During the summer of 2020, ULI SF established the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to focus on diversifying our membership and leadership, creating awareness around DEI issues in our field, providing programming guidance and creation, and creating a more diverse pipeline of industry professionals.

The committee has worked tirelessly to address disparities within the organization and in the real estate industry by introducing the following new initiatives and programs:

• ULI SF’s Diversity Membership Fund is the first of its kind at ULI and aims to increase opportunities for inclusion in ULI for people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. As of November 2021, we’ve awarded 24 new memberships.
• In collaboration with ULI HQ, ULI SF hosted the Pathways to Inclusion program focused on increasing participation by mid- and senior level professionals of color within ULI’s membership and at the ULI Fall Meeting 2020. 22 new members participated in bi-monthly programming and were connected with peers from the DEI committee.
• ULI SF curated a 5-Day DEI Challenge that sought to educate the ULI SF membership during Black History Month. Over 100 members participated in sharing articles, podcasts, videos, music, and volunteer opportunities to further our learning of history, culture, housing, urbanization, and other prevalent topics. Similar content has also been curated to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, Pride Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and, most recently, Native American Heritage Month.
• ULI SF engaged Dr. Kira Banks to lead a “Developing an Equity Mindset” workshop for our Executive Board and committee leadership. Over 80 of ULI SF leaders participated in the 2-day training that focused on providing the framework and foundation needed to change behaviors and patterns in an organization and create a more equitable environment.
• ULI SF partnered with Construction Industry Workforce Initiative (CIWI) to work towards building a diverse pipeline of talented students to the real estate development industry. Through this collaboration, ULI SF provided complimentary memberships to CIWI’s 2021 Internship Cohort, directed $18,000 in donations from corporate donors to fund internships, engaged our DEI committee to help create civic programming for the 22 interns, and actively marketed the opportunity to host an intern to members.

Through these events, programs, and partnerships, ULI SF and its members have demonstrated our commitment to educating the broader ULI SF membership by curating content for learning, understanding, and exploring how we can start dismantling systemic racial barriers in our industry and commit to ULI’s mission of shaping the future of the built environment in the most equitable way possible.