2022, operating mixed-use developments such as Selby Milton Victoria (9,300 sq ft commercial, 34 senior housing units), the Rondo Exchange creative business incubator (2,800 sq ft), and acquired businesses including Golden Thyme Restaurant & Café. The organization is supported by city, state, and federal funding, plus foundation grants (McKnight, Knight, Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation) and corporate sponsors (Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Minnesota Vikings), with a donor membership program spanning four tiers from $500 to $10,001+.

The organization's go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: biweekly orientation sessions for prospective homebuyers and commercial tenants, community events such as Selby Arts and Culture Day and an annual gala, and an approved lender network of 18+ institutions that facilitate mortgage financing. Under Executive Director Mikeya Griffin (appointed 2022), the budget grew from $300,000 in 2021 to over $2.4 million in 2024, staff expanded from 1.5 FTE to 7 FTE (with a target of 10 by spring 2025), and new CLT homeowners rose 280% in 2024 to 31. In March 2026, Rondo CLT completed its largest acquisition to date, purchasing the former Sears site at 425 Rice St. for $10.8 million for mixed-use development, and launched the Rondo African-American Arts District (RAAD) in July 2026 as a cultural corridor initiative. Revenue streams comprise government and foundation grants, commercial lease income at approximately $7 per square foot (significantly below Saint Paul market rate), and individual donations.

Name

Rondo Community Land Trust

Legal name

Rondo Community Land Trust

Website

https://rondoclt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing & Community Land Trust Services

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Nonresidential Property Managers (531312), Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses) (53112), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors (6510), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing Property Management (BPAJAGAJ), Transitional/Development Land Brokerage (Entitled, In-Path-of-Growth) (BPAJADAJ), Senior Living Property Management (BPAJAGAI)

Keywords

• Affordable housing services
• Community land trust
• Residential homeownership programs
• Commercial real estate leasing
• Community development nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Homebuyer Program Fees: Revenue generated through the Homebuyer Initiated Program, which helps households purchase homes at below-market prices with affordability grants.
2. Commercial Lease Income: Long-term affordable commercial leases at properties including Selby Milton Victoria and Rondo Exchange. Commercial rents approximately $7 per square foot at SMV.
3. Grants and Government Funding: Supported through city, state, and federal funding programs. Budget increased from $300,000 in 2021 to more than $2.4 million in 2024.
4. Donations and Membership: Individual donations and membership programs including Neighbor Member ($500-$1,000), Community Champion ($1,001-$5,000), Rondo Visionary ($5,001-$10,000), and Generational Benefactor ($10,001+).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Rondo Community Land Trust creates and preserves permanently affordable homeownership and commercial spaces using the community land trust (CLT) model. Through 99-year renewable ground leases, the organization separates land ownership from building ownership to ensure long-term affordability for low-to-moderate income households (at or below 80% AMI) and small businesses across Saint Paul and Ramsey/Dakota Counties. The trust operates residential programs (Homebuyer Initiated Program, Acquisition/Rehab/Resale, Inheritance Fund, Right to Return) and commercial initiatives (Selby Milton Victoria, Rondo Exchange incubator, Rondo African-American Arts District).

Product overview

Rondo Community Land Trust operates as a community-owned housing and commercial land trust offering a portfolio of residential programs and commercial initiatives. The core residential offerings include the Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP), Acquisition/Rehab/Resale Program, Inheritance Fund Program, and Right to Return Initiative, all designed to create permanently affordable homeownership opportunities in St. Paul and Ramsey/Dakota Counties. The commercial portfolio centers on Minnesota's first commercial land trust model, which includes the Selby Milton Victoria (SMV) mixed-use development housing tenants like Golden Thyme Restaurant & Bar and Golden Thyme Café. Additional commercial programs include Rondo Exchange, a creative business incubator supporting artists and entrepreneurs, and the Rondo African-American Arts District (RAAD), a cultural corridor initiative along Selby Avenue. Supporting services include Pre-Purchase Education, Post-Purchase Stewardship, and Technical Assistance for small businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 31 new CLT homeowners in 2024 (280% increase from prior year)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Asian Media AccesscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026Minneapolis nonprofit that previously owned the former Sears site at 425 Rice St. Sold property to Rondo CLT for $10.8 million as part of community redevelopment transition.
• Model CitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization that works with Rondo CLT on pre-purchase education and financial counseling for prospective homebuyers.
• Minnesota Homeownership CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState resource partner providing homeownership education and counseling coordination, including Home Stretch classes for CLT applicants.
• Neighborhood Development CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided Plan It! training program for 26 entrepreneurs recruited by Rondo CLT in 2024; supports small business development along Selby Avenue corridor.
• Metro TransitmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional transit authority partnering on bus shelter artwork installations as part of RAAD corridor cultural improvements along Selby Avenue.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Direct peers

• Greater Minnesota Housing Fund: Minnesota-focused nonprofit CDFI/CLT funder providing financing and technical assistance to community land trusts and affordable housing developers statewide. Comparable because it operates in the same state ecosystem, supports overlapping CLTs, and shares the same permanent-affordability mission.
• Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative: Boston-based community organization running a community-land trust and comprehensive neighborhood revitalization (housing, commercial, food security) in a historically disinvested area. Closely comparable given the dual residential-plus-commercial CLT orientation and community-led governance.
• Champlain Housing Trust: Burlington, Vermont-based community land trust, the nation's largest CLT. Operates the same shared-equity/99-year ground-lease model for both residential and commercial properties and stewards thousands of permanently affordable units, making it the closest direct comparator for Rondo CLT.
• City of Lakes Community Land Trust: Twin Cities-area community land trust serving Minneapolis with the same 99-year ground-lease model for permanently affordable owner-occupied housing. As another Minnesota-based nonprofit CLT operating in the same regional market, it is highly comparable on program design, funding sources, and regulatory framework.
• The Resurrection Project: Chicago-based nonprofit combining affordable housing development with cultural wealth-building and small business support for a historically displaced community (Pilsen/Little Village Latino neighborhoods). Highly analogous to Rondo's reparative, place-based, mixed housing-and-commercial model.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity International: The largest nonprofit affordable homeownership organization in the U.S. While not a CLT in structure, Habitat operates a comparable permanently-affordable homeownership model and partnership-driven sales-led GTM, and overlaps on financing partners, federal funding, and lower-income homeowner segments.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that acquires and conserves land for community benefit. While its focus is conservation parks, its land-trust acquisition and stewardship model parallels Rondo CLT's perpetual-affordability ground-lease approach at a much larger scale.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National CDFI providing capital and capacity-building to community development nonprofits including CLTs. Comparable as a funder/peer ecosystem participant that finances many of the same affordable housing and small business programs Rondo CLT operates.
• NeighborWorks America: Federally chartered nonprofit supporting a national network of affordable housing and community development organizations. Adjacent peer because of shared mission, federal funding streams, and training/technical-assistance infrastructure for CLTs and CDCs.

Others

• Grounded Solutions Network: National membership and policy organization (formerly National Community Land Trust Network) supporting CLTs across the U.S. Provides technical assistance, research, and advocacy for shared-equity housing models, making it the natural industry-network peer for Rondo CLT's operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RondoCLT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1033

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Rondo Community Land Trust