Family Housing Fund

What Family Housing Fund does

Family Housing Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary organization founded in 1980 and headquartered in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It does not provide housing or direct financial assistance to families; instead, it raises funds from philanthropic and government sources and regrants them to community-based nonprofit organizations, while also convening public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders to advance affordable housing policy in the Twin Cities region and broader Minnesota.

Its portfolio of programs spans four strategic priorities: expanding housing opportunities, increasing supply, and activating housing champions. Core programmatic offerings include Emergency Financial Assistance Programs (EA, EGA, FHPAP), Court-Based Housing Clinics operating across Ramsey, Anoka, and Dakota counties, the Zero Balance Project ($31M+ in federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds administered across five government partners), the Safety Net Initiative, tenant selection reform programs (Renters Reclaim the Record, Beyond Backgrounds), veteran homelessness partnerships with MACV and PSS, ADU policy resources, duplex construction plans, the Envision Community micro-housing demonstration, landlord-tenant mediation support, and the Safe & Healthy Homes Program. The organization also publishes policy research and case studies that inform municipal and county housing policy.

The organization's revenue model is grantmaking and fundraising from institutional philanthropies, government partners, and individual donors, channeled through a network of 15+ strategic partners. It operates with a small core staff (1-10 employees) led by President Ellen Sahli, Program Director Andrea Inouye, and Director of Operations Miko Salone, and has documented quantifiable outcomes including an 18% reduction in eviction judgments at the Ramsey County clinic, 834 NOAH units preserved at Huntington Place, and 498+ renters with background barriers housed through Beyond Backgrounds.

Name

Family Housing Fund

Legal name

Family Housing Fund

Website

https://fhfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Family Housing Fund is a Saint Paul-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary that funds, convenes, and researches affordable housing solutions across the Twin Cities region, regranting to community organizations and partnering with government and private stakeholders to expand supply, prevent eviction, and stabilize renters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Affordable Housing Intermediary Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA), Community Development & Affordable Housing Funds (FSANAJAK), Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking Advisory (FSAAADAG), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Affordable housing funding
• Housing policy research
• Eviction prevention programs
• Community development grants
• Rental assistance programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Paul

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking and Fundraising: Family Housing Fund operates as an intermediary organization that raises funds from various sources to provide grants and support to community-based nonprofit organizations working on housing stability issues. They do not charge fees for services to families.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Family Housing Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intermediary that supports the production and preservation of affordable housing in the Twin Cities region through grantmaking, applied research, stakeholder convening, and policy advocacy. The Fund partners with community-based organizations, housing developers, and government agencies to administer emergency rental assistance, eviction prevention clinics, tenant selection reform, and homelessness response initiatives. It funds and coordinates programs that address housing supply, foreclosure and housing stability, and equitable access to housing for low-income renters and families.

Product overview

Family Housing Fund operates as a nonprofit intermediary organization offering a portfolio of housing stability programs, research tools, and advocacy initiatives rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include emergency financial assistance programs (EA, EGA, FHPAP), court-based eviction prevention clinics, tenant selection improvement programs (Renters Reclaim the Record, Beyond Backgrounds), and the Zero Balance Project COVID rental assistance. The organization also provides research and policy tools including ADU resources, duplex construction plans, and housing policy inventories. The Safety Net Initiative represents a major systems-change effort to transform emergency financial assistance delivery. These programs work together to address housing instability through prevention, intervention, and advocacy across the Twin Cities region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Court-Based Housing Clinics A program delivering legal aid and housing stabilization services in court settings, designed to reduce eviction judgments for tenants in the Twin Cities housing court system.
• Safety Net Initiative An initiative funding and coordinating emergency rental assistance, housing counseling, and short-term stabilization support for renters facing housing instability in the Twin Cities.
• Zero Balance Project An emergency financial assistance project that pays down tenant rent and utility balances for low-income renters to keep households stably housed.
• Tenant Selection Improvement Initiative (Beyond Backgrounds) A program that supports landlords and property managers in adopting tenant screening practices that expand access for renters facing housing barriers, including use of the ACER tenant screening tool.
• ACER Tenant Screening Tool A tenant evaluation tool providing landlords an alternative screening framework to expand access for renters with housing barriers.
• Veteran Homelessness Partnership A partnership program coordinating resources, services, and policy action to address veteran homelessness in the Twin Cities region.
• ADU Policy Resources A research and policy resource providing tools and guidance to support the development of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the Twin Cities region.
• Duplex Construction Plans (Amani Construction / YardHomes) Construction plan resources developed with Amani Construction and YardHomes to support the development of duplex and missing-middle housing types.
• Envision Community Plan A community-grounded planning engagement process informing Family Housing Fund's affordable housing investment and development priorities.
• Safe & Healthy Homes Program A program addressing health and safety concerns in rental housing, supporting healthier and more stable homes for low-income renters.
• Emergency Financial Assistance Programs Direct emergency financial assistance to households facing housing instability, provided in coordination with community-based partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 18% reduction in eviction judgments at Ramsey County Housing Court Clinic
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to end veteran homelessness through a referral system that prioritizes permanent housing for homeless Veteran households. MACV provides support including social workers, housing vouchers, and moving cost funds. 26 Veteran households have been successfully housed through this partnership.
• Property Solutions & Services (PSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate property management company that partners with MACV to provide housing referrals for Veterans. PSS reaches out to MACV before publicly listing units, saving time and money while ensuring Veterans have stable housing.
• African Career, Education, and Resource (ACER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity and civic engagement organization led by Nelima Sitati Munene that advances equity in housing, transportation, health, and education. ACER worked with Brooklyn Park to secure $5 million for NOAH preservation and played key role in preserving Huntington Place (834 units).
• Neighbors Helping NeighborscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMutual aid network connecting community members who need support with volunteers and resources. Family Housing Fund serves as fiscal sponsor for Twin Cities Ice Relief Fund, aiming to raise $1.3 million for housing assistance.
• Community Mediation and Restorative Services (CMRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMediation organization led by Beth Bailey providing landlord-tenant mediation services to help avoid evictions. CMRS has conducted 15,000+ mediations and helped administer COVID rent assistance.
• Amani ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction company led by Jeniffer Kuria that builds and rehabs homes in the Twin Cities. Partnered with YardHomes MN to build modular ADUs for homeless veteran households through MACV.
• YardHomes MNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwin Cities company offering modular Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in partnership with Amani Construction and MACV to provide homes for homeless veteran households.
• CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services firm that worked with Family Housing Fund and HousingLink to design and administer the Zero Balance Project (over $31 million in ERA funds for COVID-impacted households).
• HousingLinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that administers risk mitigation funds for landlords and operates the Beyond Backgrounds program. Partner in Zero Balance Project administration and tenant screening reform efforts.
• Imagine DelivercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStrategy consultant firm that facilitated Family Housing Fund's collaborative design process for strengthening the safety net for housing stability, including community engagement and co-design sprint phases.
• Housing Justice CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal services organization that operates Renters Reclaim the Record program to help renters expunge criminal convictions or eviction filings. Partnered on Opening the Door tenant screening research report.
• Build Wealth MNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCredit building organization providing Rent Smart, Wise and Ready program that helps renters address background barriers. Collaborates with Beyond Backgrounds to help participants find housing.
• Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamily Housing Fund awarded $300,000 over two years to MPHA for the Regional Mobility Initiative to explore how public housing authorities can work together for metro-wide mobility for families with housing vouchers.
• Wilder ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch organization conducting study on tenant selection approaches in partnership with private rental owners and Family Housing Fund to develop evidence-based tenant screening criteria.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Wilder Research: Wilder Research is a Twin Cities-based nonprofit research arm of Amherst H. Wilder Foundation that conducts housing and social services research, including the tenant selection study partnered with Family Housing Fund. It is a peer in the research-and-policy segment of the Minnesota affordable housing ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): LISC is a national nonprofit community development intermediary that channels capital and technical assistance to local affordable housing and economic development projects. It is a broad incumbent peer operating the same intermediary model at much greater scale, including a Twin Cities office that competes for the same local partnerships and grants.
• Enterprise Community Partners: Enterprise Community Partners is a national nonprofit that invests in affordable housing, climate resilience, and community development through financing, policy, and program management. It operates the same intermediary-plus-policy model as Family Housing Fund but at national scale and with dedicated lending capacity.
• Habitat for Humanity Minnesota: Habitat for Humanity is a national affordable housing nonprofit that builds, rehabilitates, and finances affordable homes. It is a broad peer in the affordable housing nonprofit sector with a comparable mix of grantmaking, advocacy, and direct program delivery, though with a fundamentally different home-ownership focus.
• National Low Income Housing Coalition: NLIHC is a national policy advocacy organization dedicated to expanding affordable housing for low-income households. It is a broad incumbent peer in the housing policy and advocacy space, comparable to Family Housing Fund's research and policy advocacy work but operating at federal scale.

Direct peers

• HousingLink: HousingLink is a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that administers affordable housing resources and operates the Beyond Backgrounds program in partnership with Family Housing Fund. It is a direct operational peer as a regional housing intermediary administering rental assistance, risk mitigation funds, and tenant screening reform programs.
• Aeon: Aeon is a Twin Cities-based nonprofit that develops, owns, and manages affordable housing, including the Huntington Place acquisition facilitated by Family Housing Fund. It is a direct operational peer in the local affordable housing ecosystem, with comparable focus on NOAH preservation and supportive housing.
• Greater Minnesota Housing Fund: Greater Minnesota Housing Fund is a regional nonprofit housing intermediary providing financing and capacity building for affordable housing developers across Greater Minnesota. It is a closely comparable peer in the Minnesota affordable housing intermediary space, though with broader geographic focus outside the Twin Cities.
• Minnesota Housing Partnership: Minnesota Housing Partnership is a statewide nonprofit that provides training, research, and policy advocacy on affordable housing across Minnesota. It is a closely comparable peer to Family Housing Fund with a similar intermediary-plus-research-plus-policy model, though with statewide rather than regional focus.

Emerging players

• Center for Housing Policy: The Center for Housing Policy (a research affiliate of NHC) conducts research on housing affordability and workforce housing solutions. It is a partial peer in the research and policy segment of Family Housing Fund's work, particularly comparable to the Fund's tenant screening and ADU policy research outputs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/family-housing-fund
• Facebookfacebook.com/FamilyHousingFund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Family Housing Fund