Ivory Innovations Opens Nominations for the Seventh Annual Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability

Ivory Innovations is pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the 2025 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability. As the prize enters its 7th year, its aim remains the same: to elevate ambitious, feasible, and scalable solutions that foster greater housing affordability and accessibility nationwide. Any organization that is actively engaged in the pursuit of this mission, including entrepreneurs, startups, public entities, and nonprofits, is encouraged to submit a nomination at ivoryprize.org. Third-party nominations are also welcome. Nominations will close on December 6, 2024.

Each year, the Ivory Prize awards $300,000 in prize money to winners in three areas of focus: Construction & Design, Policy & Regulatory Reform, and Finance. Since its inception, the Ivory Prize has delivered $1.8 million dollars in funding to companies, organizations, and programs making a difference in housing. In addition to a monetary award, Ivory Prize winners also benefit from significant recognition, publicity, and operational support from the Ivory Innovations team. Each year, twenty-five Ivory Prize finalists also gain access to the Ivory Innovations network along with an array of support, including a robust network of housing experts and sponsored summer interns from Ivory’s student associate cohort at the University of Utah.

Ivory Prize winners are selected via a three-phase judging process spanning from January to May. Final selections are made by the Ivory Innovations advisory board, which is comprised of housing experts from academia, government, and the private sector. Recent additions to the advisory board include Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Jenny Schuetz, who joined in 2023, and Berkeley Professional Faculty member Molly Turner, who joined in 2024. The advisory board is chaired by Kent Colton, who formerly served as CEO of the National Association of Homebuilders.

“Housing in the US is plagued with barriers and challenges that impact stakeholders at all levels, from supply chain-impacted homebuilders to potential first-time home buyers struggling to achieve savings for a down payment.  The beauty of the Ivory Prize is that it aims to find creative solutions for housing challenges at all levels, and highlights a diverse variety of solution makers.” said Kent Colton.

Ivory Innovations is a “do tank” focused on catalyzing innovation in housing affordability. This mission is pursued through a variety of initiatives, from supporting student ideas to putting innovation into practice in building affordable housing developments. In addition to the Ivory Prize, anyone with an interest in housing innovation is invited to engage with the following initiatives:

• Hack-A-House: A 24-hour hackathon that encourages college and graduate students to be imaginative about new approaches to overcoming our country’s housing crisis. Hack-A-House takes place virtually on Sept. 27th, 2024. Registrations are accepted through Sept. 26, 2024.
• The 2024 Ivory Prize Housing Innovation Summit: Held in partnership with the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, the summit invites industry experts and the housing curious to learn more about the 2024 Ivory Prize winners’ innovations and what their ideas can add to the housing affordability conversation. The summit will take place at Harvard on October 25th, and a virtual viewing option will be available.

About Ivory Innovations

Ivory Innovations is dedicated to catalyzing innovative solutions in housing affordability. Utilizing its network and resources, Ivory Innovations promotes the most compelling ideas in housing affordability, working across sectors and providing monetary awards with the Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability. Additionally, in partnership with the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, Ivory Innovations places students at the center of its efforts through Hack-A-House—an annual entrepreneurial competition—as well as scholarships, a course on housing innovation and internships that place students at the core of the Ivory Prize search. For more information about the Ivory Prize and Ivory Innovations, visit www.ivoryinnovations.org.