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Our Mission

Our foundation exists to create new structures for change in housing by deepening scalable forms of affordability, providing research on displacement risk and affected communities, and investing in communities’ ability to build and sustain wealth-building opportunities for those left behind by current systems.

Our Inspiration

Through our work with Frolic Community Inc., our sister B corp, we came to understand the urgent need not only for more homeownership opportunities accessible to the middle class, but also for deeper work that meets the full needs of the communities we serve. 

The research and tools we created inspired us to create Frolic Institute, which helps us and others to better understand and serve the needs of communities across the country.

Two people talking near stairs with a shovel and construction hats on.

The Problem

Communities at high risk of displacement face chronic housing insecurity, limited ownership pathways, and systematic exclusion from generational wealth-building.

illustration of two people planting a tree.

Our Vision

Communities have the power and tools to develop, own, and steward land and housing in perpetuity—reversing extractive cycles and building shared prosperity.

a community of people standing together.

how it works

Our Impact Model

When we support community-led development through accessible education, pre-development capital, and cooperative ownership frameworks, we expand access to land and capital — empowering communities to build long-term housing stability, economic resilience, and intergenerational wealth.

Our Process

  • Provide project-specific gap funding and predevelopment investment
  • Train and support new community developers through a fellowship and technical assistance
  • Engage residents in participatory design and ownership formation
  • Build tools, metrics, and data infrastructure to make these models legible and investable
  • Advocate for policy change to lower regulatory barriers and increase funding access
  • Engage institutional funders to co-design concessional capital products
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Illustration of a single home transforming into a group of homes, connected by green space with trees and people gathering.

What is a Co-op?

When most people hear the word co-op they think of a college co-op with dirty dishes in the sink.

When we say co-op, we are referring to the ownership structure of our homes, which are cooperatives. A co-op, like a condo, is a way of owning a home in a multi-family community. Co-ops have been around for over a century in the U.S. but are most common in New York and Washington DC.

When you buy co-op, you buy what is called a resident share, which gives you ownership of your unit, as well as partial ownership of the entire community you co-own with your neighbors. As a co-op resident and member, you have a say in decisions that affect your community, but you don’t have to shoulder the burden of homeownership by yourself.

If you are a landowner or homebuyer actively looking to create a co-op in your community, you can visit the page of the separate for-profit sister company, www.frolic.community, which is a separate legal entity. Donors to the nonprofit do not support it directly.

What is Co-Housing?

The term co-housing was coined by the Danish, but the concept has been around for most of human history. Core to this idea, is the celebration of privacy as well as community. In most co-housing communities people have their own home, but share certain indoor and outdoor spaces such as a place to host gatherings, a guest room, a shared hot-tub etc.  Working with thoughtful architects and designers, Frolic helps create communities that allow you to enjoy privacy and opt in to socializing when you want to. We believe that small, spontaneous moments - sharing morning coffee with a neighbor, two kids playing together without a planned playdate, eating with neighbors - make our lives richer. In our model, co-ops and co-housing complement each other to create attainable homeownership in beautiful, connected communities.

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1221 E Pike St Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98122
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