Paving the way for 100,000 community-built homes: DOEN Participaties and the Fair Capital Impact Fund invest in CrowdBuilding
Amsterdam, 27 May 2025 – DOEN Participaties and the Fair Capital Impact Fund are investing in CrowdBuilding, the mission-driven platform that facilitates collective self-building. This investment will allow CrowdBuilding to scale up and work with self-builders, municipalities and experts to pave the way for 100,000 collectively built homes in the Netherlands by 2035. The platform has emphatically opted for a long-term approach: as a steward-owned company, CrowdBuilding was built “to still exist in 100 years’ time”.
Addition to the housing system
In a country where 100,000 new homes are needed annually, CrowdBuilding advocates for 10% of these to be built collectively. Not as a niche for a select few, but “as a full, sustainable addition to the existing housing system, accessible to all,” says Tjeerd Haccou, co-founder of the platform.
This vision is not just a theory. More than 150 housing initiatives are already using the CrowdBuilding.com platform free of charge, ranging from collective private commissioning (CPO) projects and housing cooperatives to sustainable living communities. More than three quarters of those who apply give sustainable building as a reason for doing so, and a sample of completed projects shows that more than half opt for bio-based building materials. Paid collaborations with the first municipalities and provinces have also been concluded: the municipalities of Utrecht and Zwolle and the province of Drenthe are implementing their collective self-build policies through CrowdBuilding.
Communal housing brings connectedness, sustainability, affordability and control within the reach of more people. “For 15 years, self-build groups across the country have been proving that the nicest and most sustainable neighbourhoods are built by people who live there themselves,” says co-founder Sascha Glasl. “What is needed now is visibility and scaling up. With this investment by DOEN Participaties and the Fair Capital Impact Fund, we can build the infrastructure that will bring thousands of people together to make their housing dreams come true.”
Steward-ownership as a basis for impact
CrowdBuilding is among a growing group of Dutch companies opting for steward-ownership. In this ownership structure, control of the company lies with stewards who put the company’s mission and interests first in their decision-making. The founders and investors set a cap on the returns they receive and once the investments have been repaid, all future proceeds are dedicated to the mission and social impact.
“Housing is a long-term challenge in a society that is constantly changing. To bridge that, you need an organisation that doesn’t rely on short-term thinking,” says co-founder Brian Garret. “With steward-ownership, we are ensuring that CrowdBuilding always serves the social objective.”
A growing movement
CrowdBuilding is there for everyone who wants to live and build differently: from people with a dream home in mind to municipalities, and from architects to area developers. The platform connects initiators with professionals, locations and knowledge. Over the next few years, the company aims to facilitate thousands of new projects spread across the country.
“This investment aligns perfectly with our vision of sustainability,” says Marije Schasfoort, Impact Investor at the Fair Capital Impact Fund. “CrowdBuilding offers an alternative where people are in control and can build their own homes, using circular materials and in an energy-efficient way. We are taking major steps towards circular building that focuses on people and the environment.”
“The traditional construction industry is still very polluting. In current self-build projects, we’ve seen that people are going much more for sustainable construction than traditional construction. By embracing and promoting circular and bio-based construction, CrowdBuilding is making environmentally friendly ways of building the norm. And by putting collectivity first, CrowdBuilding is contributing to resilient neighbourhoods where people are there for each other.” Rogier de Groot, Impact Investment Manager, DOEN Participaties