In partnership with the Foster School of Business, Urban Land Institute, and Urban@UW
Hacking Inequity in Access to Real Estate Capital: Best Practices and New Options
February 15th, 8:30-11:15 am
Founders Hall, UW Seattle
1400 NE Campus Parkway
Seattle, WA 98195
Traditional real estate capital sources — large banks, syndications, and institutional lenders such as life insurance companies and pension funds — have historically been less accessible to BIPOC real estate developers and others aiming to improve BIPOC communities via the built environment. With this lack of access to capital, BIPOC developers have had less opportunity to grow, both in personnel and experience, leading to further inaccessibility to capital and larger, more profitable projects. In recent years, however, efforts have been made to break these historical patterns of inequity.
In this event, we aim to present some of the best practices and new options for capital-raising for BIPOC community advancement, and discuss what it might take to bring traditional capital market players to give greater attention to historically underserved communities. We will kick off with a keynote address from Eve Picker, founder of Small Change, a real estate crowdfunding website devoted to female and BIPOC sponsors, non-traditional projects, and fundraising from non-accredited investors. The keynote will be followed by two panel discussions including capital-seekers, capital providers, and ESG experts. A continental breakfast will be provided.