Program Related Investments (PRIs) can be a powerful complement to a foundation’s grantmaking— enabling mission-driven organizations to expand their impact and influence. A recently completed In Practice paper examines a series of PRIs that the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation provided to the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) between 2004-2016 as part of a broad program to end chronic homelessness in Los Angeles County. These PRIs have had demonstrable impact, contributing to the creation and growth of a robust pipeline of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH).
More than a decade after providing an initial $1 million PRI to seed CSH’s entry into the Los Angeles market, the Hilton Foundation’s PRIs to CSH have expanded to a total of $8 million, $6 million of which is targeted to Los Angeles County. In its capacity as a Community Development Financial Institution lender, CSH has deployed the Hilton Foundation PRI funds in a series of loan pools to help PSH developers acquire land and pay the initial costs involved in getting a project ready to close on long-term financing.
The results are clear and measurable: Over a 13-year period, CSH leveraged $8 million in Hilton Foundation PRI lending into over $1 billion in permanent capital for PSH development. This leverage facilitated the production of 2,354 units of supportive housing plus an additional 1,014 units of conventional affordable housing.
This report, written for the Foundation by Laurie Gould and Janet Boguslaw, includes some important insights as to how funders can use PRIs in their partnerships and also highlights the hallmarks of the Hilton Foundation’s PRI strategy—a willingness to share risk, to commit for the long term and to invest in building strong and durable relationships.
Written by Laurie Gold and Dr. Janet Boguslaw