The Program

Uplifters Foundation operates a structured, programmatic housing platform designed to rebuild Pacific Palisades following the January 2025 wildfire.

The program is not a traditional real estate development. It is a nonprofit, capital-backed execution model that combines institutional discipline with a charitable mandate.

At its core, the program does four things:

Acquire

Build

Lease

Sell

Each home progresses through this lifecycle under a standardized framework designed to:

  • Control cost
  • Reduce execution risk
  • Comply with tax-exempt financing requirements
  • Deliver homes that are attainable, insurable, and financeable

The objective is straightforward: return families to the community at scale, with a defined path to ownership.

Program Scope

The Foundation intends to:

  • Acquire and rebuild approximately 60 single-family homes
  • Within a defined set of streets in Pacific Palisades
  • Using approximately $200 million of tax-exempt bond financing

The program is intentionally concentrated in a single geography to:

  • Improve execution certainty
  • Create visible rebuilding momentum
  • Establish a repeatable model for future expansion

Acquisition Strategy

Uplifters acquires fire-damaged residential parcels within a defined buy box established through the TEFRA process and internal analysis.

Geographic Focus

The program is limited to a specific set of streets where:

  • Parcel density supports scaled rebuilding
  • Site conditions are feasible
  • Acquisition pricing aligns with program economics
TEFRA Street Map — Placeholder

A map and full list of these streets are publicly disclosed to provide transparency into program scope. Target streets include approximately 8 streets within the designated TEFRA area.

Underwriting Discipline

Each parcel is evaluated using a standardized framework that includes:

  • Lot size and buildable area
  • Slope and constructability
  • Zoning and entitlement path
  • Surrounding rebuild activity
  • Acquisition cost relative to target basis

Only properties that meet defined cost and execution criteria are acquired.

This is a selection-driven process, not a volume-driven one.

Design and Construction

Design Approach

Homes are not identical. They are standardized within a controlled range.

The Foundation utilizes 6–8 architectural plans, each adaptable to:

  • Lot dimensions
  • Site conditions
  • Neighborhood context

This approach balances:

  • Cost efficiency through repetition
  • Flexibility for individual lots
  • Architectural consistency within the community

Product Definition

Each home is generally:

  • 3–4 bedrooms
  • 3–4 bathrooms
  • Approximately 2,600 square feet
  • Two-story configuration

The objective is to deliver the most attainable new single-family homes in the Palisades rebuild.

Construction Model

All homes are built under Guaranteed Maximum Price contracts with multiple general contractors.

This structure:

  • Caps construction cost risk
  • Distributes execution across multiple builders
  • Avoids reliance on a single operator

An independent Owner's Representative oversees:

  • Contractor performance
  • Cost control
  • Schedule management

All disbursements are controlled through a third-party agent.

Resilience and Insurability

Resilience is not optional. It is embedded in the design.

Each home is built to:

  • Meet or exceed California wildfire building standards
  • Incorporate fire-resistant materials and systems
  • Reduce long-term risk and ownership cost

Critically, all homes are designed to be:

  • Insurable under the California FAIR Plan
  • Compatible with supplemental coverage required by lenders

This directly addresses one of the primary barriers to rebuilding.

Lease Phase

All homes are initially leased prior to sale.

This is required to comply with tax-exempt bond financing and is also a functional component of the program.

Lease Structure

  • Term: 12–15 months
  • Rent: below prevailing market levels
  • Standard residential lease agreements

Purpose

  • Provides immediate housing for returning residents
  • Reduces uncertainty for future buyers
  • Supports interim cash flow during program execution

Leasing is administered through standardized processes and third-party property management.

Path to Ownership

Each lease includes an option to purchase.

Option Structure

  • Granted at lease execution
  • Purchase price fixed at lease inception
  • Exercisable during the lease term

The option is:

  • Non-transferable
  • Standardized across all homes
  • Independent of any purchase assistance

Purchase Assistance

The Foundation provides purchase assistance of approximately 3%–5% of the home price at closing.

Key Features

  • Uniform and non-discretionary
  • Based on objective displacement criteria
  • Provided as a closing credit
  • Not embedded in listing price

Purpose

  • Improve affordability
  • Enable financing
  • Support return of displaced residents

Resale Restrictions

Homes purchased with assistance are subject to:

  • Five-year owner-occupancy requirement
  • Repayment of assistance upon early resale

These provisions are designed to:

  • Prevent speculation
  • Preserve program integrity
  • Ensure long-term community benefit

Disposition and Repayment

The program is structured as a self-liquidating model.

Primary Exit

  • Sale of completed homes
  • Typically to existing tenants

Use of Proceeds

  1. Interest payments
  2. Bond principal repayment
  3. Remaining obligations
  4. Residual proceeds for charitable use

The program does not rely on:

  • Long-term rental income
  • Market appreciation

It is designed to return capital through asset conversion, not yield.

Capital Structure

The program is financed through approximately $200 million of tax-exempt bonds.

Characteristics

  • No developer equity
  • No promote structure
  • No profit extraction prior to repayment

All capital is deployed into:

  • Land
  • Construction
  • Carrying costs

This eliminates traditional value leakage and allows:

  • Lower pricing
  • Greater affordability
  • Alignment with program objectives

Phased Execution

Capital deployment is staged.

Approximately 10% of the program is deferred until early projects validate:

  • Acquisition pricing
  • Construction cost
  • Lease-up performance
  • Sale pricing

This phased approach:

  • Preserves liquidity
  • Reduces systemic risk
  • Allows real-time adjustment

Market Positioning

The program operates in a market defined by:

  • Significant housing destruction
  • Limited new supply
  • Minimal institutional participation
  • Pricing uncertainty

Uplifters is designed to fill this gap by providing:

  • Coordinated execution
  • Cost-controlled construction
  • Immediate housing availability

The program's value is not based on market timing. It is based on cost discipline and execution certainty.

Public Purpose

The Foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a defined charitable mandate:

  • Reduce displacement
  • Restore community stability
  • Lessen the burden on government

The City of Los Angeles has formally recognized that these activities:

  • Accelerate rebuilding
  • Reduce administrative load
  • Support repopulation

All program elements are structured to serve this purpose.

Program Outcome

Expected outcome:

  • Approximately 60 families returned to the Palisades
  • Approximately $200 million deployed and repaid
  • Scalable model for disaster recovery housing

After repayment of bond obligations, remaining proceeds are allocated to:

  • Community infrastructure
  • Public facilities
  • Neighborhood reinvestment

This program is intentionally simple in concept and complex in execution.

It replaces fragmented rebuilding, individual risk, and uncertain timelines with centralized coordination, disciplined capital deployment, and predictable delivery.

The result is a housing platform designed to do one thing effectively: bring a community back — faster, more efficiently, and at scale.