top of page

Funding

Packard Foundation Bets $5 Million on Community Ownership Strategy

Community Vision lands major debt investment to scale anti-gentrification financing across California.

December 4, 2025

3 Min Read

Investing in communities to keep neighborhoods in community hands.

Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

Why it Matters

Community ownership is emerging as a powerful anti-gentrification strategy, giving residents control over the real estate that shapes their neighborhoods. When communities own their assets—from health clinics to affordable housing—they build both political and financial power that traditional development models can't match.


What Happened

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation just committed $5 million in debt financing to Community Vision's $130 million loan fund, marking a significant bet on community-controlled development in California. The investment flows through Packard's $250 million mission investing strategy.


Between the Lines

This isn't charity—it's a calculated move to combat displacement through ownership transfer. Community Vision has already deployed $50.6 million across 18 loans this year, proving that community ownership models can scale and generate returns.


By the Numbers

  • $130 million: Total size of Community Vision's loan fund

  • $50.6 million: Amount deployed in 2025 across 18 deals

  • $7.2 million: Pre-development financing for three Camarena Health facilities

  • 17,000: Patients expected to benefit from new medical facilities in Madera County

  • $250 million: Packard Foundation's total mission investing strategy


The Bottom Line

"Investing in Community Vision's loan fund helps ensure that capital reaches the communities and leaders driving lasting change," said Packard's Madeline Wu. The goal: "a stronger California where more families can afford stable housing."


What's Next

Community Vision will expand flexible capital deployment to help mission-driven organizations "purchase, preserve, and develop the community assets that make California's neighborhoods thrive," according to Catherine Howard, who leads the organization. This includes everything from affordable housing to health clinics to cultural spaces.


The Bigger Picture

Community Vision's California Community-Owned Real Estate (CalCORE) program represents a systematic approach to shared ownership, training and financing community land trusts and local developers. The model addresses a critical gap: how to keep community assets in community hands as gentrification pressures intensify.


Go Deeper
bottom of page