FAQ

What is the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call?

The Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call, sponsored by the Capital One Foundation will fund projects that will expand access to housing and homeownership in the United States. Launched on October 29, 2025 this Open Call will award up to ten finalists a $200,000 project development grant and five Awardees with a $4.6 million Award over up to five years.

Who is sponsoring this Open Call?

This Open Call is sponsored by the Capital One Foundation, a nonprofit private foundation.

What types of projects are you looking for?

This Open Call seeks bold solutions that expand access to affordable homeownership in the U.S. through fresh thinking and disruptive models. Projects should demonstrate measurable potential to expand pathways to homeownership for low- and moderate-income households while building meaningful collaboration across broad stakeholders and sectors. Most importantly, initiatives should address root causes rather than symptoms and have a compelling plan to sustain and scale the work. Solutions will be assessed on four criteria: innovative, impactful, bridge-building, and durable.

• Innovative: An approach that brings fresh thinking, tools, or models to homeownership in ways that challenge the status quo and demonstrate a disruptive, future-oriented vision with potential to inspire or shift broader field practice.
• Impactful: A solution with meaningful potential to expand homeownership through knowledge and action, featuring clear and measurable progress indicators that demonstrate capacity to shift trajectories for low- and moderate-income households.
• Bridge-Building: An initiative that effectively connects and unifies a wide range of stakeholders, fostering meaningful collaboration across sectors or perspectives. The strongest submissions will reflect strong community partnerships across the housing ecosystem.
• Durable: A sustainable pathway that addresses root causes of homeownership barriers rather than just symptoms, with compelling evidence of potential to elicit robust support from broad private, philanthropic, and public funding sources over time.

For more information on how projects will be assessed, please reference the Evaluation Process page of the Open Call website.

Who can participate?

We welcome applications from organizations across the United States and U.S. Territories. We encourage you to assess your fit for the Open Call by completing the Organization Readiness Tool.

Organizations eligible to serve as the Lead Organization must be based in the United States or U.S. Territories and be:

• An entity based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories that has received a tax determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) and is also classified as a publicly supported organization described under section 509(a)(1) or (2) of the IRC and which tax determination letter is in effect.
• An entity based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC and is also classified as a Type I or Type II supporting organization described under section 509(a)(3) of the IRC, and which tax determination letter is in effect.
• A fiscally sponsored project whose fiscal sponsor is an entity based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories and has received an IRS determination letter that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC and is also classified as a publicly supported organization described under section 509(a)(1) or (2) of the IRC and which tax determination letter is in effect; fiscal sponsors must exercise discretion and control over the Award funds.
• A public or private college, junior college, university, or other similar educational entity that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS that it is exempt from federal income tax as an organization described under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC and is also classified as an educational organization described under sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the IRC and which tax determination letter is in effect. The specific program must align with sponsored research guidelines.
• A private operating foundation based in the United States and/or U.S. Territories under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC that has received a tax determination letter from the IRS.

In addition, the Lead Organization must (a) be based and working in the United States or U.S. Territories, (b) be in good standing in the jurisdiction under which it is organized, and (c) comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations in its completion and submission of an Application and use of the Award funds.

Eligible organizations are welcome to partner with for-profit companies, foundations, schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, individuals, and other entities to implement the initiative. Lead Organizations may include a 501(c)(4) organization as part of the project team, provided the 501(c)(4) organization does not receive Award funds.

The Lead Organization is a single legal entity that has the legal responsibility, authority for and control of the use of any Award funds, is responsible for the reporting on any Award funds, and must be able to exercise–in fact and law–full discretion, control, and supervision of the proposed solution and the Award funds.

How many Awards will be awarded through the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call?

Up to ten project teams will be selected as finalists. The finalists will each receive an initial project development grant of $200,000 and technical assistance to strengthen their proposal. After submitting a revised proposal, up to five finalists will be awarded an Award of $4.6 million each to implement their solution.

Up to ten finalist proposals will be added to Lever for Change’s Bold Solutions Network, which offers ongoing learning and networking opportunities to strengthen the impact of their work, raise their visibility, and increase their potential to secure funding. We hope this process will also engage the public and the philanthropic sector to reimagine how to bring about meaningful, measurable change.

How will submissions be assessed?

Once the initial application submission deadline passes, the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call team will perform an administrative review to confirm that each submission meets the Rules and application requirements before advancing to the required Participatory Review.

During Participatory Review, each applicant organization will review the applications of four peer applicant organizations using the Evaluation Rubric that outlines four criteria: innovative, impactful, bridge-building, and durable. Top-scoring applications from Participatory Review will advance to the Evaluation Panel, where they will receive additional review and comments from four Evaluation Panel Reviewers. During the Evaluation Panel Review, applications will be assessed using the same evaluation rubric.

The Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Team will review the top-scoring submissions and may request additional information as needed to select up to ten Finalists based on considerations that may include, but are not limited to, Evaluation panel resulting rank order, organizational capacity, geographic reach, and feasibility. The Capital One Foundation will make the final determination of up to ten Finalists, five of whom will receive $4.6 million.

Why does scaling homeownership matter?

Homeownership has long been the cornerstone of financial security for many, yet millions remain locked out due to significant barriers and lack of access to the right tools and information. Rising costs combined with a nationwide shortage of supply have made homeownership increasingly out of reach for individuals and families. Consumers also face critical information gaps and lack real-time accessible tools to assess their readiness to buy a home, while housing suppliers lack reliable demand data needed for planning. This broken feedback loop contributes to today’s housing supply challenges, leaving consumers without clear pathways to build wealth and communities without the benefits of scale. Through this Open Call, we are seeking to surface and invest in solutions that respond to these urgent challenges by ensuring that more people can achieve sustainable homeownership or shared home equity models without sacrificing their financial well-being.

What do you mean by “expanding access to homeownership?” In what activities might applicants well-suited to this initiative be engaged?

The Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call will contribute to the future of shared prosperity by supporting innovative solutions that expand pathways to homeownership, bridge supply and demand, and set a new standard for how housing access is realized nationwide.

Applicants best suited for this Open Call will challenge the status quo of affordable homeownership and bring forward bold, disruptive, and collaborative approaches. While all solutions will be assessed on four criteria — innovative, impactful, bridge-building, and durable — applicants’ approaches will vary. Some may focus on innovative financing models or policy interventions; others may strengthen community land trusts, expand access to affordable credit, work in housing counseling, or develop new tools for bridging sectors and creating impact. The strongest proposals will reflect deep collaboration across sectors and offer a compelling plan to sustain and scale impact over time.

How can we use the Award from the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call?

Award funds must be used for the solution described in the application and must be used exclusively for tax-exempt purposes. Prohibited uses of Award funds include:

• To make a grant to or otherwise transfer the Award funds to an organization or individual not involved in the implementation of the proposed solution as a Subgrantee or Contractor.
• To make a grant that could be considered a grant to any individual for travel, study, or other similar purposes, within the meaning of section 4945(d)(3) of the IRC, including, without limitation, scholarships.
• To make a grant to any organization, except in compliance with expenditure responsibility requirements, to the extent applicable.
• For the creation of any endowment or for the aggregation of philanthropic capital by organizations that regrant to nonprofit organizations.
• For capital campaigns, including the construction of new sites or new buildings.
• For the creation of a venture capital fund, or pooled funds to invest in or distribute to for profit organizations.
• To fund general operating support for the Lead Organization and/or any Subgrantee or Contractor.
• To any Collaborator (an individual or entity who or which partners with the Lead Organization, and Subgrantees, Contractors, and/or other Collaborators, as applicable, to carry out the proposed solution but does not receive any Award funds from the Lead Organization through a sub-grant, a contract, or otherwise).
• For lobbying and political expenditures that are not tax deductible in accordance with 26 U.S.C. § 6033(e).
• To fund or undertake any activity for any purpose other than one specified in Section 170(c)(2)(B) of the IRC.
• To pay down third-party operating deficits.

What is the overall timeline of the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call?

Please review the timeline here.

• Interested organizations must register before 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
• Registered organizations must submit an application. Complete applications are due by 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, January 29, 2026.
• All applications meeting the eligibility criteria for the Open Call will be assessed by peer applicants during Participatory Review between March and April 2026.
• After Participatory Review is complete, organizations that were top-rated by peers will advance to the externally recruited Evaluation Panel made up of individuals from across sectors with relevant experience.
• Applications will then be assessed by Evaluation Panel Reviewers between May and June 2026.
• Informed by the results of Participatory and Evaluation Panel Review, the Capital One Foundation will select finalists by Summer 2026.
• Selected finalists will submit a comprehensive proposal between Fall 2026 and early 2027.
• Awardees will be selected and announced in Spring 2027.

What does applying for the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call entail?

Organizations applying to the Open Call will be asked to do the following as part of the application process:

• Register (15 minutes). Answer a few short informational questions.
• Submit an application (~10+ hours). Provide an overview of your organization and work.
• Complete Participatory Review (~2.5 hours). Assess the applications of four, and if necessary, up to six, other applicants using the evaluation rubric that outlines four criteria: innovative, impactful, bridge-building, and durable.

How will I learn about updates for the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call?

Applicants can expect to hear status updates about the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call through the Submittable platform. Updates will be sent to the email associated with the Submitter account through which registration was submitted.

Who is part of the Evaluation Panel?

The Evaluation Panel is comprised of highly experienced individuals with relevant expertise from the nonprofit sector, private sector, academia, the philanthropic community, and beyond, representing practitioner communities around the United States. They have been recruited specifically for this Open Call. The Evaluators will use the scoring rubric provided to assess eligible applications. Each application will be reviewed by at least four Evaluators. You can view the list of Evaluators here. Please note that evaluator recruitment for the Open Call is ongoing; the panel will be periodically updated in the gallery below as we confirm additional evaluators.

A member of my organization is serving on the Evaluation Panel. Does this make my organization ineligible to apply for the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call?

No, their participation on the panel does not preclude your team from applying – in fact, we would welcome your application and encourage you to apply. As per the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call recusal policy (in full, below), should your team’s application advance to the Evaluation Panel Review stage of the Open Call, we would at that point ask your colleague to recuse themselves from the Panel.

Evaluation Panel Reviewer Recusal Policy: Please note that Evaluation Panel Reviewers will be asked to recuse themselves completely from the Evaluation Panel if they are the head of the organization that submits an application that advances to the Evaluation Panel stage or are on the project team of a submitted application that advances to the Evaluation Panel stage. If an Evaluation Panel Reviewer is neither the head of the organization nor on the project team, we only require that the reviewer recuse themselves from evaluating their organization’s application. We also ask that reviewers recuse themselves from evaluating the applications of any organizations for which family members or close friends serve as employees, investors, advisors, or board members. Please let us know if you have questions about this policy; it is intended to ensure fairness.

If I have a specific question or need the most up-to-date information, where can I reach out?

For any specific questions, and to ensure you have the most accurate and up-to-date information about this Open Call, please reach out directly to homeownership@submittable.com. Our team is here to help.

Where do I apply?

Visit homeownership-apply.leverforchange.org to register and begin your application. The application opened on October 29, 2025. Initial registration must be completed by Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Complete applications must be received no later than Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Applicants must register to participate.

How do I apply?

First, take the Organization Readiness Tool to confirm that your organization meets the eligibility requirements.

After reading the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Rules carefully and taking the Organization Readiness Tool, you can either sign in with your existing Submittable account or create a new one to access the registration and application. Signing up with Submittable is free and is required to submit an application to the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Open Call.

All correspondence related to the Open Call, including deadline reminders and status updates, will be sent through the Submittable platform by the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Team. This correspondence will be directed to the Submitter whose account is associated with the application. For this reason, it is recommended that the desired Primary Contact creates a Submittable account and completes the application from this account. This will ensure that they receive all relevant correspondence and updates.

Once you are signed into an account, you will need to accept the Rules and then complete the initial registration. Be sure to register by Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Once you have completed the initial registration, you will receive an email invitation with a link that you can access to complete your application by Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time.

Take some time to review the information provided on this website, particularly the application questions and Evaluation Rubric. Sign up for our Applicant Q&A webinar on Thursday, November 13 at 11:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time - click here to learn more. If you’re unable to attend the webinar, we will be posting a recording afterward. Please direct any questions to homeownership@submittable.com.

A draft of your application will automatically save every few minutes. If you exit the application before completing it, your previous answers will be saved. To view your draft and continue working on your application, return to the application page, sign into your Submittable account, click Saved Drafts, and choose Continue. Be sure to complete and submit your application no later than Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. We are unable to accept late submissions.

Once you’ve submitted your application, you’ll receive a confirmation email from notifications@email.submittable.com. Please be sure the email address you used to sign up for your Submittable account is one that you check regularly.

How do I make sure I do not miss email updates from the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership team?

To ensure you don’t miss any critical messages, we recommend that you enable safelist notifications.

Who from my organization should create a Submittable account for use in submitting our application?

The desired Primary Contact at your organization should create an account and be the Submitter on your organization’s application. All correspondence related to the Open Call, including deadline reminders and status updates, will be sent through the Submittable platform by the Scaling Pathways to Homeownership Team. This correspondence will be directed to the Submitter whose account is associated with the application. For this reason, it is recommended that the desired Primary Contact at your organization creates a Submittable account and completes the application from this account. This will ensure that they receive all relevant correspondence and updates.

How do I sign into my Submittable account?

You can sign into your Submittable account at manager.submittable.com/login. If you’ve lost or forgotten your password, follow the instructions here.

Where is my submission draft?

To view your submission draft and continue working on your application, sign into your account at manager.submittable.com/login, click Saved Drafts, and choose “Continue”.

Will I receive a notification that my application has been received?

Yes, you will receive an email confirmation from notifications@email.submittable.com once your application is submitted.

To ensure you don’t miss any critical messages, we recommend that you enable safelist notifications.

Will I be able to edit my application after submitting should I make an error?

No. Please ensure all information you provide is accurate before you press the “SUBMIT” button. Submitters can withdraw an active submission at any time. To withdraw an active submission, follow the steps found here.

Can I delete my Submittable account?

Yes, Submittable is committed to protecting data security and privacy, and that includes our full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

To proceed with a request to delete your personal Submittable account, please fill out this form.

You will be notified of progress as the various steps are taken to remove your information from our system.

How do I withdraw my submission?

Submitters can withdraw an active submission at any time. To withdraw an active submission, follow the steps found here.

How do I get technical assistance, and how can I find out more information?

If you need technical assistance, you can complete the below form 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. "Submittable’s Customer Support team is available and will respond to inquiries Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. U.S. Central Time to 5:00 p.m. U.S. Central Time. Submittable’s Customer Support team is available and will respond to inquiries Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST) to 5 p.m. CST For any other queries please email: homeownership@submittable.com.

Find more technical information in our Help Center.