Meet The 2025 Fair City Challenge Cohort
The wait is over. The 2025 Fair City Challenge cohort has officially launched.
From civic tech to neighborhood equity, this year’s teams are ready to tackle Philadelphia’s biggest challenges with bold, community-driven ideas.
Fresh off the April 17 kickoff event, these innovators are now shaping the future of our city—one solution at a time. Get a first look at the cohort lineup and what’s next for the Challenge.
FCC Participants List
We’ve chosen the 14 participants for the Fair City Challenge Incubator.
Philadelphia Climate Equity Home Fund – SOMALISA Sahoo
Category: Home/Homeowner
Business model: Hybrid/Social Enterprise
The Climate Equity Home Fund (CEHF) is a climate fintech platform that helps low- and moderate-income homeowners in Philadelphia finance energy-efficient home upgrades—boosting home equity while reducing energy costs.
Appraisals Matter – AISSIA ("AYEESHA") RICHARDSON
Category: Home/Homeowner
Business model: Nonprofit
Recent media has revealed that appraisers devalue the homes of people of color, stealing wealth from these communities. Appraisals matter will help to diversify the appraiser population and thus home values can increase creating increased access to equity.
Historical communities maintenance and trades – ROBERT young
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: Hybrid/Social Enterprise
This project will focus on revitalizing and beautifying historically significant neighborhoods in Philadelphia while providing workforce development rooted in the building trades.
own the block: transforming vacant lots into community wealth – bailey WALLACE
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: Nonprofit
Own The Block aims to reclaim underutilized spaces in disinvested neighborhoods, transforming them into community-owned, multi-use hubs that foster economic empowerment, homeownership, and Black and Latino business growth.
CORNERJAWN - AMANDA KLINE
People: Amanda Kline, Christa Barfield, Melissa Black, Brianna Black
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: For-profit
The CornerJawn project redefines urban food access by transforming corner stores into hubs for fresh, chemical-free produce, addressing food deserts and promoting food as medicine.
Raíces Capital Fund – kersy azocar
People: Kersy Azocar, Roxanna Encarnacion
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: For-profit
Becoming a real estate investor seems impossible for most people - JumpStart Philly was started to help people purchase and rehab houses in underinvested neighborhoods. The Raices Capital Fund plans to address the capital gap needed for people of color, specifically Latinos, to become real estate investors
North Roots Inc- garrison hines
People: Garrison Hines, Brandy Fortune
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: Nonprofit
North Roots Orchard & Farm is transforming North Philadelphia’s Logan Triangle into a thriving urban farm, food forest, and cultural hub. Partnering with Brandy Fortune’s Bossedup, we merge agriculture and public art to revitalize abandoned spaces, fostering food justice, workforce development, and community pride.
Philly Roots: Rent to Own Pathways – joy parham
People: Joy Parham
Category: Home/Homeowner
Business model: Hybrid/Social Enterprise
Philly Roots helps renters become homeowners by providing a matched savings plan that covers their down payment and first mortgage payment and stacks financial education with homebuyer coaching.
DBA Remix Living – dominique calhoun
People: Dominique Calhoun
Category: Home/Homeowner
Business model: Hybrid/Social Enterprise
Remix Living provides a solution to devalued properties by offering financial literacy, credit-building support, and affordable renovation strategies. We empower underserved communities to build wealth through homeownership and improve property value.
Free Breakfast: The Neighborhood Edition – garry johnson iii
People: Garry Johnson III
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: Nonprofit
Free Breakfast: The Neighborhood Edition is a community-driven entrepreneurship and leadership program for teens and young adults in historically disinvested Philadelphia neighborhoods. We equip participants with the tools to imagine, design, and launch projects that make their neighborhoods cleaner, greener, safer, and more vibrant—without displacing longtime residents.
The WEALTH Collective – vonetta hawkins
People: Vonetta Hawkins, Clara Lyons Devaughn, Almitra Tankersly
Category: City
Business model: N/A
The WEALTH Collective is a team of Black women in real estate, banking and finance on a mission to eliminate racial appraisal bias of Black and Brown people and communities in the city of Philadelphia and across the nation.
Rooted in Black: A Property Defense and Community Wealth Toolkit – guy lang
People: Guy Lang, Jacqueline Newsome, Ashli Giles-Perkins, Christina Tavares
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: Hybrid/Social Enterprise
Rooted in Black is a strategic toolkit designed to help Black homeowners and neighborhoods organize, pool resources, and advocate for policies that protect property and resist displacement. This toolkit provides practical tools and guidance to foster economic self-determination and keep Black communities thriving.
CivicStake – kennedy alexis
People: Kennedy Alexis
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: Hybrid/Social Enterprise
CivicStake is a platform that brings all new development proposals to one place, so community members can review the plans, share thoughts, and help shape what gets built, and even become investors.
Nour Navi – benjamin FIGUEROA MEDINA
People: Benjamin Figueroa Medina, Lizette Lewis, Mary Campbell, Damon Montgomery
Category: Neighborhood
Business model: Hybrid/Social Enterprise
Nour Navi is a community-rooted partnership between BroPak! LLC and Delivering Services with Love, created to dismantle systemic barriers and empower underserved communities across Philadelphia. We provide free mentorship, small business development, workforce training, housing support, and access to capital helping individuals and families build generational wealth and long-term stability.
