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Affordable Housing Development Competition Overview

The Affordable Housing Development Competition encourages students who are interested in affordable housing to think carefully about the interconnections between housing, health care, and economic opportunity. By matching graduate students with experienced professionals, the competition provides the opportunity to combine classroom experience with real-world practice in affordable housing development.

The Process

Students and development sponsors come together for a series of informational sessions that describe the logistics of the competition and assist with team formation. After being paired with developers, the student teams have two months to produce an affordable housing plan. Each team of students, faculty, and sponsors is responsible for creating a working timeline. A commitment of about 15 hours per week is expected, and course credit may be granted, depending on school policies.

Prizes

To encourage the future design and conception of affordable housing, cash prizes will be awarded to proposals that best meet the judging criteria. 

  • First Place: $10,000 
  • Second Place: $7,000 
  • Third Place: $4,000

2025 Timeline

To view the timeline with details about important dates and deadlines for the 2025 Affordable Housing Development Competition, go here.  

Participants

Review the sponsors, student coordinators, and mentors who are part of the competition.

Requirements

Before registering, read the submission and judging criteria.

Timeline

To get a better idea of timing and important deadlines, view this timeline.

A smiling married couple sits on a sofa in the new home they purchased with the help of funding from an FHLBank Boston homebuyer assistance program.

Advisory Council Report

Explore how our members tapped our affordable housing, down-payment assistance, and job-creation programs to enhance the communities they serve. 

Read More