Premio HOME

The official HOME campaign logo featuring the UnidosUS logo in red and grey over HOME in dark blue, with the 'O' in the shape of a house with a red roof and chimney. The phrase "Home ownership means equity" is below.

Transform the economic trajectory of Latinos by advancing systemic change to enable the creation of 4 million new Hispanic homeowners by 2030.

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What is Premio HOME?

Premio HOME is a national competition designed to elevate and expand innovative approaches to address the shortage of affordable homes for purchase in the U.S. While homeownership remains the primary gateway for building generational wealth, in many communities, consumers face an acute shortage of affordable starter homes. This is a critical barrier to closing the racial and ethnic homeownership gap. Premio HOME seeks to identify and spotlight community-based practices that are addressing this housing supply challenge.

Background

The UnidosUS HOME Initiative seeks to transform the economic trajectory of Latinos through homeownership. Our goal is to advance systemic change to enable the creation of four million new Latino homeowners by 2030. The HOME Initiative addresses many of the structural barriers facing Latino consumers, including homebuyer readiness, access to credit, and preserving inter-generational wealth. Premio HOME addresses another structural barrier: the shortage of entry-level homes, particularly for first-time homebuyers.

Happy family in new home.

Eligibility

UnidosUS invites community-based organizations to apply for Premio HOME, including UnidosUS Affiliates. We encourage applications from organizations working to increase homeownership opportunities in Latino communities across the country, including in rural, urban, and suburban communities.

To be eligible for consideration, organizations applying to Premio HOME must be a recognized nonprofit, community-based organization and demonstrate alignment with the HOME Initiative goals and strategy.

Winners will also be expected to provide information for the development of a case study that may be shared publicly.

Simplified UnidosUS map with regions marked out.

Areas of Focus

Premio HOME is an opportunity to recognize existing innovative and scalable approaches that are underway to addressing the critical shortage of houses needed to close our nation’s homeownership gap. UnidosUS seeks to recognize a range of approaches, projects, programs, and initiatives, including proposals that address one or more of the following areas:

  1. Increasing housing supply
    • New construction, including in-fill, subdivision, predevelopment, and land acquisition
    • Rehabilitation or renovation of existing housing stock
    • Addressing the policy or political obstacles to increasing housing density
  2. Construction and design
    • Factory-built housing
    • Duplex, triplex, and quadruplex homes
    • Tiny homes, casitas, and accessory dwelling units
  3. Innovative ownership models
    • Limited and shared equity models
    • Cooperatives and social housing
  4. Climate resiliency
    • Approaches to mitigating the growing risks of climate change on homeownership
    • Integrating climate resiliency in home construction to support long-term affordability and sustainability
  5. Homeownership and well-being
    • Integration of homeownership supply with other sectors such as health, education, and workforce
  6. Other innovative ideas that address housing shortages in local communities that are restricting homeownership opportunities for Latinos and communities of color

Interested organizations should carefully review the eligibility criteria and submit their innovative solution to addressing one or more specified focus areas. UnidosUS welcomes innovative and scalable solutions that can make a meaningful impact on affordable housing for first-time homebuyers.

  • Current UnidosUS Affiliates:
    • Affiliates applying to this competition must also comply with general UnidosUS Affiliate membership responsibilities and be up to date on UnidosUS Affiliate dues.
  • Non-UnidosUS Affiliates:
    • Non-affiliated organizations must demonstrate a commitment to diversity and representation on their board of directors and leadership teams.

Awards

UnidosUS and the Premio HOME selection committee will select approximately seven (7) organizations that demonstrate the most innovative place-based solutions to addressing housing supply. Winners will be awarded a grant award of up to $100,000.

Premio HOME builds on the HOME Initiative’s goal of closing the Latino homeownership gap. Winners will join the HOME Network, a peer network with the goal of facilitating practitioner peer exchanges, spurring innovative ideas, and promoting solutions for increasing Latino homeownership. The winning Premio HOME ideas will also be widely promoted by UnidosUS.

Awarded funding for housing program.

Submission Instructions

Applications should be submitted by Friday, January 19, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. PST.

Organizations will be notified of whether they have been selected as a finalist by March. Decisions made by the grant selection committee are final.

All questions can be directed to [email protected].