The Issue
Marin is widely recognized as having one of the least affordable housing markets in the United States. With rents rising sharply, lower-wage earners face considerable challenges finding housing in Marin that’s affordable and located close to work, school, and transportation. The high cost of housing leaves many families in Marin with less to spend on food, childcare, and health care, and less to invest in savings. Seniors are priced out of the neighborhoods in which they have spent their lives. Healthcare workers, farm workers, bank tellers, teachers, and many others cannot afford to live in the community where they work.
Our Approach
We will continue to focus our efforts on early phase investments to develop, rehabilitate, or preserve affordable housing stock. We will broker partnerships between funders, developers, and government to expand the supply of affordable housing. We will seek to leverage funding from both public and private sources for affordable housing projects. Finally, we will use the MCF Loan Fund as a way to provide financing options to nonprofits that may not be able to access or afford traditional commercial debt.
Grantmaking
This initiative uses an invitation-only application process on an opportunistic basis. We encourage organizations with affordable housing projects in Marin to contact us in order to assess the opportunity for partnership.
Current Grantees
Reports & Resources
Reports
2019 Marin County Homeless Count & Survey
Jaross, M., Kwak, Y., & Gallant, J. (2019). Marin County Homeless Count and Survey Comprehensive Report 2019. Applied Survey Research
View ResourceThe State of the Nation's Housing, 2018
Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University
View ResourceMarin County | Homeless: Point-in-Time Census & Survey Comprehensive Report 2017
Report Produced by ASR
View ResourceHomelessness in Marin
Marin Health & Human Services: HHS Updates and 2017-18 Objectives
View ResourceMcKinsey Global Institute | A Tool Kit to Close California's Housing Gap: 3.5 Million Homes by 2025, October 2016
Courtesy of McKinsey & Company
View ResourceMarin County Housing Element 2015-2023
Courtesy of County of Marin Community Development Agency
View ResourceResources
- Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University | America's Rental Housing 2022
- Next Ten | Current State of the California Housing Market
- Urban Institute’s Urban Wire | How to Keep Affordable Housing in High-Opportunity Neighborhoods
- National Low Income Housing Coalition | The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes
- Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California | California Counties Lead List of Most Expensive Jurisdictions in Nation
- United for Homes | Housing Related Tax Credits