Building Stability, One Household at a Time

Dreams Start Here. After winning a $30,000 down payment assistance raffle prize from African American Alliance for Homeownership in fall 2025, Veverly (second from right) was able to purchase a Proud Ground single-family home in Portland. Her lender even came through with an additional $2,000 toward closing costs. A widow since 2009, Veverly raised her children, helped raised her grandchildren, and worked for a nonprofit servicing youth. After years of giving to others, she became a first-time homeowner in 2026. “If I could walk on a cloud, I would.”

A Home for Everyone

Proud Ground’s Community Land Trust model is more than affordable housing—it’s a proven, community-centered strategyfor racial justice, economic mobility, and lasting opportunity.

Once households purchase their home, their monthly housing costs become predictable, shielded from rising rents. As household income increases, their financial resilience grows—allowing them to save, invest, and plan for the future. Children can stay in their schools, parents remain close to work and community, neighborhoods become safer, and economies benefit from stable, invested residents.

Proud Ground’s long-term stewardship protects every public and private dollar invested.

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When Stability Took Root, Her Career Took Off

“Every time our rent went up, we had to move,” said McKenna. “We don’t have to move again.”

In early 2025, McKenna purchased a new-construction townhome that keeps her family in the community they love and allows her older son to remain in the same Portland school district.

The home also represents a milestone in McKenna’s own journey. She spent 10 years in school to become a licensed clinical social worker and has built a career she is proud of. In the past, she says, people questioned whether her income would ever be enough to afford a home.

“I’m proud that my income made this possible.”

Having a stable, affordable home has given McKenna something she didn’t expect: room to think about what comes next in her career. With the security of homeownership, she was able to pursue a promotion into a supervisory role—another step toward building the future she wants for herself and her family.

“I was dependent. Now I can support my family.”

Our Focus

Achievements as of Feb. 1, 2026

Wealth Building for Equity: Combining affordable homeownership opportunities, down-payment assistance, HUD-certified one-on-one financial education, and homebuyer education.
- 744 families have become homeowners since our founding in 1999
Anti-Displacement: Conducting intentional outreach and providing long-term post-purchase stewardship
- Less that 1% foreclosure and zero public fund repayments
Permanent Affordability: Each home remains affordable through a 99-year renewable land lease, ensuring that public investment benefits multiple generations of income-qualified homebuyers.
- 602 homes in our community land trust
- $252,362 average affordable sales price in 2025

Looking Ahead

In 2026, we will provide 82 new affordable homeownership opportunities and an additional 59 homes are in the development pipeline.

Join Us

Proud Ground is powered by a community of dedicated supporters, partners, staff, and board of directors. Join our cause and help make homeownership a reality for more income-qualified ouseholds.

Your support transforms dreams into stable homes for families and safer communities now and for generations to come.

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Types of Gifts

Gifts of Cash: We gladly accept unrestricted, restricted, and anonymous cash donations in the form of EFT payments, credit/debit cards, workplace giving contributions, personal checks, donor advised funds, contributions from IRAs, etc.

Gifts of Stock: To facilitate electronic transfer, receipt, and proper acknowledgment of your gift, please have your broker contact us.

Gifts of Real Estate: Please contact us for our real estate acceptance policy.

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