Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL)

What Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL) does

Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community land trust (CLT) founded in 2019 in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. It serves predominantly low-income, immigrant, and women-led households facing gentrification and displacement by acquiring and stewarding residential properties under a permanent-affordability model that removes land from the speculative market. The organization grew out of 2017-2018 community organizing and is governed by a tripartite 11-member board representing lessees, general members, and public representatives.

FCTL's core 'product' is the community land trust model itself: it acquires, rehabilitates, and holds land in trust while housing units are made available through CLT rental, cooperative, or limited-equity homeownership. Operational offerings include the 700 Simmons Property (an 11-unit CLT completed in 2024 in partnership with Little Tokyo Service Center), the Linda Vista Project (47 permanently affordable units across three Boyle Heights sites in development), the Tierras Comunitarias grassroots organizing program (joint with Community Power Collective), the Housing & Land Justice Program, the LA Housing Training Hub, and a $25/year membership program requiring 12 volunteer hours annually. There is no proprietary software platform; the technology is the legal-governance structure of the CLT.

Revenue is diversified across government funding (LA County Community Land Trust Partnership Program pilot, Measure ULA proceeds, LA County Development Authority), foundation grants (Weingart, James Irvine, Roy Patricia Disney Family Foundation, Common Counsel, Liberty Hill, California Endowment, California Community Foundation, SPARC, Enterprise Community Partners), corporate and CDFI support (Wells Fargo, NeighborWorks, Nonprofit Finance Fund, LISC LA, Genesis LA), individual donations via ActBlue, and membership dues. The 2025 appointment of Vanessa Gonzalez as Executive Director formalizes a leadership transition that began with her joining as co-director in 2023.

Name

Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL)

Legal name

Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre

Website

https://fctl.la

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL) is a 501(c)(3) community land trust that provides permanently affordable housing and tenant organizing services to low-income residents of Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles through CLT property stewardship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Affordable Housing & Community Land Trust Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

Keywords

• Community land trust
• Affordable housing stewardship
• Tenant organizing services
• Nonprofit housing development
• Decommodified housing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations through platforms like ActBlue, supporting the organization's housing justice work and community-controlled housing creation in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues of $25 per year, which grants voting rights and participation in organizational governance.
3. Government Grants and Programs: Funding from LA County Community Land Trust Partnership Program ($14 million pilot program), Measure ULA tax revenue, and other government housing programs for acquisition, rehabilitation, and development of affordable housing properties.
4. Foundation and Nonprofit Grants: Support from foundations including Roy Patricia Disney Family Foundation, Weingart Foundation, Common Counsel Foundation, Liberty Hill Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, California Endowment, and others for housing justice initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community land trust that acquires, rehabilitates, and stewards residential properties in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles to provide permanently affordable housing for low-income residents. The organization runs community organizing programs (Tierras Comunitarias), tenant leadership training (LA Housing Training Hub), and stewards affordable housing units through a model that removes land from the speculative real estate market.

Product overview

FCTL operates as a community land trust organization with multiple interconnected programs rather than a single product. The core offerings include Tierras Comunitarias (a grassroots land reclamation program), the Housing & Land Justice Program (for creating and preserving affordable homes), and property stewardship through the 700 Simmons Property (11-unit CLT) and Linda Vista Project (47-unit affordable housing development). Supporting programs include the LA Housing Training Hub for tenant leadership development and a Membership Program for community engagement. Together, these form a comprehensive approach to decommodifying housing and land through community ownership and collective stewardship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 700 Simmons building rehabilitation completed in 2024 - first property under LA County CLT Partnership Program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership for the 700 Simmons building co-stewardship and the Linda Vista Project (47 units). LTSC's Community Development Corporation is developing the Linda Vista properties in partnership with FCTL.
• Community Power Collective (CPC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Sister organization that co-founded the Tierras Comunitarias program. CPC helped form the Keep LA Housed Coalition and led tenant protections during the pandemic. Together with FCTL, they held down the Eastside Caucus for Measure ULA campaign.
• Los Angeles Community Land Trust Coalition (LACLT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCTL is a founding member of the LACLT Coalition, working with other organizations to advocate for systemic change, policy reforms, and significant investments in CLTs.
• California Community Land Trust NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide network connecting CLTs across California for advocacy, knowledge sharing, and collective action on housing justice.
• Right to the CitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational alliance fighting for housing justice and community control of land, providing FCTL with broader network and resources.
• ACT-LAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLos Angeles coalition focused on economic justice and housing rights, partner in policy advocacy efforts.
• United to House LAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition behind Measure ULA mansion tax; FCTL contributed to Eastside Caucus that helped pass the measure generating ongoing revenue for affordable housing.
• TRUST South LAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Los Angeles community land trust partner in the CLT network.
• El Sereno Community Land TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner CLT in the Los Angeles CLT network.
• Chinatown Community Land TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner CLT in the Los Angeles CLT network.
• Long Beach Community Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional CLT partner in the broader network.
• Liberty Community Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional CLT partner in the broader network.
• Beverly-Vermont Community Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner CLT in the Los Angeles CLT network.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC): LA-based community development and social services nonprofit that co-stewards the Simmons building with FCTL and is developing the 47-unit Linda Vista project. Operates a community land trust in the same LA geography and shares FCTL's housing justice and anti-displacement mission.
• Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust: LA-area community land trust partner that uses the same CLT model to take land off the speculative market in underserved South LA neighborhoods.
• TRUST South LA: South Los Angeles community land trust focused on permanently affordable housing through community ownership and stewardship. Listed as a partner CLT in the LA CLT Coalition and operates an analogous resident-led stewardship model.
• Chinatown Community Land Trust: LA-based community land trust within the LACLT Coalition that acquires and stewards affordable properties near FCTL's geography with a parallel member-governance structure.
• El Sereno Community Land Trust: Neighbor to FCTL in East Los Angeles, the El Sereno CLT operates as a partner in the LACLT Coalition and applies an analogous community-led acquisition and stewardship model.

Broad incumbents

• Mercy Housing: National affordable housing nonprofit developer where FCTL's Executive Director previously worked. A broader, well-capitalized incumbent operating multifamily affordable housing nationally; comparable in mission but materially larger and developer-led rather than community-led.

Regional players

• Liberty Community Land Trust: Regional CLT in the LA County network using a community ownership approach to preserve affordable housing in a different territory than FCTL.
• Long Beach Community Land Trust: Regional CLT partner within the LA-area CLT network serving Long Beach. Uses a comparable community land trust model but operates in a different sub-geography than FCTL.

Others

• Grounded Solutions Network: National membership network supporting community land trusts and shared equity homeownership organizations. Not a direct operational peer but a critical infrastructure partner for CLTs including FCTL, providing training, peer learning, and policy advocacy capacity.

Emerging players

• Community Power Collective (CPC): Sister organization co-founded by FCTL co-founder Roberto C. Garcia-Ceballos. Joint operator of the Tierras Comunitarias program and co-lead of the Keep LA Housed Coalition; operates tenant organizing and political education in overlapping LA geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fideicomiso-comunitario-tierra-libre-fctl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre (FCTL)