September 16, 2026
CIM Group and Bryant Group Ventures have expanded the investment capacity of their affordable housing fund to more than $370 million after securing a new capital commitment from Fifth Third Bank and increased commitments from existing investors Truist Bank and Flagstar Bank.
The latest closing gives the CIM-BGV Affordable Housing Impact Fund additional capital to acquire, develop and preserve affordable housing in underserved communities across the United States. The more than $370 million of investment capacity consists of fund equity and access to loan capacity.
The fund is managed through CIM-BGV Impact Ventures, an impact-focused partnership between Los Angeles-based CIM Group and Bryant Group Ventures, founded by entrepreneur John Hope Bryant. The platform is pursuing both acquisitions of existing affordable housing properties and ground-up development, allowing it to invest across different stages of the housing market.
The fund is currently evaluating and advancing opportunities in several major U.S. markets, including Southern California, Georgia, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the New York metropolitan area and Florida.
Adding Fifth Third as an investor broadens the institutional capital supporting the strategy. Truist and Flagstar, which were already investors, increased their commitments as part of the same closing. Individual commitment amounts were not disclosed.
“Affordable housing remains one of the most pressing challenges communities are facing nationwide,” said Susan E. Thomas, head of community development and president of the Fifth Third Community Development Corporation. She said the fund combines scale and real estate experience with a focus on affordable housing and community impact.
The additional investment capacity comes as affordable housing investors and developers contend with the need to preserve existing lower-cost properties while financing new supply. The CIM-BGV strategy addresses both sides of that market by targeting existing assets as well as new construction rather than concentrating exclusively on development.
That flexibility can provide multiple avenues for deploying capital depending on property availability and market conditions. Acquisitions can preserve existing affordable units, while ground-up projects can add housing inventory in markets where available supply does not meet demand.
CIM brings real estate ownership, development, lending and operating capabilities to the partnership. Since its founding in 1994, the company has delivered more than $60 billion of real estate and infrastructure projects across the Americas and manages assets through the investment lifecycle, from due diligence and development through operations and disposition.
Bryant Group Ventures provides the other half of the investment partnership. The organization serves as the primary business leadership and engagement platform associated with John Hope Bryant Enterprises and is connected with initiatives focused on economic opportunity and investment in underserved communities. Bryant’s associated ventures have been responsible for more than $5 billion of capital deployed in underserved communities nationwide.
The partnership’s structure combines CIM’s real estate investment and operating infrastructure with Bryant Group Ventures’ focus on community-oriented capital deployment. The latest fund closing provides additional resources to translate that strategy into affordable housing acquisitions and developments across its target markets.
The geographic pipeline also gives the fund exposure to a range of housing markets rather than concentrating its capital in a single region. Southern California, the Southeast, Washington, New York and Florida each present different development environments and housing needs, giving the managers flexibility in selecting projects.
With investment capacity now exceeding $370 million, CIM-BGV Impact Ventures has a larger pool of equity and financing available to pursue transactions. The next phase will center on deploying that capital into properties and developments where the fund can either preserve existing affordable housing or increase supply through new construction.
Original article can be found here from the Institute of Real Estate Operating Companies.
John Hope Bryant — founder of Bryant Group Ventures, Operation HOPE, Inc, publisher of the Bryant Journal and author of his 7th book Capitalism for All: Inclusive Economics and the Future Proofing of America, now a bestseller. Bryant was recently recognized as a member of the Forbes 250 Greatest Living Self Made Americans, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of America itself. Get the book →
