May 19, 2021 – MENLO PARK: Today the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, in partnership with Facebook and the City of Menlo Park, announced the recipients of $1.5 million from Facebook’s Innovation Fund to make the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)*1 more affordable and accessible. Each grantee will use the money from Facebook’s Innovation Fund to create new high-impact housing projects that enable efficient construction designed to drive down the cost of housing production.
The grantees will work collaboratively to expand their impact.
The grantees selected are:
- EPACANDO/PAHALI/YUCA: “Placekeeping for the Placekeepers”. Will build two ADUs to be the first units of a decentralized co-op CLT with a leadership development program. Three organizations cooperated on a joint application.
- United Hope Builders (UHB): Will build a factory in East Palo Alto to manufacture prefab homes. The workforce will come from our communities. The factory workers are themselves the target buyers of the homes that will be built. UHB will be a manufacturing partner and work with faith based organizations and nonprofits.
- City Systems: Which will use funding to create an open-source public goods project to showcase a new concept in garage ADU construction.
- SOUP: “Better Together” One Stop ADU Shop to promote a new low up-front cost financing model.
- Symbium: A public facing online platform to enable home owners and housing nonprofits to plan and simulate ADU construction. In addition, an internal tool for cities to streamline the analysis, planning, and approval process for ADUs in their jurisdictions.
“We need radical collaboration, now more than ever,” said James Higa, executive director of the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation. “It was an honor and a joy to collaborate with Facebook, our community advisors, and grassroots front line organizations for these grants. We are stronger when we march together.”
