Housing Justice
Down Payment Grants APPLICATIONS OPEN
Flock may not be responsible for the injustice of the past but we’re responsible for reimagining and investing in a more just and equitable future.
How it works
Flock is seeding this fund with $215,000 for down payment support.
Our housing justice program offers down payment grants to qualifying BIPOC first time home buying residents in the DC and Philadelphia areas. Awards range from $5,000 to $15,000 and grants are made multiple times per year until funds are expended. The application/review process is straight forward and uncomplicated. Our Board of Advisors reviews applications, interviews finalists and identifies grantees. This is a partnership with the Greater Washington Community Foundation who supports the administrative complexity so we can very simply help people buy homes.
* Applicants must identify as one of the following: American Indian, Indigenous, Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Black, African American, Hispanic or Latinix
birdSEED has made 41 provisional grants to date. The total grant pool available was $215,000. Additional funds have been raised from supportive community members who shared our vision of simple, no strings financial down payment grants that accelerate the home buying process. If you are positioned to give, please do. Needs are great, resources are limited and your help is essential.
Flock DC, with support from our stellar Advisory Board and volunteers covering 100% of the cost to support birdSEED. That means every dollar donated goes into the down payment grant pool. We need more help and will gratefully accept donations, windfalls, unsolicited grants, sponsorships, partnerships and more so we can continue giving. To make a one time or recurring contribution, simply follow this link. For something with more zeroes, please reach out to [email protected]. Together, let’s work toward repairing an unjust past and planting seeds for a brighter and more just future.
How it grows
Our ask of our peers: let’s invest in a just future. For many of us, a history of racial injustice has paved the way for our success.
The fund originally focused on BIPOC first time home buying residents of the DMV area and expanded to the Philadelphia area in the fall of 2022. The application/review process will be deliberately uncomplicated. A board of advisors will review applications and we will match funds with qualified applicants.
First time homebuyer downpayment assistance grants will range from 5k - 15k per applicant. To contribute to and support this work, please reach out to [email protected] to get engaged in this work of repairing an unjust past and planting seeds for a brighter and more just future.
birdSEED Parameters
- Grants amounts will range from $5,000 to a maximum of $15,000
- Grant funds do not need to be repaid. Ever.
- Funds are released when the grantee signs the final paperwork/closes on the home
- The funds will be compliant with mortgage lender guidelines
- Grantees arrange for their own mortgages which may be conventional or FHA loans which are compatible with the grant funds
- Grants may be paired with other programs such as HPAP
- Grantees have 120 days to exercise/receive the grant award. Extensions are available on a case-by-case basis
- Applicant must identify as one of the following: American Indian, Indigenous, Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Black, African American, Hispanic or Latinx
- Applicant must have a combined household income of $150,000 or less
- The applicant must be a first time home buyer (and if the applicant is married, their spouse must not own or have ever owned a home)
- The home purchased must be the applicant's primary residence
- For DC area applicants, home purchased must be in the District of Columbia, the Counties of Montgomery and Prince Georges in the State of Maryland, the Counties of Arlington and Fairfax, and the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church in the Commonwealth of Virginia and applicants must have been a resident of DC, Maryland, and/or Virginia for a minimum of three years
- For Philadelphia area applicants, home purchased must be in Philadelphia or in the counties of Philadelphia, Liberty County, Bucks County, Camden County, Chester County, Cumberland County, Delaware County, Gloucester County, Montgomery County and Salem County. Applicants must have been residents of the Philadelphia area for a minimum of three years.
- In 2024, we plan to announce awards by April 30 and October 31
always open
APPLICATIONS OPEN
Applicants will provide
- Pre-qualification questionnaire
- Prepared to purchase a home
- First time and only home owner in the household
- Applicants must identify as one of the following: American Indian, Indigineous, Alaska Native, Asian, Pacific Islander, Black, African American, Hispanic or Latinix
- Buying in the DC area (the District of Columbia, the Counties of Montgomery and Prince Georges in the State of Maryland, the Counties of Arlington and Fairfax and the Cities of Alexandria and Falls Church in the Commonwealth of Virginia) or the Philadelphia area (Philadelphia, Liberty County, Bucks County, Camden County, Chester County, Cumberland County, Delaware County, Gloucester County, Montgomery County and Salem County)
- Home must be the primary residence
- Essay and request for support (one page maximum)
- Area resident for three + years
- Location of property; if applicants have not ratified a contract, they may have up to 120 days to use the assistance. At minimum, the property must pass inspections consistent with FHA lending requirements for habitability.
