Enterprise Community Partners
Encyclopedia
Enterprise Community Partners, formerly The Enterprise Foundation, is a Columbia, Maryland
-based nonprofit organization with offices nationwide. Founded in 1982 by developer/philanthropist James W. Rouse
and his wife Patty, Enterprise has worked with community-based nonprofit organizations to develop over 240,000 affordable homes and invest over $9 billion throughout the United States.
of 75,000 green homes and community and commercial buildings over the next five years. The group will provide loan
s to owners of existing multi-family buildings
in key markets for capital purchases that will reduce energy and water consumption or will lead to more healthy living environments. Enterprise relies on support from a number of banks and foundations, and it is currently drawing on $2.5 million in grants for fundraising. Enterprise also issued a national call to action to make all affordable housing in the United States meet green criteria by 2020. To provide background, the organization released a study proving the overall return on investment of meeting its Green Communities Criteria. Based on years of research, the report, "Incremental Cost, Measurable Savings: Enterprise," finds that the estimated lifetime savings exceed the initial investment made to incorporate the Green Communities Criteria into affordable housing during construction.
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
-based nonprofit organization with offices nationwide. Founded in 1982 by developer/philanthropist James W. Rouse
James W. Rouse
James Wilson Rouse , founder of The Rouse Company, was a pioneering American real estate developer, urban planner, civic activist, and later, free enterprise-based philanthropist...
and his wife Patty, Enterprise has worked with community-based nonprofit organizations to develop over 240,000 affordable homes and invest over $9 billion throughout the United States.
Green Communities
On October 8, 2009, Enterprise Community Partners announced a $4 billion commitment to the next generation of its Green Communities initiative. Enterprise said its efforts will result directly in the creation, preservation, or retrofitRetrofit
Retrofitting refers to the addition of new technology or features to older systems.* power plant retrofit, improving power plant efficiency / increasing output / reducing emissions...
of 75,000 green homes and community and commercial buildings over the next five years. The group will provide loan
Loan
A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments, a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over time, between the lender and the borrower....
s to owners of existing multi-family buildings
Multi-family residential
Multi-family residential is a classification of housing where multiple separate housing units for residential inhabitants are contained within one building or several buildings within one complex. A common form is an apartment building...
in key markets for capital purchases that will reduce energy and water consumption or will lead to more healthy living environments. Enterprise relies on support from a number of banks and foundations, and it is currently drawing on $2.5 million in grants for fundraising. Enterprise also issued a national call to action to make all affordable housing in the United States meet green criteria by 2020. To provide background, the organization released a study proving the overall return on investment of meeting its Green Communities Criteria. Based on years of research, the report, "Incremental Cost, Measurable Savings: Enterprise," finds that the estimated lifetime savings exceed the initial investment made to incorporate the Green Communities Criteria into affordable housing during construction.