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Invest in the swats community stewardship trust

READY TO BUY BACK THE BLOCK WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS?

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The SWATS Community Stewardship Trust (CST) turns real estate into shared community assets.
By placing land in community ownership, the CST nurtures local wealth, prevents displacement, and builds collective power.

WHEN YOU INVEST,
YOU CREATE CHANGE

Everyone can participate. Investments begin at $10 a month.

Build wealth for everyday people, not corporate investors

Ensure decision-making power stays with the community

Keep properties in community hands—forever

Make this model work in other communities

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Investing where we live, in our community

918 dill ave

18 Affordable homes

Branch-new studio, 1-, and 2- bedroom apartments priced for working-class families

A full-service grocery store

Fresh produce and healthy food where the closest grocery store was miles away

3 Commercial kitchens

Space for good entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses in their own community

918 Dill Ave

The first property where your investment creates lasting change

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Jobs for local residents

From construction to store management to food businesses

Community meeting and gathering space

Where neighbors make decisions about their neighborhood’s future

A $11 million investment staying in the community

Building wealth that doesn’t leave when developers cash out

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Ready to invest ?

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To be a Community Investor you must:

  • Be 18+ and live in Georgia
  • Have strong ties to the 30310 zip code through family, work, church, or other community connections
  • Want to build community wealth while earning returns on your investment

HOW TO Start Your Investment

  • 1

    REGISTER & CREATE YOUR PROFILE

    Select your annual income range and verify you’re a Georgia resident.

  • 2

    CHOOSE YOUR INVESTMENT FREQUENCY

    Invest once a year or spread it across equal monthly payments.

  • 3

    MAKE YOUR COMMITMENT

    Sign documents and connect your bank account securely.

  • 4

    START INVESTING

    Investments start at $10 a month. Log in to the Investor Portal to fund your investment.

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Select your income threshold:

Income level determines your investment terms and options.
Learn more about how this works

shape the
future of your
neighborhood

PUTTING OUR MONEY WHERE OUR VALUES ARE

“This work … lends us an opportunity to return to how land was thought about with indigenous groups, where land was meant to be in harmony with and shared amongst the people and not only a few.”

Cicely Garrett – Co-executive Director of The National Black Food and Justice Alliance

“I want to see more models like this showing up in our community. Its very important to see models distributing wealth in the neighborhoods that the development is occurring.

I’ve financed a lot of projects. The intentionality behind residents making decisions is something that you don’t see, I am happy to support leading the charge for more of this type of work.”

Khaliff Davis – Managing Director, Fund Management at Reinvestment Fund

“I’m excited to be working on projects that are deeply community based, right-sized for to the location and truly neighborhood first. I am excited to demonstrate this work right here in Atlanta.”

Odetta Macleish White – Business & Fund Development Director for the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII)

“Economic development often happens to people rather than alongside them, without giving them an opportunity to be active participants in shaping their community. It’s important to be part of projects that actively put power back in the hands of people so they can make the determinations and decisions about their future.

We have been presented an economy where somebody has to win and somebody has to lose. I believe firmly in my core that We can do it better. We can model a solidarity economy, where we share in risk and share in reward. I’m excited by the opportunity to model this in practice with the CST”

Sterling Johnson – Director of Just Opportunity Portfolio, Partnership for Southern Equity

“I love that the model is not extracting out all the value in the project just for the sake of maximizing profits, but enabling it to be shared amongst community members for their benefit.”

Porsha Campbell – Director of Finance, The Guild

Frequently Asked Questions

All residents in the state of Georgia are eligible to invest in our first CST (the SWATS CST). Non-Georgia residents are not eligible to invest in the SWATS CST.

The goal of the CST is to give local residents real ownership and control over properties in their neighborhoods—so that the benefits and decision-making power stay with the community. Our first CST, focused on the 30310 zip code in Southwest Atlanta, was created in response to the displacement and gentrification that have already impacted Black and working-class families in the area.

You’re welcome to invest if you live in 30310 or have a meaningful connection to the neighborhood, such as:

  • You’re from 30310 or a nearby Southwest Atlanta neighborhood
  • You work, run a business, or lead a nonprofit in the area
  • You’re part of a local faith community (church, mosque, temple, etc.)
  • You’re involved with a civic or grassroots group focused on the area (including volunteering for the CST)

The Guild’s first CST, the SWATS (Southwest Atlanta) CST, is a for profit public benefit corporation based in Georgia. Unlike traditional corporations, public benefit corporations must pursue a positive social or environmental impact in addition to earning profits. See this link for more info on public benefit corporations.

All investments carry some level of risk, including the potential loss of principal. The CST investment is no exception. Prospective investors should carefully review the CST Offering Circular, that will be available on the CST Investor Portal when it opens, before making any investment decision. While the CST has taken measures to prioritize community investor protection—including structuring investments so that community investors are first in line for repayment—there is no guarantee of return. Philanthropic equity partners have agreed to subordinate their returns to help reduce risk to community investors, but returns are dependent on property cash flows and appreciation and are not guaranteed.

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STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?

Sign up for Office Hours, a guided tour of our first CST property, or a Community Onboarding session to learn more about the SWATS CST and how you can own and build with your community.

Meet With Us