City of Lakes Community Land Trust
City of Lakes Community Land Trust is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit (founded 2002) that provides perpetually affordable homeownership to lower-income households earning less than 80% of area median income by acquiring and holding land in trust, selling homes via ground leases across multiple programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What City of Lakes Community Land Trust does
City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT) is a Minneapolis-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in 2002 that delivers perpetually affordable homeownership to households earning less than 80% of Area Median Income for the Twin Cities Metro area. The organization applies the community land trust (CLT) model — acquiring land, removing it from the speculative for-profit real estate market, and holding it in trust in perpetuity — while selling the improvements (homes) to income-qualified buyers under a 99-year ground lease. A resale formula returns 100% of earned equity (principal paydown) plus 25% of any market equity to the homeowner, balancing individual wealth-building with the trust's preservation of affordability for subsequent income-qualified buyers.
CLCLT operates through six interlocking programs: the Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP), which provides affordability investment plus up to approximately $20,000 in deferred maintenance/rehab assistance; direct CLCLT Developments of new construction and significantly rehabbed single-family, duplex, and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) homes; Resales of existing trust homes; Partnership Developments with for- and non-profit developers; Project: Sustained Legacy (P:SL), a foreclosure-prevention intervention for existing low-income homeowners; and the Opportunity Fund, providing small grants to homeowners for wealth-building activities. Distribution is community-led: prospective buyers complete orientation sessions (in-person or virtual), submit applications with a $20 fee, complete Home Stretch Homebuyer Education, and obtain pre-qualification from a network of CLT-compatible mortgage lenders.
Revenue is generated through recurring ground lease fees on 440+ homes in trust, resale transactions, and a diversified base of public and philanthropic grants from the City of Minneapolis (via CPED), Hennepin County Housing & Redevelopment Authority, Minnesota Housing, Metropolitan Council, McKnight Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, Bank of America Foundation, NeighborWorks America, Enterprise Community Partners, Pohlad Family Foundation, Twin Cities LISC, and Grounded Solutions Network. As of the latest disclosed figures, CLCLT has assisted 565+ households into homeownership, manages 440+ homes in trust, and has facilitated 135 resales, operating with a small staff (1-10 employees) from its headquarters at 1930 Glenwood Ave, Minneapolis.
City of Lakes Community Land Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- City of Lakes Community Land Trust
- Legal name
- City of Lakes Community Land Trust
- Website
- https://clclt.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- City of Lakes Community Land Trust is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit (founded 2002) that provides perpetually affordable homeownership to lower-income households earning less than 80% of area median income by acquiring and holding land in trust, selling homes via ground leases across multiple programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
City of Lakes Community Land Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Affordable Housing / Community Land Trust Services
- NAICS
- Residential Property Managers (531311), Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111)
- SIC
- Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD)
Keywords
Where City of Lakes Community Land Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
City of Lakes Community Land Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Ground Lease Fees: CLCLT homeowners pay lease fees associated with their property. The organization generates revenue through these ongoing fees from homeowners in the trust.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | Affordable Home Purchase - income-qualified buyers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
City of Lakes Community Land Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
City of Lakes Community Land Trust acquires and permanently holds residential land in trust and sells the homes on it to income-qualified low- and moderate-income buyers. Homeowners sign 99-year ground leases and agree to a resale formula that keeps the home affordable for future income-qualified buyers, with the option to resell through CLCLT's resale program. The homes are delivered through several program channels including the Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP), CLCLT-led Developments, Partnership Developments, and P:SL, while the Opportunity Fund provides gap financing.
Product overview
City of Lakes Community Land Trust (CLCLT) is a nonprofit community-based organization, not a technology company. It operates multiple programs to provide perpetually affordable homeownership opportunities in Minneapolis. The core offerings include: the Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP) which provides buying power and rehab assistance; CLCLT Developments for new construction and rehab; CLCLT Resales for existing home transactions; CLCLT Partnership Developments working with developer partners; Project: Sustained Legacy (P:SL) for foreclosure prevention; and the Opportunity Fund for homeowner education grants. These programs work together to maintain long-term affordability while helping lower-income households achieve homeownership.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP) A program channel that allows income-qualified low- and moderate-income buyers to purchase a CLCLT resale-restricted home under a 99-year ground lease, intended for first-time and income-qualified individual homebuyers in Minneapolis.
- CLCLT Developments CLCLT-led acquisition and development of new for-sale homes that are sold to income-qualified buyers under the Community Land Trust ground-lease and resale formula, intended for low- and moderate-income households in Minneapolis.
- CLCLT Resales Resale channel through which existing CLCLT homes are resold to the next income-qualified buyer at the CLCLT resale-formula price, preserving permanent affordability and serving existing homeowners exiting and incoming income-qualified buyers.
- Partnership Developments Program channel in which CLCLT partners with nonprofit and for-profit developers to deliver resale-restricted CLCLT homes, intended for mission-driven developers and public-sector agencies producing affordable for-sale units in Minneapolis.
- P:SL Named CLCLT program channel delivering permanently affordable owner-occupied homes, distinct from HIP, CLCLT Developments, and Partnership Developments, and serving income-qualified buyers in Minneapolis.
- Opportunity Fund Gap financing product that bridges the difference between a home's market price and what an income-qualified buyer can afford, supporting low- and moderate-income buyers purchasing CLCLT resale-restricted homes.
Quantifiable outcome
- 565+ lower-income households into affordable homeownership
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use City of Lakes Community Land Trust
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
City of Lakes Community Land Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
City of Lakes Community Land Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- City of MinneapoliscoreMajor funder and partner providing development investment through CPED (Community Planning and Economic Development). City provides funding for CLCLT affordability and development activities.
- Hennepin County Housing & Redevelopment AuthoritycoreMajor funding partner providing investment capital for affordable housing development and redevelopment activities.
- NeighborWorks AmericamajorNational nonprofit providing support and training for community-based housing organizations like CLCLT.
- Enterprise Community PartnersmajorNational affordable housing organization providing development expertise and investment support.
- Twin Cities LISCmajorLocal support for community development corporations and affordable housing initiatives.
- Grounded Solutions NetworkminorNational network supporting community land trusts and shared-equity homeownership models.
- CLT Partner LenderscoreMortgage lenders with CLT-compatible products who pre-qualify CLCLT homebuyers. Formation of new partnerships can take more than 12 months. CLCLT does not work with FHA, VA, or Sharia financing.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
City of Lakes Community Land Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- NeighborWorks America: Congressionally chartered national network that funds, trains, and certifies community-based housing organizations like CLCLT; not a CLT operator but a key capacity-building partner and a structural counterpart in the affordable homeownership ecosystem.
- Grounded Solutions Network: National membership organization supporting community land trusts and shared-equity homeownership programs across the U.S.; a peer of CLCLT in industry advocacy rather than direct operation, and a direct partner organization per CLCLT disclosures.
- Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit investor and developer of affordable housing that co-funds CLT-style affordable ownership and rental projects; directly named as a CLCLT partner and an ecosystem peer operating in the same affordable-homeownership space.
Direct peers
- Bronx Area Land Trust Community Development Corporation (BALCDC): Bronx-based CLT that provides permanently affordable homeownership through shared-equity and ground-lease mechanisms for low-income households in gentrifying neighborhoods — a structural and demographic analog to CLCLT.
- Northern California Land Trust: San Francisco Bay Area nonprofit that develops and stewards permanently affordable rental and ownership housing using community-ownership and ground-lease models, with comparable dual focus on ownership pathways for lower-income buyers.
- Atlanta Land Trust: Atlanta-focused CLT pursuing permanently affordable homeownership via ground leases and resale formulas to combat displacement in gentrifying neighborhoods; directly mirrors CLCLT's anti-displacement mission in a different regional housing market.
- Homestead Community Land Trust: Seattle-area CLT that develops and resells permanently affordable homes using a resale-restriction formula and ground lease structure nearly identical to CLCLT's, serving a similarly diverse low- and moderate-income buyer base.
- Champlain Housing Trust: Largest community land trust in the United States, headquartered in Burlington, VT. Operates the same shared-equity CLT model with resale-restricted homes, ground leases, and a balanced resale formula, making it the closest comparable to CLCLT nationally.
- Oakland Community Land Trust: Bay Area nonprofit CLT stewarding permanently affordable homeownership and rental units under a ground-lease/resale-restriction framework targeting low- and moderate-income households, directly comparable to CLCLT's model and mission.
Emerging players
- Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI): Boston-based community-controlled nonprofit combining a community land trust with broader planning and youth programming; uses CLT ground leases and resale restrictions for affordable ownership, sharing CLCLT's community-driven ownership model but with a wider scope.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
City of Lakes Community Land Trust social profiles
Digital presenceCity of Lakes Community Land Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
City of Lakes Community Land Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
City of Lakes Community Land Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
City of Lakes Community Land Trust 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 City of Lakes Community Land Trust
What does City of Lakes Community Land Trust do?
City of Lakes Community Land Trust acquires and permanently holds residential land in trust and sells the homes on it to income-qualified low- and moderate-income buyers. Homeowners sign 99-year ground leases and agree to a resale formula that keeps the home affordable for future income-qualified buyers, with the option to resell through CLCLT's resale program. The homes are delivered through several program channels including the Homebuyer Initiated Program (HIP), CLCLT-led Developments, Partnership Developments, and P:SL, while the Opportunity Fund provides gap financing.
Is City of Lakes Community Land Trust a public or private company?
City of Lakes Community Land Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was City of Lakes Community Land Trust founded?
City of Lakes Community Land Trust was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is City of Lakes Community Land Trust based?
City of Lakes Community Land Trust is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does City of Lakes Community Land Trust make money?
One revenue line is on record: ground Lease Fees.
Who are City of Lakes Community Land Trust's main competitors?
Others on record are NeighborWorks America, Grounded Solutions Network and Enterprise Community Partners. Direct peers are Bronx Area Land Trust Community Development Corporation (BALCDC), Northern California Land Trust, Atlanta Land Trust, Homestead Community Land Trust, Champlain Housing Trust and Oakland Community Land Trust. Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) is listed as an emerging player.
Does City of Lakes Community Land Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for City of Lakes Community Land Trust.
What industry is City of Lakes Community Land Trust in?
City of Lakes Community Land Trust's product category is Affordable Housing / Community Land Trust Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAC, Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts), with a secondary code of BPAJAFAD, Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8). Its NAICS code is 531311 and its SIC code is 6519.