Workforce Housing Fund

Grant Program Purpose

The Workforce Housing fund supports projects that promote workforce housing development (including planning, design, construction, development, repair, maintenance, and/or reconstruction); transit (including transit operational expenses); passive recreation and management and enhancement of open space serving workforce housing; or related community purposes. The Fund’s current priority is for projects located in eastern Placer County or elsewhere in the region.

Candidate projects and programs will do one or more of the following:

(a) increase the supply of permanent affordable workforce housing and/or increase the number of workforce households that can afford housing in the community thereby reducing their commute;

(b) improve transit serving workforce housing including transit operational expenses to relieve traffic congestion and improve transportation choices;

(c) improve passive recreation and/or management and enhancement of open space serving workforce housing;

(d) build capacity for long term institutional support for workforce housing; and/or

(e) leverage or develop and expand existing institutional capacity and other funding sources supporting any of the objectives listed above.

Grant Program Guidelines

Ideal projects will support one or more of the objectives above by leveraging or developing existing institutional capacity and other funding sources and by building capacity for long term institutional support for the objectives listed above.

As used in these grant guidelines:

  • A “project” is an activity or series of activities having a direct effect of promoting workforce housing development (including planning, design, construction, development, repair, maintenance, and/or reconstruction); transit (including transit operational expenses); passive recreation and management and enhancement of open space serving workforce housing; or related community purposes.
  • A “program” is an activity or series of activities that indirectly, but clearly, support such projects. Examples of programs include activities that increase the number of workforce households that can afford housing in the region thereby reducing commute times, improve transit serving workforce housing to relieve traffic congestion and improve transportation choices, assessments to identify project or program need or priorities, develop institutional capacity to more effectively implement projects, etc. Additional examples are provided in the Criteria Checklist below.

Grant Program Criteria

Projects and programs funded by the Martis Fund must meet the following criteria:

  • The applicant is a 501(c)3 organization.
  • The project or projects supported by a program is or are located in eastern Placer County or elsewhere in the region or will build capacity serving Workforce Housing Fund objectives in eastern Placer County or elsewhere in the region.
  • The applicant is working with appropriate partners (e.g., Placer County, transit agencies, others) and is seeking matching funds from other sources or demonstrated that such partnership would not benefit the proposed project, program or outcome.
  • The proposed project or program does not duplicate projects or programs funded or underway by other organizations except for partnerships or matching requests described below.
  • The applicant has reviewed and considered applying to other grant programs (such as the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation) and determined that the proposed project most closely fits the Workforce Housing Grant objectives and no other source of project or program support is available unless it would be a match.
  • The project or program will:
    • increase the supply of permanent affordable workforce housing and/or increase the number of workforce households that can afford housing in the community thereby reducing their commute;
    • improve transit serving workforce housing including transit operational expenses to relieve traffic congestion and improve transportation choices;
    • improve passive recreation and/or management and enhancement of open space serving workforce housing;
    • provide workforce housing-related community services such as child care facilities or community centers;
    • build capacity for long term institutional support for workforce housing; and/or
    • leverage existing institutional capacity and other funding sources supporting any of the objectives listed above.
  • The proposed project or program does not involve direct political or religious activities, activities that have already been funded or for which other funding is currently being sought (other than existing or proposed matching funds described in the application), or activities that have been completed.

Grant Program Administration

Organizations interested in seeking a grant must first contact the Martis Fund prior to submitting a grant application. Interested applicants should carefully review the guidelines for each fund before applying. Please see HERE to learn more about how to apply.