Who is Aequo?
“Aequo” is a Latin verb that means to level or be equal. The Aequo Fund and Foundation were 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.
WHERE IT STARTED
Since its inception in 2021, Aequo Fund has partnered with over a dozen emerging developers in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Richmond, Buffalo, and Portland, Maine to complete nineteen projects of rehabilitated vacant properties sold to homeowners.
WHERE IT’S GOING
There are currently over 20 projects in the pipeline, including plans to expand in Memphis and Pittsburgh.
WHERE WE’LL BE
As of 2022, Aequo has deployed over $6.5M. Still, our work is just beginning. 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 MIT, the Haitian born NYC 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 in Philadelphia, with $4 million, and Enterprise Community Partners with another $1 million. He’s identified women and minority developers in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Richmond, Memphis, Chicago, and Portland, Maine, and has a pipeline of 117 projects with them–mostly in Philadelphia and Baltimore–after just a year of operation.
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 support to 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.