Greater Minnesota Housing Fund

Affordable housing programs, planning and technical assistance: please see schedule o for the description of gmhf's affordable housing programs, planning and technical assistance.more than just a lender, greater minnesota housing fund is known for its innovation and creative approaches to minnesota's affordable housing challenges:grantmaking: gmhf awards grants to a variety of individuals and organizations across the state that advance the gmhf programs described below and for strategic and specialized opportunities such as affordable housing advocacy, legal services, tenant organizing, homebuyer and developer training, housing research, community-based planning, cross-sector collaboration, local planning, technical assistance, and other activities to advance the affordable housing agenda in minnesota.programs and initiatives: gmhf implements a series of programs to promote best practices in the affordable housing field, including:(a) emerging developers program supports emerging developers in their growth as affordable housing developers by offering grant funding, technical assistance, and training;(b) housing & health equity initiative links healthcare organizations with the housing community to create investment and innovative housing solutions;(c) rural and tribal capacity building brings affordable housing from concept to completion in greater mn by offering technical assistance, planning support, and grants;(d) green lending initiative supports the electrification and decarbonization of existing and new affordable housing by leveraging local, state, and federal resources and offering technical assistance, resource matching, financing, and demonstration projects;(e) small noah program supports small and emerging landlords in acquiring and preserving naturally occurring affordable units throughout minnesota's rural and urban areas.gmhf serves as fiscal sponsor for the heading home minnesota funders collaborative whose purpose is to engage philanthropy in supporting state and local plans to end and prevent homelessness and greater production of permanent supportive housing with services.research and development: gmhf conducts research on best practices and strategies in affordable housing and develops demonstration projects, as well as pilot programs and initiatives that can be adopted and implemented statewide.

Affordable housing investing activities: please see schedule o for the description of noah impact fund llc (nif) and minnesota equity fund (mef).noah impact fund llc (nif), a non-profit subsidiary of gmhf, was organized in 2017 to preserve existing older, market rate but affordable class b and class c rental housing at risk of lost affordability due to upscaling by investors. Nif's activities are designed to further the charitable purpose of its parent, gmhf, by raising social impact capital from financial institutions, state and local government, and philanthropy to compete in the rental market and acquire unsubsidized rental housing, thus preserving its affordability, ensuring that it continues to accept section 8 and other rental assistance, and preventing the displacement of lower-income residents. Noah, or naturally occurring affordable housing, is the largest source of affordable housing across the country. Nif raised $32.5 million in noah pool i llc (np1), which closed on june 1, 2017. Np1 deployed $30.6 million to preserve 701 noah units. Nif's activities were paused from 2020 to 2023 due to the covid-19 pandemic and related economic disruptions. Nif then raised $33.5 million to capitalize noah pool ii llc (np2). Np2 closed on may 31,2024 and is expected to preserve the affordability of 500+ noah units.minnesota equity fund, llc, a non-profit subsidiary of gmhf, was created in 2011 to assemble private equity capital for the development and preservation of affordable rental housing through the syndication of federal low-income housing tax credits (lihtcs) and, occasionally, federal historic tax credits and energy-related tax credits. Through the end of 2024, mef has facilitated the investment of over $320 million of gross equity in 55 projects with 2,976 new and preserved units in minnesota and other states through multi-investor and single investor funds. In addition to financing affordable workforce housing for families and individuals and affordable housing for seniors, mef has funded permanent supportive housing which combines housing and services to help stabilize formerly homeless people who suffer from chronic health problems including mental illness and substance use disorders, and may otherwise be hard to house.