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 program is designed to create opportunities for seasoned mid- to senior-level real estate developers of color in the Bay Area. 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.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

ULI San Francisco and the City and County of San Francisco, in partnership, are excited to launch year two of our 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. From 2022-2024, 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.

Those selected for this cohort program should be prepared to commit 8 to 10 hours per month (between October 2023-June 2024) to this program: this will include preparations for sessions, in-person monthly sessions, meetings with buddies and with cohort project teams, and virtual trainings.

Cohort will meet in-person 3 hours per month with some additional required virtual trainings (typically held during lunch hour), pre-reads for sessions, networking happy hours, tours, etc.

Please note that you are not eligible to participate if you were in a previous Bay Area Developers of Color cohort.

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 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:

• Complimentary year of ULI associate-level membership;
• Stipend to attend ULI SF events;
• 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;
• Providing input on barriers to developing in San Francisco and offer solutions to overcome such barriers; and
• Serving as experts and provide support to their team members on current project challenges.

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?

Seasoned 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. 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 the fall and all monthly cohort meetings (November through June typically in the afternoon), and the year-end social to be scheduled. 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”.

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.

Previous awardees are not eligible to apply for the 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 Senior Director, Joy Woo, at [email protected] with any questions.

The health and safety of our members, staff, and event attendees remains a priority of ULI SF. We ask that you please take precautions and/or refrain from attending our events if you believe you have been exposed to COVID-19, are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19, or are feeling ill prior to the event. You are welcome to mask at your discretion. ULI SF may require that attendees comply with additional COVID-19 procedures of the event venue and local health authorities and may update its policies from time-to-time if circumstances require.

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.