2026 Innovation Grant Winners Push Housing Efforts to New Heights
July 2, 2026Virginia Housing recently announced the awardees for the 2026 Innovation Grant Program:
- West Piedmont Planning District Commission
- Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville
- Homeward
- Locus
- Richmond Community ToolBank
- Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech
“Thriving communities begin with safe, affordable places to call home, and Virginia Housing supports creative, forward-thinking solutions that strengthen neighborhoods and expand opportunity,” said Virginia Housing CEO Tammy Neale. “The Innovation Grant Program supports partners and emerging technologies that increase the affordable housing supply, improve efficiency and reinforce the Commonwealth’s leadership in housing innovation.”
The Innovation Grant Program supports breakthroughs in both technical and process-based solutions, with a focus on addressing the needs of low- and moderate-income households. Virginia Housing evaluates applications based on not only the proposed innovation, but the applicant’s approach to assessing their project and sharing what they learn.
Within the overall program, there are three specific types of grants: Innovation Construction, Innovation Program and Innovation Planning.
- Innovation Construction Grants allocate up to $500,000 to support innovative construction methods that reduce costs and construction time. This can involve the development of affordable materials or new techniques that conserve resources while improving quality and efficiency.
- Innovation Program Grants offer up to $200,000 to organizations that are integrating new approaches to programs, services and financing. This includes advancements in property management, community engagement and funding models.
- Innovation Planning Grants provide up to $50,000 for exploring innovative ideas that are not yet ready for implementation. This grant is awarded on a noncompetitive basis to all eligible applicants.
This is the Innovation Grant Program’s third funding cycle. You can read about the 2025 awardees here and the 2024 awardees here. Read more about this year’s six Innovation Grant Program recipients:
West Piedmont Planning District Commission
Innovation Program Martinsville: Fayette and Beaver Street Development Project
Innovative Construction
The West Piedmont Planning District Commission will use its Innovation Grant to develop five duplex manufactured homes in Martinsville, selling each of the 10 total units to households earning at or below 80% of the area median income. This project will combine the benefits of manufactured housing (e.g., more predictable material costs, reduced labor constraints and weather delays, controlled building environments) with infill development that is compatible with surrounding neighborhoods. As a result, Martinsville will have both new affordable units on the market, as well as a scalable solution for expanding affordable housing.
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville
Property Management for Success
Innovative Programs
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville will use its Innovation Grant to pilot a resident-led property management model at the Carlton Mobile Home Park. This model will shift select management functions to trained residents within a nonprofit ownership structure in a way that addresses the root drivers of displacement, reduces operating costs and strengthens long-term security. Findings from the pilot will be used to create Preserving Virginia Mobile Home Communities with a Resident-Centric Approach, a step-by-step guide that ensures other communities can implement the strategies and best practices developed in Charlottesville.
Homeward
Bridging Systems of Care to Better Serve People
Innovative Programs
Homeward will use its Innovation Grant to expand the Homeless Connection Line, a regional homeless triage and assessment program. This effort will help homeless service providers move beyond simply sharing resource lists to developing an approach to cross-system referrals that increases housing stability while protecting data confidentiality. As a result, fewer people seeking assistance will fall through the gaps between systems, and frontline staff will have more manageable caseloads.
Locus
Virginia Affordable Housing Preservation Coalition 695-Innovation Program
Innovative Programs
Locus, in partnership with the Virginia Housing Alliance, leads the Virginia Affordable Housing Preservation Coalition (VAHPC), a statewide initiative to preserve affordable housing at risk of being converted to market-rate. Locus will use their grant to design and launch the Housing Preservation Dashboard, an interactive, data-driven tool that will feature an At-Risk Score that incorporates compliance timelines, ownership profiles and local market pressures. Locus and its partners will use the dashboard to develop lending products, capital structures and funding streams needed to support their efforts.
Richmond Community ToolBank
ToolBOX Program: The Richmond Community ToolBank
Innovative Programs
ToolBOX is a skill- and capacity-building program that uses hands-on training and education to empower current and aspirational homeowners. Innovation Grant funding will allow Richmond Community ToolBank to grow ToolBOX offerings, including opening a ToolBOX hub in Richmond’s Southside. In total, ToolBOX will triple current workshop offerings to nearly 75 in 2026.
Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech
Scalable Housing through Additive Production Evaluation (SHAPE)
Innovative Programs
The Virginia Center for Housing Research at Virginia Tech will use its Innovation Grant to advance its ongoing work to use 3D-printing technology to expand access to high-quality affordable housing across Virginia. This stage in the effort will include moving beyond successful construction into a scalable, certifiable housing production system that enables builders across the state to use 3D printing construction that is code-compliant and offers reduced construction costs and timelines.