Debt before equity. Grants applied too late. Sources layered in the wrong order. The stack looks full but can't close.
Funders don't reject projects — they reject unclear credibility. If your track record, team, or narrative doesn't land in 60 seconds, the deal stalls.
Chasing LIHTC when the deal is a CRA play. Pitching impact funds with bank-ready language. Misaligned capital strategy burns time and trust.
No pro forma stress test. No site control documentation. No clear ask. Funders see risk where they should see opportunity.
I don't chase money. I structure the strategy that makes it move.
My flagship advisory for developers building $2M–$20M housing and mixed-use projects. End-to-end capital stack strategy: audit, structure, sequence, and package. From site control to closing-ready narrative — built for the underwriting table, not the pitch competition.
A structured intensive for CDFIs, lenders, and foundations ready to engage more small-scale developers and start underwriting the full picture. We rebuild intake, triage, and readiness frameworks so your capital reaches more deals — without compromising rigor.
A diagnostic-first engagement for developers. I review your stack sequencing, gap structure, sponsor positioning, and funder alignment — and give you a clear map of what needs to change before you approach a single funder.
Capital request packages, executive summaries, and outreach strategy — translated into the language underwriting committees actually approve.
For CDFIs, banks, foundations, and impact funds. I align your underwriting criteria, strengthen pipeline readiness, and design systems that move capital consistently without lowering standards.
You're building $2M–$20M housing and mixed-use projects serving communities at or below 80% AMI — and workforce housing projects where capital gaps are greatest. You have a site, a vision, maybe a few conversations started — but the capital stack isn't closing. You need someone who can audit the structure, fix the sequence, and make the deal fundable.
- Small-scale developers scaling $2M+ projects
- Experienced sponsors entering new markets or deal types
- Nonprofit developers structuring their first blended stack
- Community-serving projects that don't fit a single capital box
You're a CDFI, bank, foundation, or impact fund deploying capital into community-rooted real estate. Your pipeline needs stronger deals, your team needs better frameworks, and your underwriting process needs a system — not more one-off heroics.
- CDFIs seeking structured developer readiness frameworks
- Banks looking to deploy CRA-eligible capital strategically
- Foundations exploring PRI and recoverable grant structures
- Impact funds building repeatable deployment infrastructure
Every engagement follows a clear, repeatable structure. No ambiguity. No scope creep. Just capital strategy that moves.
Diagnose what's breaking the deal. Stack sequencing, sponsor credibility, site readiness, and funder alignment.
Rebuild and sequence the stack. CRA bank debt, CDFI lending, PRI, recoverable grants, (maybe) tax credits — in the order that closes.
Build materials that move capital. Executive summaries, capital request packages, funder outreach strategy.
Light-touch advisory through milestones. Funder conversation prep and strategic guidance to closing.
Review underwriting criteria, pipeline friction, and capital deployment gaps.
Align capital frameworks with real-world deal flow and developer readiness realities.
Develop intake, triage, and readiness systems that improve deal quality before committee review.
Strategic guidance on CRA alignment, blended capital, and deployment pacing.
Capital doesn't stall because it isn't available. It stalls when underwriting frameworks, pipeline expectations, and real-world deal flow are misaligned. These engagements fix that.
Structured intensive for CDFIs, lenders, and foundations. Delivered in-person or virtually. Custom-scoped. Results include readiness frameworks, triage systems, and intake redesign. Delivered most recently for Cleveland CDFI.
Structured review of underwriting criteria, pipeline quality, and decision bottlenecks. Written findings + debrief call.
CRA alignment, blended capital design, and portfolio pacing guidance. Ongoing strategic support for institutions deploying into community real estate.
GrowthCommons is a two-sided marketplace connecting community real estate developers with mission-aligned funders — powered by the same capital logic I've used in my work.
Developers get matched to funders based on deal stage and readiness — not who they know. Funders get a curated pipeline of pre-qualified, community-rooted projects ready for review.
This isn't a directory. It's infrastructure.
Every tier begins with an intake form. No one skips the conversation.
$150 — Capital Strategy Intake Call
30 minutes. Applied toward any service you book.
Not sure where you fit? Start here. We'll spend 30 minutes reviewing where your deal is, what's working, what isn't, and which service makes the most sense for your stage. The $150 is a credit — it comes off whatever you book next.
Best for: Developers who aren't sure which tier is right, or projects that fall outside standard ranges.
$500 — Capital Stack Starter
For projects $500K–$5M. Bring what you have.
You came out of a cohort. You have a site, a vision, and rough numbers — but no clean capital stack and no idea who to talk to first. That's exactly who this is for. You submit what you have through the intake form. I build your rudimentary capital stack, identify your most viable sources, and give you the language to walk into a funder conversation without freezing.
Pro forma optional. Direction guaranteed.
Best for: First-project developers, cohort graduates, small-scale community builders.
$2,500 — Capital Stack Audit + 60-Day Advisory
For projects $500K–$5M+ ready for a real diagnostic.
You have a deal in motion. You've had some funder conversations, maybe gotten a soft no or two. Something isn't landing and you need to know what. I do a full audit of your stack — sequencing, gaps, sponsor credibility, funder alignment — and then I stay in your corner for 60 days while you act on it. Answering questions. Reviewing documents before they go out. Telling you which opportunity to chase and which to let go.
You're not paying for a report. You're paying for the 60 days after it.
Best for: Developers with an active deal who need a diagnostic and a thought partner.
$1,500/month — Capital Strategy Retainer
Intake call required. Audit optional.
Your deal is moving and you need someone in your corner on a sustained basis. Not a project manager. Not a grant writer. A capital strategist who knows the landscape, knows your deal, and can tell you the right move at the right moment. Monthly access. Real-time guidance. No deliverable treadmill.
Feel like you don't need an audit first? That's fine — but we still do an intake call before engagement begins. You don't know what you don't know, and I need to know what I'm walking into.
Best for: Developers with active $2M+ deals in funder conversations or closing preparation.
All developer services begin with the intake form. The $150 intake call fee is credited toward any service booked.
For developers: We fix the structure before you waste more meetings. Schedule a Developer Discovery Call
For institutions: We align capital frameworks with real-world deal flow. Schedule a Funder Discovery Call
Building something bigger? Get on the waitlist to be a beta tester for GrowthCommons — the platform connecting community developers with mission-aligned funders. growthcommons.co
Most developers overlook the single largest source of community real estate capital sitting inside every major bank. The Community Reinvestment Act isn't just a compliance requirement — it's a capital deployment mandate. This guide shows you how to use it.
Cut through the jargon. Understand what banks are required to do — and how your project fits their mandate.
Learn the specific criteria that make your $2M–$20M project attractive to CRA-motivated lenders.
Know exactly what to say, what to bring, and how to frame the ask when you sit down with a CRA officer.
Free download. No spam. Just capital strategy.
Two-plus decades across community outreach, CDFI lending, and institutional capital systems — including $80M+ deployed across the South. I've sat in the underwriting rooms, the investment committees, and the closing tables.
I build systems that expand who gets funded — without compromising financial discipline. Equitable access and institutional rigor aren't opposites. They're design problems.
CRA bank lending. CDFI products. Program-Related Investments. Recoverable grants. Blended capital structures. I speak the language of the seats at the table.
Former CDFI senior leader. Passionate about small scale developers and community projects. $80M+ in capital deployed across the South. Built developer pipelines, launched community land trusts, and designed underwriting frameworks adopted by institutions nationally. Today, I advise developers and funders on how to structure capital that actually closes.
Looking for a speaker who can make capital strategy land in a room? I keynote, facilitate, and lead workshops for conferences, accelerators, and institutional convenings.
Most community-rooted projects don't fail because they lack merit. They fail because nobody built the capital strategy to match the stage the developer is actually in.