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. This program is designed to create opportunities for mid- to senior-level developers of color in the Bay Area with 7+ years of experience in real estate development and land use. Candidates will come 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.

The application timeline spanned from August 15 through September 16, 2022, and acceptances were announced by September 26.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

ULI San Francisco and the City and County of San Francisco, in partnership, are excited to launch a new cohort program for mid- to senior-level housing developers. This program opportunity is designed to provide participants with a deep knowledge and understanding of the affordable housing development process within the City and County of San Francisco. Guided by ULI SF and MOHCD, participants will exit the program  equipped with the tools and skills to access development opportunities in San Francisco.

ULI SF, with its network of cross-disciplinary real estate and land use experts, will run two cohort programs to engage and support the selected developers of color: one in 2022-2023 and another in 2023-2024. The program is modeled after other nationally recognized ULI programs including Pathways to Inclusion and Real Estate Development Initiative (REDI).

MOHCD is committed to engaging and identifying expanded partnership opportunities with members of the program to advance its affordable housing production, preservation, and community stabilization mission. It sees these partnerships as an opportunity to:

• Expand and accelerate the city’s affordable housing production and preservation pipeline;
• Advance the City and County of San Francisco and State of California racial equity goals to support the development and production of affordable housing by mission-driven, BIPOC-led development teams;
• Leverage additional public and private resources for the development of affordable housing developed with BIPOC-led development teams; and
• Support an expanded pool of BIPOC developers in San Francisco and the broader San Francisco Bay Area

The program is funded by a Partnership for the Bay’s Future Policy Grant from the San Francisco Foundation to accelerate work focused on advancing equitable housing policies and supporting developers of color in San Francisco. Over the next two years, ULI SF and the City and County of San Francisco will work together to engage and support developers of color, as well as research and revise the city’s request for proposals process, underwriting guidelines and other internal procedures and policies to be more inclusive and equitable.

ABOUT MOHCD

The San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development is the lead agency for the development and preservation of 100% affordable housing in the City and County of San Francisco.  It is investing more than $1.5 billion dollars in the production and preservation of affordable housing.  Over the past five years, more than 10,000 units have been developed and 600 have been acquired, rehabilitated, and preserved.  There are currently more than 11,000 units in the pipeline and with 700 units under construction.

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 participate in the following programs, including, but not limited to:

• Networking with senior leaders in the San Francisco Bay Area real estate industry, other cohort participants, and City and County of San Francisco department leaders;
• 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
• Providing input on barriers to developing in San Francisco and offer solutions to overcome such barriers.

Selected participants will receive:

• Curated real estate curriculum that builds upon knowledge and skills of each cohort. This includes:
  • Ten (10) in-person cohort meetings facilitated by local real estate leaders with guest speakers to include senior leaders from the ULI network and the City of San Francisco staff.
  • Specific content on the City’s affordable housing investment policies and City’s development approval processes.
  • Five (5) on-demand ULI Learning sessions (a value of $500+).
• One year of ULI Associate membership (a value of $540).
• Access to a mid- to senior-level real estate professional “buddy” who is an active ULI member and can help to navigate ULI and facilitate connections within the Bay Area real estate industry.
• Stipend to attend ULI SF events: up to $200 per person.
• Networking opportunities throughout the year, including a year-end social with the City’s mission-driven nonprofit development partners.

Through the San Francisco Foundation grant, 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?

Mid- to senior-level housing developers of color who develop in the Bay Area region, with a particular interest or focus on San Francisco. 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. Mid to senior level is defined as having a minimum of 7+ years of development experience.

The program will prioritize applicants who work in the areas of affordable housing production and/or acquisition and preservation of affordable housing.

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 San Francisco.

Awardees are required to attend the kickoff meeting in October and all monthly cohort meetings (November through June typically over lunch), and the year-end social to be scheduled.  The kickoff meeting will take place on either October 12 from 3 to 5 pm or October 14 from 12 to 2 pm. Invitations will be sent to selected cohort participants. In addition to attending and actively participating in each monthly two-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”.

SELECTION PROCESS

A selection committee comprised of ULI members, ULI staff, and MOHCD 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.

Awardees are not eligible to apply for a second cohort (2023-2024); however, there will be opportunity for cohort participants to continue their involvement with ULI and future cohort participants.

Please contact ULI San Francisco Director, Joy Woo, at [email protected] with any questions.

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