HousingLink

GRANT WRITING | STRATEGIC SUSTAINABILITY PLAN

While AmplifyDMC had experience supporting homeownership and supportive housing nonprofits, HousingLink represented a new type of housing organization for us when they became a client in 2017: one focused on affordable housing access for renters.  
 
HousingLink was founded in direct response to a lawsuit brought by BIPOC and lower-income communities facing inequitable housing access in North Minneapolis. The suit led to the 1995 Hollman v. Cisneros Consent Decree, which mandated that an information clearinghouse be created to level the rental housing playing field. In 1997, HousingLink formed to become that equity-focused resource for affordable rental housing. 
 
By the time Amplify started working with HousingLink President Sue Speakman-Gomez in 2017, the nonprofit had come a long way from its early days of sending vacancy listings to renters by fax. The organization was now fully online, with its web-based housing search tool offering thousands of listings to lower-income residents, statewide.   
 
Staying true to its equity-focused roots, HousingLink began developing targeted programs like Beyond Backgrounds to connect property owners with renters who face barriers to securing affordable housing. This ambitious program growth required funding—and new funding at that. With grant-seeking a challenge for a small team expanding its programming, Sue turned to Amplify for grantwriting, prospecting, and case development support. 

 Amplify helped HousingLink’s expand its range of fundraising “asks” beyond general operating grant requests by developing cases for support, crafting grant proposals, and prospecting potential funders for their new Beyond Backgrounds and Waitlist Central programs. The collaboration led to new grant funding, from both traditional housing funders and more unexpected sources, like the American Heart Association.  
 
Recently, the longtime partnership has taken on new depth. As HousingLink sought to strengthen its ability to measure impact and tell its story through data-driven outcomes rather than outputs, Amplify hosted logic model workshops for both staff and board. 
 
Then in October 2024, Sue joined fellow Amplify client José Antonio Zayas Cabán of Our Streets and Ampster Allan at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits / Minnesota Council on Foundations conference in October 2024 to share the AmplifyDMC Grant Readiness framework, a hands-on look at how Amplify works with clients to strengthen their fundraising.  
 
As we work together in 2025, Amplify and HousingLink are taking grantwriting in new directions by building out the organization’s “Big Ask,” a creative way to share HousingLink’s impact using lessons learned from the logic model workshops and customized to funders’ priorities.  

“Partnering with AmplifyDMC has been a game-changer for HousingLink,” says Sue. “Their strategic insight and grantwriting expertise have helped us sharpen our fundraising goals and grow our impact—resulting in more housing opportunities for renters who need them most. Amplify has become a true extension of our team, making the process less stressful, more successful, and even fun. At this point, we could probably teach a masterclass on hitting ‘submit’ before the grant deadline.” 

Clients we’ve partnered with to do similar work: RS EDEN, Our Streets, and the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL).

Related services: Government Grant Writing, Case Support, Logic Model Development, and Project Planning.