The Connection

Amazon is donating $3 million to the Arlington Community Foundation to improve access to affordable housing and support services in the region, according to the foundation’s June 11 press release. The gift will create a fund to support programs that maintain and create housing options for low-income individuals and families. Arlington, the location of Amazon’s second headquarters, will be a significant beneficiary of this fund’s investments.

More than 9,000 households in Arlington are living on an annual income of $35,000 or less, according to an affordable housing needs analysis conducted by Arlington County. The county has lost nearly 90 percent of its market affordable housing over the past 20 years. It also has fewer than 25 apartments dedicated for the lowest-income individuals and families who can live independently.

“Over the last decade, housing prices in our region have steadily increased leading to fewer housing options for all income levels and placing a disproportionate burden on our community’s lowest income residents,” said Jennifer Owens, president & CEO of the Arlington Community Foundation. “Amazon’s generous investment comes at a critical time for our community and will help us respond in a nimble way to support those who need it most.”

“We made this donation to the Arlington Community Foundation because of their work and progress on housing stability and helping families improve their quality of life,” said Jay Carney, SVP, Global Corporate Affairs at Amazon. “We believe this gift can offer additional housing and support services for our neighbors in need.”

“This investment bolsters the tireless efforts of so many in our community who are focused on addressing the long-standing, critical issue of housing affordability,” said County Board Chair Christian Dorsey. “We are pleased to see Amazon’s willingness to work together with other businesses and local community-based organizations to improve outcomes for our residents.”

Earlier this year, the Arlington Community Foundation was named the lead local partner in a national initiative called the Shared Prosperity Partnership. The Partnership – a collaboration among the Kresge Foundation, Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, and Living Cities – aims to strengthen and accelerate existing local efforts to generate inclusive growth for people of all races, ethnicities, and incomes. Inclusive growth in Arlington requires that its residents come from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and that opportunity for prosperity exists for all people. Amazon’s gift helps the Arlington Shared Prosperity Initiative, which brings together the private and nonprofit sectors to identify and implement solutions to issues like housing, helping low-income Arlingtonians remain in the community.

“In cities across the country, we see that advancing shared prosperity requires cross-sector partnerships,” said Rip Rapson, president and CEO of the Kresge Foundation, a national private foundation committed to expanding opportunity in cites. “Community foundations, like the Arlington Community Foundation, are uniquely positioned to convene purposeful conversations that elevate pressing community needs, and to support the implementation of locally-driven solutions. We hope this is just the beginning of measurable progress on issues of economic inequity in Arlington.”

The Arlington Community Foundation was established in 1991 to serve as a permanent community endowment built by the gifts and charitable legacies of individuals, families and businesses for the betterment of Arlington County.