Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña

What Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña does

The Fideicomiso de la Tierra del Caño Martín Peña is a non-profit community land trust established by Puerto Rico Law 489-2004 (September 24, 2004), headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It administers approximately 200 cuerdas (~193 acres) of public land transferred from the Puerto Rico government to collective community ownership for the benefit of eight informal settlements along the Caño Martín Peña channel: Barrio Obrero Oeste, Barrio Obrero San Ciprián, Barrio Obrero Marina, Buena Vista Santurce, Israel-Bitumul, Las Monjas, Buena Vista Hato Rey, and Parada 27. Residents hold surface rights (derecho de superficie) formalized through public deeds registered in the Puerto Rico Property Registry; they own their structures but the underlying land remains collectively held by the trust, preventing displacement from gentrification tied to the planned environmental restoration of the channel.\n\nThe trust's product surface is organized around legal land tenure security and supporting community programs. Core offerings include the Escrituras de Derecho de Superficie (surface rights deeds), the Techo Digno home improvement program for seniors aged 65+, the Programa RIE active aging initiative, and the Alcance Comunitario citizen participation program. Property management services include temporary land use agreements (Acuerdos de Uso Temporero) and residential and commercial leases on trust-held properties. Development projects include Casa Naborí (a hospitality/tourism hospedería), housing acquisition and rehabilitation, and new housing development, executed through the wholly-owned subsidiary Desarrollos Martín Peña. The organization also operates an Espacio de Intercambio (Exchange Space) that hosts educational resources, participatory tools, and legal documents to support citizen participation.\n\nThe business model is non-commercial and managed-services in character. Revenue (where it exists) derives from lease income on trust-held properties and temporary land use agreements, supplemented by grants and award funding (notably the UN Habitat World Habitat Award prize of over $13,000 in 2016 and co-sponsorship with the Ford Foundation and Communities Thrive Challenge in 2019). The go-to-market is community-led: outreach occurs through neighborhood assemblies, bulletins, door-to-door visits, and workshops. The G-8 (Group of Eight Communities) serves as the legally recognized community oversight entity, ensuring the implementation of the Integral Development Plan aligns with resident interests. The organization operates with a small team of 7 employees and serves a geographically concentrated beneficiary base in the San Juan metropolitan area.

Name

Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña

Legal name

Fideicomiso de la Tierra del Caño Martín Peña

Website

https://fideicomisomartinpena.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña is a Puerto Rico non-profit community land trust, established by Law 489-2004, that administers approximately 200 cuerdas of public land for eight informal settlements in San Juan through surface rights deeds, preventing displacement and enabling affordable housing for low-income residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Land Trust Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Residential Property Managers (531311), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH), Land Administration & Cadastral Services (Public Land Records, Parcel Management) (BPAIANAH)

Keywords

• Community land trust
• Land tenure administration
• Affordable housing management
• Surface rights registry
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Juan

HQ country

Puerto Rico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Land Administration Services: The organization administers land rights through surface rights deeds (derecho de superficie) granted to residents. Residents can sell their structures but not the underlying land, which belongs collectively to the trust. Revenue derives from land use agreements, temporary use agreements, and residential/commercial leases on properties managed by the trust.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Fideicomiso de la Tierra is a Community Land Trust (Fideicomiso Comunitario de Tierras) created by Puerto Rico Law 489 of September 24, 2004, that administers approximately 200 cuerdas of public land transferred to collective community ownership for the benefit of eight informal settlement communities adjacent to the Caño Martín Peña channel in San Juan. Residents obtain legal land tenure through surface rights deeds (escrituras de derecho de superficie) that are registered in the Puerto Rico Property Registry, enabling them to own their structures, access loans and construction permits, and avoid displacement from gentrification. The trust is supplemented by home improvement programs for seniors, active aging programs, community outreach, property leasing services, and housing development projects.

Product overview

The Fideicomiso de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña operates as a community land trust (Fideicomiso Comunitario de Tierras) established under Puerto Rico Law 489 of September 24, 2004. The organization functions as a single integrated platform for community land administration rather than a modular software product. The core offering is the Fideicomiso de la Tierra itself, which administers approximately 200 cuerdas of public land for collective ownership by eight communities. This is supplemented by the Escrituras de Derecho de Superficie program that formalizes residents' surface rights through legal deeds. Supporting programs include Techo Digno (home improvements for seniors), Programa RIE (active aging), and Alcance Comunitario (community outreach). Property management services include temporary land use agreements, residential and commercial leases, and community spaces. The development portfolio encompasses Casa Naborí (tourism hospedería), housing acquisition/rehabilitation, and new housing development. Educational offerings include participatory tools (Bingo, board games, cards, comics) and legal resources (regulations, laws, plans). The organization maintains an Espacio de Intercambio (Exchange Space) that serves as a hub for community leaders, facilitators, and housing professionals to access these educational and legal resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fideicomiso de la Tierra The primary mechanism for administering approximately 200 cuerdas of public land transferred to eight communities surrounding the Caño Martín Peña in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Residents own their structures but not the land, which is held collectively by the trust to prevent displacement and enable affordable housing.
• Escrituras de Derecho de Superficie

Quantifiable outcome

• Land rights formalized for thousands of residents across 8 communities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• G-8, Inc. (Grupo de las Ocho Comunidades Aledañas al Caño Martín Peña)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004G-8, Inc. is the community group recognized by Law 489-2004 as responsible for ensuring that the implementation of the Integral Development Plan is carried out as agreed with the community. The organization plays a central role in community decision-making and oversight of the land trust's activities.
• Desarrollos Martín PeñacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA subsidiary of the Fideicomiso de la Tierra focused on project development within the Special Planning District. The Development Projects area serves as the link between the land trust and this subsidiary.
• Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín PeñacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA public corporation created by Law 489-2004 responsible for implementing the Integral Development Plan and Uses of Land in the Special Planning District. Once ENLACE concludes its existence, the Fideicomiso de la Tierra will continue the integral and sustainable development management of the district.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Grounded Solutions Network: The national membership organization supporting the U.S. community land trust sector (~258 CLTs). Comparable as the sector umbrella and capacity-building infrastructure for the same model the Fideicomiso implements, with which it has directly engaged through international exchanges.
• Center for Community Land Trust Innovation: An international nonprofit dedicated to incubating and scaling community land trusts globally, with active engagement in Latin America. Directly comparable as a peer in expanding the CLT model to underserved regions, mirroring the Fideicomiso's regional replication ambitions.
• Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña: The sister public corporation created by the same Law 489-2004 to implement the Integral Development Plan of the Caño Martín Peña Special Planning District. Tightly intertwined with the Fideicomiso — ENLACE executes dredging and infrastructure, while the Fideicomiso handles community land tenure.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: A major national nonprofit that develops and finances affordable housing and community development across the U.S. Shares the Fideicomiso's mission to prevent displacement of low-income residents but works through financing and development rather than direct community land ownership.
• Habitat for Humanity International: A global nonprofit affordable-housing organization with a far broader program portfolio (new construction, mortgages, advocacy). Overlaps with the Fideicomiso on the mission of secure tenure for low-income families but operates at vastly greater scale and lacks the community-owned land tenure feature.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): A large U.S. community development financial institution funding affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization. Comparable in mission to channel capital toward anti-displacement and equitable development in low-income communities analogous to those served by the Fideicomiso.

Direct peers

• Champlain Housing Trust: The largest community land trust in the United States, based in Burlington, Vermont. CHT operates the same CLT model — separating land ownership from improvements to maintain permanent affordability — making it the closest operational comparable to Fideicomiso Caño Martín Peña.
• Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI): A Boston-based nonprofit that uses a community land trust and related strategies to stabilize a low-income neighborhood against displacement. Operates a comparable community-controlled land tenure model in a dense North American urban context, similar to the Fideicomiso's anti-displacement mission.
• Maui Memorial Community Land Trust: A Hawaii-based community land trust providing permanently affordable homeownership and rental housing, operating the same fee-simple/ground-lease split model as the Fideicomiso. Comparable in geographic concentration and focus on serving Native/local low-income households.

Regional players

• Fundación Vivienda y Comunidad (FVC): A Puerto Rico-based housing-focused nonprofit (predecessor organizations and partners of the G-8 community movement). Operates in the same geography and social-housing landscape, making it a relevant regional peer for the Fideicomiso.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fideicomiso-de-la-tierra-ca-o-mart-n-pe-a

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 de la Tierra Caño Martín Peña