Most funds get stuck trying to be everything in one vehicle. Grants, loans, and equity all jammed into a single structure. The result? Friction, confusion, and missed opportunities. The real solution is a Family of Funds.

At Blueprint, we’ve supported ecosystem builders in designing “families of funds”. These are integrated capital structures that connect grants, loans, equity, and real estate into a coherent strategy. 

When funds stop trying to do everything in one bucket and instead build families of vehicles, capital begins to flow at scale.

What is a Family of Funds?

A Family of Funds is a portfolio of interconnected capital vehicles. For example, a grant fund for experimentation, a loan fund for working capital, an equity fund for long-term growth, and a land trust for real estate.

Why it matters

Right Capital, Right Purpose
Grants aren’t repaid, loans need repayment, equity seeks growth. A family lets you match capital type to project stage without forcing one vehicle to stretch.

Investor Alignment
Some investors only make grants. Others prefer patient loans. Others are impact equity. A family allows you to say “yes” to all, while channeling them into the right bucket.

Scalability
Richmond’s 40×40 strategy showed how community ecosystems can attract $100M+ by combining loan funds, trusts, and CDCs into a coherent family of funds.

Resilience
Single funds collapse under stress. Families distribute risk across multiple vehicles, creating durability for long-term community wealth.

Don’t build every vehicle at once. Start with your highest-urgency fund (e.g., land trust to stop displacement), then add funds as capacity grows.

At Blueprint, we help funds move from “one-bucket models” to families of funds that attract capital and build lasting community wealth.

Want to see how your projects could be structured into a Family of Funds? Schedule a Blueprint session.