Collaborative innovative partnerships for financing affordable housing projects

RESOLVE was a first-of-its-kind collaborative fundraising campaign by 9 different non-profit housing providers in Calgary. By the time the campaign ended in 2018, RESOLVE had successfully raised funds for 21 specific affordable housing projects. Its success meant there was an opportunity to continue the collaboration and share its fundraising approach with others. 

With this in mind, some of the housing providers involved in RESOLVE created The Calgary Affordable Housing Foundation (CAHF). This organization will inspire the Calgary community to invest in dignified, appropriate homes for populations across the spectrum of need. Through the Demonstrations Initiative, CAHF will create templates and tools that support scaling this solution. These materials will also be useful for those who want to develop a similar collaborative partnership approach.

Project scope and expected outcomes

First of its kind collaborative fundraising organization for affordable housing

Calgary’s recently concluded its RESOLVE Campaign which was a first-of-its-kind collaborative fundraising effort conducted by 9 social services agencies working together. The campaign was able to successfully raise about $75M in funds to create affordable rental housing with support services.

RESOLVE made significant impacts in addressing Calgary’s ongoing need for affordable housing, creating 1,850 affordable housing units in Calgary over 7 years. Building on this success, collaborators regrouped to refine and scale this approach into a long-term, sustainable solution and the result is the creation of the Calgary Affordable Housing Foundation (CAHF).

Creating an innovative approach that is replicable, adaptable and scalable

The CAHF was launched by 5 of the former RESOLVE Campaign partners:

• Horizon Housing
• Accessible Housing
• Forward Housing
• Silvera for Seniors
• Trinity Place Foundation

CAHF’s board of directors also hired a consultant, Bespoke Non-profit Solutions, to lead and implement the development of CAHF.

The Collaborative Innovative Partnerships for Funding Affordable Housing Project will demonstrate an efficient and effective method for targeted fundraising. Participants will coordinate, integrate and leverage government and philanthropic funding with affordable housing needs. This is particularly relevant because organizations in the non-profit housing industry often need additional funding to meet project requirements. However, their teams may do not have the capacity and capabilities to lead capital campaigns.

The partners are now creating, documenting and implementing strategies and actions to bring this solution to life. When complete, it will offer an innovative, collaborative approach that can be replicated across the country. It is also intended to be both sustainable and adaptable to the conditions of different communities. This would allow different affordable housing types—from shelters to affordable rentals—to be developed for different vulnerable populations.

The key to continued success and sustainability

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for affordable housing is greater than ever. The pandemic has also negatively impacted fundraising efforts because of the reduced availability of government and corporate funding. CAHF aims to build a team of experienced fundraising professionals to work alongside the sector. This will help ensure a united, sustainable approach to fundraising.

The project has created tools, template and guides based on an actual implementation of the model. These tools will help accelerate and ease the process for organizations that are interested in replicating its approach. They will be especially helpful for non-profit housing providers that want to fundraise collaboratively in order to advance their projects.

The key to the approach’s success and sustainability will be the collaborative engagement of the private sector, governments and broader community. These engagement activities will work to ensure that the necessary stakeholders understand that affordable housing is everyone’s concern.