Who is Aequo?
“Aequo” [Ā-kwō] is a Latin verb that means to level or be equal. The Aequo Foundation was established to level the playing field by providing capital, access, and support to black, brown, women, and immigrant developers so that they can be part of shaping our cities and neighborhoods.
Real Estate is key to systemic change.
Aequo Foundation is the charitable, 501(c)(3) nonprofit extension of the Aequo Fund that partners with graduate university programs to offer access and a pathway into the world of real estate development as well as supporting financial literacy and savings programs for children and their families.
WHERE IT STARTED
Since its inception in 2021, Aequo Fund has partnered with over a dozen emerging developers in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Richmond, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Portland, Maine to complete over 40 projects of rehabilitated vacant properties sold to homeowners.
WHERE IT’S GOING
The Aequo Foundation is partnering with universities and local groups to offer scholarships for higher education. We are also launching our Aequo Savings Program at partner affordable housing sites to teach young people about the value of compound growth.
WHERE WE’LL BE
As of 2026, Aequo has deployed over $20M through our partnership with the Aequo Fund. We are committed to addressing racial inequity in homeownership and advancing communities from within.
Meet Our Founder
CEO, Ernst Valery, has spent 20 years making his mark in American real estate–as a successful black and immigrant developer.
After graduating from prestigious programs at Columbia University and Cornell University, the Haitian born New York native began redeveloping small rowhouses in Philadelphia. While his projects grew in scale, his focus remained the same: building up communities in long-neglected inner-city neighborhoods. As Valery forged a successful career in real estate, he noticed there were still significant barriers for minorities wanting to advance in the space.
To address this issue, he created the Aequo Fund in 2020–an investment fund which enables and empowers other non-traditional developers to embark on a path of lasting community change.
Valery started the new fund with $1.5 million of his own money, and obtained support from The Reinvestment Fund, Enterprise Community Partners, AARPA, Heinz Foundation and the City of Chicago to name a few. He’s funded and partnered on developments by emerging women and minority developers in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Richmond, Memphis, Chicago, and Portland, Maine.
The Aequo Foundation is the next phase of our movement that will help students gain access to degrees in real estate development or related fields before starting out as seasoned developers.
Our Vision
Aequo Foundation aims to level the playing field by offering scholarships and saving programs and to support students enrolled in graduate level real estate programs to engage the next generation of community-minded developers.
GIVE TODAY
We are excited about the work of Aequo, and invite you to join us! Please consider donating to the Aequo Foundation. All donations are accepted but we encourage donations of $5000, $10,000 levels to help us make a meaningful contribution to our scholars. All contributions are tax deductible.
Donate today and join our growing movement of mission-driven, Black, brown and women developers reshaping how development is undertaken, by who, and for whom!
SCHOLARSHIPS
Aequo Foundation establishes scholarships for students of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds with universities providing Master’s in Real Estate Development or similar themed programs.
PARTNERSHIPS
The Foundation is working to establish relationships with more leading real estate programs in all cities where Aequo is active, for example, Temple University, University at Buffalo, Penn, and more.
INVESTMENTS
For more opportunities to come alongside our work toward equity in development and real estate, learn more about the Aequo Fund.