This past winter, as we celebrated the 150+ educators who bought a home with Landed support this past year, we also acknowledged a cohort fundamental to this story: the school leaders who have championed, broadcasted, and amplified our work to help their staff put down roots in the communities they serve. We call the school districts that have taken the steps to bring Landed to their community our “partners,” and over the past year, we’ve forged more than 80 partnerships with public school districts across California, Colorado, and Washington. As we expand to new cities in Hawaii, Oregon, and beyond, here is a breakdown of what it means (and does not mean) to be a Landed school district partner.

What is a Landed partnership?

At its simplest, being a Landed partner means making staff aware that Landed is available to them. At a minimum, school district partners pledge to do the following:

1. Share Landed with your employees. Tell your district about Landed in an all-staff email.

2. Host an info session. Give your employees an opportunity to learn more and have their questions answered directly by a Landed team member.

3. Tell your story. Share news about our partnership with local media to amplify the impact, build goodwill with the community, and reach more educators.

What is a Landed partnership not?

1. A financial commitment. Landed is not a vendor. Our down payment funds come from foundations like the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative who share our mission of helping educators access homeownership. This means we can bring Landed support to your staff at no cost, without using precious district resources.

2. An endorsement. Partners are never asked to “sell” Landed to staff, rather they simply leverage their platform to ensure that staff are aware that Landed is available to them. The support is only helpful if employees know that it exists!

3. A silver bullet solution. Landed alone will not address all housing challenges for your staff. We work with many districts that bring Landed in alongside solutions that include building new housing and rental support programs, while we ourselves continue to seek out regional programs and community partnerships to complement and enhance our offerings.

What can districts expect from Landed?

We view our partnerships as long-term commitments to help school district leaders increase employee retention. In addition to helping districts integrate Landed into their recruitment and retention efforts, districts can expect the following from Landed:

1. Storytelling. We’ll send regular, shareable updates on engagement with the program as well as stories (with our customers’ permission) of new homebuyers in your district.

2. Access to new products and opportunities. Your teachers and staff will always be the first to know when we launch a new product or service. For example, in the Bay Area, we recently hosted a down payment fund giveaway with Extra Yard for Teachers, and we are now piloting personalized homebuying education and guidance to support educators at every stage of their homebuying journey (educators can sign up here for homebuying education).

3. Opportunities for feedback. Once a year (we know you’re busy!), we’ll schedule some time to seek out and listen to your feedback on how we can continue to support you and your employees.

We truly couldn’t do what we do without the school district leaders who take the steps to bring Landed to their community. If you would like to get involved or know a school district interested in becoming a Landed partner in the Bay Area, Southern California, Seattle, Portland, Denver, or Hawaii metro areas, we’d love to hear from you at hi@landed.com. Sign up below to learn more about Landed district partnerships, and read how it works here.