Closing Gaps, Opening Doors: Diverse Developers in Action

This presentation highlights NEOO Partners's collaboration with Ramsey County, Minnesota, to build a cohort-based learning and one-on-one technical assistance program for emerging and diverse developers pursuing affordable housing. Presenters unpack how the model blends real-world, culturally competent training with structured networking and pathways to funding. The program pairs hands-on workshops (site control, entitlements, underwriting, construction, and asset management) with individualized coaching that meets people where they are, addresses specific barriers, and builds the relationships to advance deals.

See how to curate a mentor bench across public agencies, lenders, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI), and experienced developers; how office hours and deal reviews accelerate learning; and how templates (readiness rubrics, scope checklists, pro forma scaffolds, capital ask one-pagers) translate knowledge into action.

Because the Ramsey County Emerging & Diverse Developers initiative is designed to confront racial inequities in real estate, presenters discuss how the curriculum, facilitation style, and capital navigation explicitly address collateral gaps, relationship capital, and procurement hurdles without lowering stewardship or feasibility standards. Implementation lessons include aligning programs with policy goals, smoothing entitlement pathways, and tracking progress from interest to site control to closing.
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