Century Housing, a mission-driven community development financial institution that supports quality affordable home development, has announced $8 million in seed funding to help address economic and social disparities in California.

The California Community Fund (CCF) initiative will drive investment in underserved communities, specifically Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) who have been disproportionately impacted by lack of access to higher education, affordable housing, livable wages, traditional lending, and small business opportunities. With an initial seed investment of $8 million in the fund, Century Housing is launching the Century Educational Opportunity (CEO) grant pilot program to enable students from underserved communities to enroll in vocational or trade school and invest in higher education to become the next generation of leaders, notably in the affordable housing financing and development sectors.

Inaugural grant recipients include California State University, Fullerton's Project Rebound, California Coalition of Rural Housing, Coalition for Responsible Community Development, El Camino College, Japanese Community Youth Council, Larkin Street Youth Services, LifeSteps, Los Angeles Community College District, and Venice Community Housing.

"We believe in closing racial wealth gaps, in access to higher education, living wages, lending, and financial opportunities," said Century Housing senior vice president Alan Hoffman. "The CCF initiative's emphasis will include education, jobs, small business expansion, and affordable housing."

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