Below is a letter sent to Built for Zero Communities on July 20, 2020, from Co-Directors of Built for Zero, Beth Sandor and Jake Maguire.

We were honored and surprised to learn recently that our proposal to accelerate the impact of the Built for Zero movement has been selected as a finalist for the MacArthur’s Foundation 100&Change Award. Community Solutions is now one of one of six finalists, out of more than 750 applications submitted, in a global competition to solve any single, critical problem of our time. The winner will receive a single grant of $100 million, distributed over up to six years.

We’re not sure what made our proposal stand out, but we have a hunch — it wasn’t about us, it was about you.

You are the reason Built for Zero is a success, and you are the reason this movement is worth investing in— your ingenuity, your leadership, your results. That’s why, if the Built for Zero proposal is selected as the winner, we plan to use the funds to strengthen our work with each of you to accelerate an end to homelessness in your communities. Some of the key planks in our proposal include:

• Strengthening our training, coaching, and data support to your teams
• Supporting targeted real estate investments to help expand housing supply in your communities
• Regranting a portion of the award funds to each Built for Zero community to support your local work to get to zero
• Building resources and supports responsive to the emerging needs and challenges in getting to zero in your community

The winner of the 100&Change Award will be announced in the spring of 2021, and between now and then, MacArthur will work with our team to further develop and strengthen the Built for Zero proposal. We’re looking forward to engaging movement members like you as part of that process for feedback, ideas, and advice.

In the meantime, we hope you feel proud that our shared work is being recognized in this way. Here are a few ways you can share in the excitement:

• Read and share the news (Twitter I Facebook)
• If you are interested in amplifying this recognition of your community, and other Built for Zero communities’ success, please access this announcement toolkit. 
• If press opportunities arise, we’d love for your community to have a chance to share your story. If you are interested, please reply to this email. 

On behalf of all of us, thank you. Whether this movement is ultimately selected or not, this honor is a recognition of your work and a big endorsement of your belief, and ours, that ending homelessness is possible.

In appreciation,

Beth Sandor and Jake Maguire
Co-Directors of Built for Zero

P.S.: Curious about who has been awarded the grant before?  in 2017, Sesame Workshop and the International Rescue Committee were awarded the grant to accelerate early childhood education for Syrian refugees. Learn about this year’s finalists here.