Success Stories
As of July 2026, the Black Wealth Builders Fund has made 54 loans, totaling just under $1 million. This is made possible by generous donations from churches, nonprofits, community groups, realtor groups, and many individuals. The average loan is $20,000.
Oakland had the highest number of loans (13), followed by Antioch (9), Richmond (6), San Pablo and Vallejo (5 each), Concord and Pittsburg (3 each), El Sobrante and Fairfield (2 each), and one each in Bay Point, Brentwood, Martinez, Pinole, San Lorenzo, and Stockton.
Here are some of the stories of our loan recipients.
Astrid Heim, an East Bay biotech executive, wanted to buy a home to establish a lasting financial foundation. But she felt daunted by the potential homebuyer's process. And so, in addition to down payment assistance, the Black Wealth Builders Fund and its partner organizations provided another type of inheritance: an education.
“The financial literacy one needs to purchase a large asset, like a home, is often not passed down from generation to generation. [These programs] provided help when I felt like I was drowning in an unfamiliar and unfriendly process. They were vital to my success in becoming a homeowner,” said Heim.
In 2022, Heim secured a zero-interest loan from Black Wealth Builders Fund and purchased a three-bedroom condominium. Heim’s property has increased in value and she is receiving tax savings. And, as she says, “I can rest easy at night knowing my rent won’t increase.”
Astrid Heim
Two more stories of loan recipients come from Eric Mills, former community outreach coordinator at Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services, one of the agencies that qualifies our loan recipients.
Khadija White was living in an apartment in Oakland when she took her first steps toward homeownership 18 months ago. Then she lost her job. But she came back a year later when she got a better job. She now owns a home in Hercules. Eric says, “I admired her tenacity, her willingness to commit to the process. She did everything she could to make sure it would happen this time. And I was there when the realtor handed her the keys.”
Renee Hudson, in her late 60s, is retired and receiving Social Security. She had never owned a home. But she was tenacious, Eric says, completing RNHS’s program for first-time homebuyers, finding a lender, finding a realtor, finding a property. Eric says, “She used several resources for her down payment. She was doing her work to bring everything together.” Today she owns a home in Oakland.
The theme here is determination. Our funds help these courageous, heart-filled people grasp what they knew they could have if they just got the slightest chance. By helping repair the damage of racist housing policies, we can give our Black neighbors that chance. And by witnessing their tenacity and grace, we are all made better.