Housing + Health: Completing and Improving Affordable Housing
Investments in the final stage of affordable housing construction and improvements that preserve safe, stable, and healthy housing for low-income communities.
Many Central Texans with low incomes are struggling to find housing they can afford, compromising the health of individuals, families, and communities. In our most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, local community members identified the lack of affordable housing as one of the most pressing community conditions impacting their health. The high cost of housing forces difficult trade-offs for many in our community, leaving limited resources for other basic and essential needs. This strain creates stress and instability that erodes health and limits opportunities to realize economic stability.
This funding opportunity seeks to leverage St. David’s Foundation funding to increase the number of safe, healthy, and affordable housing options in Central Texas and increase the number of organizations and local governments that meaningfully engage community members in decision-making. By doing so, we build on existing investments in affordable housing in Central Texas and ensure that those investments yield housing that is not only affordable, but also safe, stable, and health-promoting, so that individual residents and the surrounding community can thrive.
This call also incorporates the Foundation’s belief in the need for resident-led decision-making to ensure housing is responsive to resident needs. We believe that for affordable housing to realize its potential to serve as a platform for health, residents need to have a strong role in informing how their spaces are designed and maintained, as well as which services and amenities are offered. As a result, this funding opportunity will prioritize projects that foster resident-led decision-making, where residents meaningfully shape relevant property features, property management, amenities, or other parts of the affordable housing to ensure it is safe, accessible, and supportive of health and wellness.
This funding opportunity is designed for multi-family rental properties located in Central Texas that provide affordable housing for families with low incomes. Through this funding opportunity, the Foundation seeks to:
Increase the number of affordable housing units available for households earning below 50% of area median income (AMI),
Leverage the existing affordable housing supply in Central Texas by extending property life, improving health and safety conditions, and boosting affordability, and
Foster strategies and practices that enable residents to meaningfully shape decisions about their housing community.
In line with these goals, we aim to make capital investments that support:
The “final mile” of construction for affordable housing projects (housing that predominantly serves households at or below 50% of AMI) located in Central Texas, where final mile is defined as having acquired land, secured building permits, having all buildings dried-in, and a Certificate of Occupancy is expected by September 2027; OR,
Improvements of existing affordable housing communities (housing that predominantly serves households at or below 50% of AMI) that extend the life of the property, improve resident affordability, or address health and safety risks (e.g., upgrades to energy efficiency, protection against extreme weather, remediation of unsafe conditions such as mold).
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible, organizations must be a:
Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization located and operating in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, or Williamson counties (a valid IRS determination letter is required at the time of LOI Submission), OR
Public or government entity located in and serving rural Central Texas communities (e.g., those outside the City of Austin within the five counties listed above)
Additionally, the proposed projects must:
Predominantly serve households at or below 50% of area median income ($67,200 for family of 4, FY 2026). This means that more than half of the project’s units are restricted to households with incomes below 50% AMI.
Be in one of the following phases of development:
New construction that is close to the finish line (i.e., land and permits secured, building(s) dried in, Certificate of Occupancy expected by September 2027) OR,
Complete and well-established properties (i.e., funds for needed upgrades that extend the life of the property or improve health amenities).
Provide multi-family rental housing that offers residents a lock and lease. Congregate shelter housing or single-family owner-occupied housing is not eligible for this funding opportunity.
Note: Organizations with an existing St. David’s Foundation grant are eligible to apply.
The Foundation expects to award up to $8M for this funding opportunity. Each awardee will receive a one-time, flexible capital grant.
We expect that the maximum award per project will be $750,000. Award size will be proposed by the applicant and will include a proposed capital budget. The award size will ultimately be determined by the Foundation, based on the scale of the proposed work, the organization’s potential for long-term impact, and the organization’s current annual organizational budget.
The photos above depict affordable housing communities with health promoting features and amenities such as access to greenspaces, playgrounds or opportunities for fitness or social connection.
How to Apply
The Housing + Health: Capital open call will open on August 26, 2026. Applicants who meet eligibility requirements interested in applying must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) by September 10, 2026, at 5:00 pm Central Time. LOIs that indicate a strong alignment with the intent of the funding opportunity will be invited to submit a full application. All applicants submitting an LOI will receive notice of LOI decisions by September 17, 2026. The invited applications will be due by October 15, 2026, at 5:00 pm Central Time.
Applicants may submit multiple LOIs, but each LOI must represent a unique project as defined by a separate address. All LOIs and applications must be submitted through the online Grants Portal, Giving Data. Paper copies and emailed submissions will not be accepted.
The Foundation will host an optional informational webinar where organizations can learn more about this opportunity and ask questions. Click here to register for the webinar.
Foundation staff will also be available to answer questions from applicants by email and 1:1 office hours. You can email your questions to [email protected] or click here to schedule a 20-minute meeting to discuss your questions and ideas with a Foundation staff member.
All Letters of Intent and applications must be submitted through the Foundation’s online Grants Portal. Paper applications and emailed submissions will not be accepted.
The Foundation will host an optional informational webinar where organizations can learn more about this opportunity and ask questions. Click here to register for the webinar.
A recording will be available on this webpage following the webinar.
