Lincoln Community Foundation (LCF) (lcf.org) recently received the 2024 HUD Secretary Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships. The award is a national partnership between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Council on Foundations.
The Foundation received the award for its partnership with the City of Lincoln Mayor’s Office to increase affordable housing in Lincoln.
“This award is a testament to the naturally collaborative approach we take to our work here in Lincoln,” said President/CEO, Alec Gorynski. “We are grateful to be recognized for our strong partnership with Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and her team as we work together to address the challenges surrounding affordable housing.”
The Lincoln Community Foundation convened more than 20 private and public stakeholders from the community to create a task force that provided a recommendation to the mayor that addressed the community’s affordable housing shortage. So, the Lincoln Community Foundation and the City of Lincoln Mayor’s Office co-created a new affordable housing loan fund within an existing, but defunct, Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) called Community Development Resources (CDR).
In just two years, Community Development Resources (CDR) has financed more than 300 affordable housing units for low-and moderate-income residents of Lincoln. The plan has stated a goal of 9,000 affordable housing units over a 10-year period.
The award ceremony took place on July 11 in Washington D.C. Board Member and retired Urban Development Director for the City, Dan Marvin, accepted the award on behalf of the Foundation.
Lincoln Community Foundation, established in 1955, has distributed more than $237 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that have improved the lives of thousands of residents. To learn more, visit lcf.org.