EXTENSION ALERT! Submit your application by 11:59 PM PDT on Thursday, August 21, 2025 for consideration.

The Urban Land Institute’s Pathways to Inclusion (PTI) program was founded in 2018, designed to promote the advancement of multicultural and multiethnic real estate and land use professionals; seeking to engage industry talent, while broadening inclusive excellence to ULI’s membership through career advancement and leadership opportunities within the industry. In San Francisco, we are excited to merge PTI with the award-winning Developers of Color program, which convenes mid-to-senior level housing developers to share best practices and discuss barriers to development with cities across the Bay Area.

DEVELOPERS OF COLOR PROGRAM HISTORY

The Urban Land Institute San Francisco (ULI SF) and City and County of San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) Bay Area Developers of Color Cohort was launched in October 2022 and renewed for a second year in 2023. This cohort program was designed to create opportunities for seasoned mid- to senior-level real estate developers of color in the Bay Area.

Following two successful cohorts funded through the Partnership for the Bay’s Future Policy Grant from the San Francisco Foundation, ULI SF is continued the cohort program for a third year. The third-year program again offered mid-to-senior level professionals monthly sessions aimed to deepen their understanding of housing development and consider community-based development throughout the Bay Area. The third-year cohort program was funded by ULI SF with support of a San Francisco Foundation Programs Grant.

Candidates are from multicultural/minority backgrounds, typically underrepresented in the real estate industry and defined as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Middle Eastern descent, and have a particular interest in multi-family housing.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

ULI SF, with its network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts, modeled this cohort program after other nationally recognized ULI programs including Pathways to Inclusion and Real Estate Development Initiative (REDI).

Those selected for this cohort program should be prepared to commit 8 to 10 hours per month to this program (between October 2025 – May 2026). This will include preparations for sessions, in-person monthly sessions, and meetings with buddies and with cohort project teams.

Participants will be expected to participate in the ULI Fall Meeting, happening November 4-6, 2025 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Failure to participate in this conference will result in removal from the program.

Aside from November, cohort participants will meet in-person 3 hours per month (held during the lunch hour or late afternoon), complete pre-reading for sessions, and participate in networking happy hours, tours, etc.

ABOUT ULI

ULI is the oldest and largest network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts in the world. Through its members’ dedication to the mission and their shared expertise, the Institute has been able to set standards of excellence in development practice. Its mission is to “shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide”. ULI SF is the local district council that serves its members and communities in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region.

WHY APPLY?

This program provides a unique opportunity for the selected cohort member to receive the following benefits and participate in the following programs, including, but not limited to:

• Complimentary year of ULI associate-level membership;
• Registration to the ULI Fall Meeting in San Francisco;
• Networking with senior leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area real estate industry, other cohort participants, and leaders throughout the Bay Area real estate and land use industries;
• Engaging in shared learning and a customized curriculum to increase knowledge, build skills, and learn about Bay Area real estate development;
• Developing professional relationships and a community of real estate professionals for ongoing business development; and
• Serving as experts and provide support to their team members on current project challenges.

We can offer this program at no cost to the cohort participants (approximate program value is $5,000 per person)

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Seasoned mid- to senior-level developers of color who develop in the Bay Area region, with a particular interest or focus on housing and community-based development. This opportunity is open to candidates from multicultural/minority backgrounds, typically underrepresented in the real estate industry and defined as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Asian, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Middle Eastern descent. The program will prioritize applicants who work in the areas of housing production and/or acquisition and preservation of housing. Monthly programming will focus on topics within housing development, including financing, entitlements, construction, community engagement, etc.

Applicants must live in, or develop housing in, the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area region and be able to attend in-person monthly meetings in the throughout the Bay Area.

Awardees are required to attend the kickoff meeting on October 7, 2025 and all monthly cohort meetings, and the year-end social. Invitations will be sent to selected cohort participants. In addition to attending and actively participating in each monthly three-hour, in-person meeting, each cohort member will be expected to arrive prepared and having completed any “homework” in advance of each session. It is also expected that each cohort member will set aside time to meet one-on-one with their assigned “buddy”. The program will end with a presentation from each participant, either as an individual or in a group with their peers.

SELECTION PROCESS

A selection committee comprised of ULI members and ULI staff will review each application for completeness and eligibility. Selection criteria will assess what the applicant will bring to the cohort and how the program can help the applicant. References provided may be checked before awardees are selected.

Previous awardees are not eligible to apply for the fourth cohort (2025-2026); however, there will be opportunity for cohort alumni to continue their involvement with ULI and future cohort participants.

The complete application is provided here. Only completed submissions through the application portal by August 21, 2025 will be considered. Please be prepared to complete the application in a single sitting; there is no option to save your progress.

Tentative dates for monthly meetings are:

• Tuesday, October 7
• Tuesday-Thursday, November 4-6 (confirmed)
• December 10 or 16
• January 13 or 21
• February 19 or 24
• March 11 or 19
• April 2 or 7
• May 14 or 21
   

Please contact ULI San Francisco Manager, Pooja Sharma, at [email protected] with any questions.

ULI reserves the right to capture and broadcast digital media content in the form of photographs, audio, and video during this Program. By participating in this program, you hereby grant permission to ULI and its representatives to photograph and/or record you during the in-person and virtual events for this program, and to distribute, broadcast, use, or otherwise globally disseminate, in perpetuity, such media without any further approval or payment.