Unlock Ownership Fund

Increasing household wealth and well-being through asset ownership

Unlock Ownership Fund accelerates the development of funds investing in more equitable asset ownership. Specifically, the goal is to build wealth in historically underinvested households through home and employee ownership.

Who We Are

Catalyzed in 2023 by Pluralize Capital (Amy Brakeman) and the Delta Fund (Katie and Brian Boland), the Unlock Ownership Fund uses Donor Advised Fund (DAF) capital to develop more shared ownership investing options.  Five investors have already committed $5.5M and the fund is actively seeking additional mission-aligned investors and donors.

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How We Do It

We make it easier for DAF owners and other philanthropic investors to put their capital to work toward broader asset ownership in the U.S.

The fund brings  together a growing movement of leaders in the field to ensure that capital is being moved to the places where it can effectively accelerate change.

We aim to rapidly deploy capital over the next 2-3 years to help close the racial wealth gap.

What We Will Invest In

The following serves as examples of investment criteria. Actual investment criteria will be formed by the inclusive governance committee.

  • We seek fund managers who are committed to building wealth in underinvested households and communities.
  • We invest in home ownership and employee ownership models with potential to add community wealth building models.
  • We invest in methods that blend innovative finance with economic justice; models which have been refined through relevant experience or pilots.
  • We seek fund managers with a holistic approach, including wraparound support that homeowners and worker owners may need to get both short-term and long-term benefits.
  • We seek fund managers who see themselves as part of an ecosystem working alongside other partners and advocating for policy change.
  • We invest in business models that are expected to return capital.

Examples of Investments

The funds listed below serve as examples only of our investment strategy as many are not currently fundraising, and would need to be approved by the inclusive governance committee:

Home ownership
Blackstar Stability Fund
View website
Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth
View website
Employee ownership
Apis & Heritage Legacy Fund
View website
Common Trust Groundwork Fund
View website
Obran Acquisition Fund
View website
Project Equity Catalyst Fund
View website

Shifting Power through Inclusive Decision Making

All grant and investment decisions will be made by an inclusive governance committee of experts, asset allocators, fund managers in the portfolio, and the fund founders. Our governance process and advisers will be refined for launch and periodically updated.

Governance and Investment Committee will include
Smitha Das, World Education Services (WES)
View website
Santhosh Ramdoss, Gary Community Ventures
View website
Additional Advisors will include
Joseph Cureton, Obran Cooperative
View website
Diane Ives, strategy consultant and Kendeda Fund
View website
Dr. Angela Jackson, Investor and Harvard Education School, Lecturer
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Philip Reeves, Apis & Heritage Capital Partners
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Catherine West, Strategic adviser on equity
View website

Next Steps

As a first fund of its type, we will be exploring several things including:

  • How can catalytic capital help build more investable options in shared ownership and home ownership?
  • Does an asset ownership fund appeal to other investors?
  • How can we leverage the existing shared ownership and racial wealth gap investing ecosystem to move quickly and efficiently?
  • How can we shift decision making power to people closer to the problems and solutions?

Join the Ownership Movement

Contact us to learn more about our investing strategies and how to join the shared ownership movement.