Capital One, the Capital One Foundation, and Lever for Change have launched a $25 million open call to support new solutions aimed at expanding access to affordable homeownership in the United States. The initiative, called Scaling Pathways to Homeownership, is part of Capital One’s five-year, $265 billion Community Benefits Plan. This plan was developed as part of Capital One’s acquisition of Discover and aims to address affordable housing, strengthen small businesses, and invest in community infrastructure.
Andy Navarrete, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Enterprise Affairs at Capital One and Board Member of the Capital One Foundation, said: “Homeownership has long been the cornerstone of financial security for many, yet rising costs, lack of supply, and lack of access to the right tools and information continue to put it out of reach for millions. Through this Open Call, we’re inviting community partners of all sizes to help us reimagine how consumers get equipped, informed, and empowered to build pathways to homeownership — for those who stand to benefit from it as a vehicle for wealth-building and long-term stability.”
According to organizers, higher costs and limited housing supply have made buying a home difficult for many families. Consumers also struggle with limited information about their readiness for homeownership while suppliers often lack reliable demand data. The program aims to fund ideas that close these gaps by supporting innovative models such as shared equity ownership.
Kristen J. Molyneaux, President of Lever for Change stated: “Homeownership is a gateway to stability and opportunity. This Open Call is about unlocking innovative solutions that empower individuals and families to achieve this goal and all the long-term benefits it brings. We’re honored to collaborate with Capital One to surface creative ideas that move us closer to a future where more people have the opportunity to build security and generational strength through homeownership.”
The open call will prioritize proposals that create measurable impact through improved resources or tools addressing both supply shortages and consumer knowledge gaps.
Marietta Rodriguez, President and CEO of NeighborWorks America said: “As an organization that works every day to help Americans navigate the path to prosperity and generational wealth, we celebrate the role investments play in transforming communities and creating pathways to homeownership — places families can call home.”
Horacio Mendez, President and CEO of Woodstock Institute commented: “Today’s announcement demonstrates that Capital One’s Community Benefits Plan is moving from ideas to impact. Launching in Chicago underscores the strength of our city’s innovative ecosystem and our track record of incubating solutions that can scale nationwide.”
The competition will select ten finalists who each receive $200,000 in initial funding from the Capital One Foundation along with technical assistance. After further development work on their proposals, five awardees will be chosen in early 2027; each will receive an additional $4.6 million.
Kerone Vatel, Senior Vice President at Capital One added: “Some of the most effective housing solutions are born in local communities and led by smaller institutions that deeply understand the needs of their neighbors. Through this Open Call, we're helping to elevate and accelerate those efforts already underway — showcasing local innovations that are helping to shape a national movement to strengthen the housing ecosystem.”
In 2024 alone Capital One provided $2.9 billion in financing toward over 15,000 units of affordable rental housing; together with its foundation they distributed over $10 million in grants supporting more than 160 nonprofits working on safe housing initiatives.
The Scaling Pathways program is one aspect within a larger Community Benefits Plan created with input from more than 800 nonprofit organizations nationwide as well as community advisory groups across several listening tours held during early 2024. The need for expanded homeownership options was highlighted repeatedly during these discussions.
Additional statements came from public officials including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker who said: “As Governor, I’m committed to improving access to affordable housing in Illinois...I commend Capital One for its collaboration with our communities in Chicago as we all strive for creative solutions.” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson stated: “Expanding access to homeownership is essential...By launching this initiative here in Chicago...more families [have] opportunity.” Alderman Byron Sigcho-López noted: “Housing is a human right...we applaud efforts...as they launch Scaling Pathways...” Dennis Shea at Bipartisan Policy Center emphasized evidence-based bipartisan collaboration enabled by programs like this open call.
Ricki Lowitz from Working Credit described how previous investment helped expand partnerships delivering credit-building programs focused on historically excluded neighborhoods: “Your support has helped us grow…participants are gaining tools…so they…can thrive.” Annie Donovan at Raza Development Fund stressed partnership between sectors stating: "It requires solutions...that bring together strengths..."
Applicants interested must register by December 17th 2025 via https://homeownership.leverforchange.org/ with final applications due January 29th 2026.
For more information on Capital One's broader plan see https://www.capitalone.com/about/newsroom/a-new-chapter-of-community-investment/.
Capital One Financial Corporation had $468.8 billion in deposits as well as $661.9 billion total assets reported September 30th 2025; it operates branches mainly across New York State plus several other states including Virginia where it is headquartered.