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Catalyzing innovation
in housing affordability
Ivory Innovations is dedicated to catalyzing innovative solutions in housing affordability. We work with students, entrepreneurs, and experts to source, support, and scale the most compelling housing solutions through the Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability and Hack-A-House. In Utah, we put innovation into practice through our development of hundreds of affordable housing units each year.
Our Impact
Over 1,000 university students engaged with Hack-A-House
Over the past 6 years, more than 1,000 university students have engaged with our 24-hour housing solutions pitch competition.
Building over 1,500 units across the state of Utah
Together with the Call to Action Foundation, we are developing 1,554 units across the state.
Creating the first Utah Zoning Atlas
In partnership of the National Zoning Atlas, the Ivory Innovations team is working to develop the official zoning atlas for the state of Utah.
$1.5 million awarded to innovative organizations
Since 2019, Ivory Innovations has welcomed 172 organizations into its portfolio and awarded over $1.5 million of grant funding to Ivory Prize winners.
1,109 housing solutions evaluated through the Ivory Prize
Since 2019, Ivory Innovations has performed diligence on 1,109 innovative housing solutions as a part of the Ivory Prize selection process.
Fostering innovative talent with 73 student interns
Since 2018, Ivory Innovations has employed 73 interns in our Student Associates program in support of the Ivory Prize.
Noteworthy Innovations
Read about Ivory Prize Winners and Finalists
Announcements & Insights
2026 Ivory Prize Finalists offer Solutions across Construction & Design, Finance and Policy Reform to Solve America’s Housing Affordability Crisis
From robotics to revolving funds to eviction prevention, companies and organizations offer real-world solutions to tackle the nation’s housing challenge SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 27, 2026 - Ivory Innovations , an operating foundation and research center based at the University of Utah, today announced the finalists for the 2026 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability , each offering innovative, practical and scalable solutions that are designed to make homeownership and stable hous
4 days ago
Ivory Innovations 2025 Hack-A-House Winners offer Creative Solutions to Address Housing Affordability Challenges affecting Millions of Americans
Students from Harvard, University of Utah and Willamette University propose solutions to improve lending to first time buyers, increase access to affordable housing and develop cost-reducing construction methods to increase homeownership SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 1, 2025 - Ivory Innovations , both an operating foundation and a nonprofit academic center based at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business, today announced the winners of its 2025 Hack-A-House competit
Sep 30, 2025
Ivory Innovations Invites Innovators across the Country to Showcase Solutions Addressing Housing Affordability through its Annual Ivory Prize
Fieldworks accelerates the adoption of promising housing innovations by integrating them into Ivory Innovations’ own developments, creating real-world applications that demonstrate their value and impact.
Sep 2, 2025
New Ivory Innovations Fieldworks Program Offers Housing Innovators the Opportunity to Implement Solutions in Actual Development Sites
Fieldworks accelerates the adoption of promising housing innovations by integrating them into Ivory Innovations’ own developments, creating real-world applications that demonstrate their value and impact.
Jul 8, 2025
New Ivory Innovations Report offers Seven Recommendations for HUD to Boost Housing Affordability in America
Drawing on insights from a wide array of industry leaders—including policymakers, developers, technologists, and nonprofit experts—Ivory Innovations synthesized their input into seven actionable recommendations for HUD. These focus on modernizing outdated housing regulations, expanding financing options, and boosting efficiency across the housing sector.
Jun 18, 2025
The 2025 Ivory Prize Winners Announced
Breakthroughs in automated micro-factories, unique private-sector funding for permanently affordable homeownership and statewide legislation expanding housing access for essential workers all given $100,000 to continue combating housing crisis
May 20, 2025
The Who’s Who of Housing Innovation: The Ivory Prize Top 10 Finalists Announced
SALT LAKE CITY — Ivory Innovations, a nonprofit that operates as an applied academic institution at the University of Utah's David Eccles...
Apr 17, 2025
Ivory Innovations databases highlight unique policies and initiatives throughout the country aimed at alleviating the housing crisis
Ivory Innovations wants to help policymakers, advocates, and everyday people to be aware of innovative and impactful housing initiatives....
Mar 25, 2025
Top 25 Housing Innovations of 2025
Today, Ivory Innovations announced its top 25 finalists for its annual Ivory Prize.
Feb 18, 2025
How States Can Strengthen the American Dream
Read the Forbes article by Adam Millsap here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adammillsap/2024/09/11/how-states-can-strengthen-the-american-...
Sep 10, 2024
The 2025 Ivory Prize Nominations are Open
Ivory Innovations is pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the 2025 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability . As the prize...
Sep 2, 2024
2024 Ivory Prize Winners
And the winners are... The 2024 Winners Construction & Design Winner: Villa Informing & Empowering Localized Reparations Villa is a...
May 16, 2024
Ivory Prize 2024 Top 10 Announced
U.S. organizations recognized for innovative solutions to the housing crisis Ivory Prize Top 10 finalists seek to address housing...
Apr 16, 2024
Meet the 2024 Top 25 Ivory Prize Finalists
25 Innovative Solutions to the Housing Affordability Crisis Finalists for the 2024 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability Announced...
Feb 21, 2024
Ivory Innovations: Recipient of 2023 Common Good Award
December 6, 2023 Envision Utah celebrates Ivory Innovations with an award recognizing their work in creating a brighter future for the state Honoring Excellence in Housing Solutions and Community Impact in Utah December 6th, 2023 - Ivory Innovations was recognized by Envision Utah’s Common Good Award, which honors organizations helping to create a brighter future for Utah. Other recipients include the GIV Group (fostering vibrant and affordable communities in Utah) and the U
Dec 6, 2023
2023 Hack-A-House Winners Announced
Ivory Innovations announced three winners of Hack-A-House, a 24-hour “hackathon” created to engage students in proposing innovative solution
Oct 2, 2023
Innovative solutions wanted amidst rapidly rising housing costs
Newswise — Ivory Innovations is pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the 2024 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability.
Sep 2, 2023
Four practical ideas to improve the housing affordability crisis
The Salt Lake Tribune covered how the 2023 Ivory Prize organizations are impacting affordability.
May 29, 2023
2023 Ivory Prize Winners
2023 Policy & Regulatory Reform Co-Winner - National Zoning Atlas Ithaca, New York The National Zoning Atlas is a collaborative of...
May 23, 2023
2023 Ivory Prize Top 10
Top Ten Innovations to Address America’s Housing Affordability Crisis April 17,2023 Today, Ivory Innovations announced the Top 10...
Apr 16, 2023
2023 Ivory Prize Top 25
25 Innovative Solutions to the Housing Affordability Crisis February 27, 2023 Today, Ivory Innovations announced the Top 25 Finalists for...
Feb 27, 2023
National Student Competition Yields Solutions to Housing Crisis
Annual Ivory Innovations’ annual Hack-a-House grants $10,000 to student solutions Today, Ivory Innovations announced three winners of...
Oct 16, 2022
2022 Ivory Prize Winners
2022 Construction & Design Winner- Volumetric Building Companies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Volumetric Building Companies is a vertically integrated global volumetric modular construction leader headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, with locations across the United States and Europe. The company focuses on building the future by providing high-quality, sustainably produced buildings in less time across varied market sectors utilizing its technology-enabled design and engineering
May 19, 2022
Announcing the 2022 Ivory Prize Top 10 Finalists
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Today, Ivory Innovations announced the Top 10 finalists for the 2022 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability, a...
Apr 20, 2022
2022 Ivory Prize Top 25
25 Ways To Make Housing More Affordable Today, Ivory Innovations announced the Top 25 Finalists for the 2022 Ivory Prize for Housing...
Feb 28, 2022
2021 Ivory Prize Winners
2021 Construction & Design Co-Winner: BamCore Windsor, California Since April 2020, “unprecedented spikes in lumber prices have added more than $24,000 to the price of the average, new single-family home, and nearly $9,000 to the price of a multifamily home,” according to the National Home builders Association. BamCore’s innovative bamboo-based framing solution has the potential to address this crippling rise in material costs, provide a more climate positive supply chain, re
May 18, 2021
2021 Ivory Prize Top 10 Announced
[April 20, 2021 – SALT LAKE CITY, UT] – Today, Ivory Innovations announced the Top 10 finalists for the 2021 Ivory Prize for Housing...
Apr 19, 2021
Ivory Prize 2021 Top 25
New Ideas to Solve America’s Housing Affordability Crisis Top 25 Finalists for 2021 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability Announced (Salt...
Apr 1, 2021
Ivory Prize 2020 Winner Announcement
Re-watch the live presentation of this year’s winners of the Ivory Prize! In this presentation, the Ivory Prize Advisory Board addresses current market disruptions and answers audience questions on how we can best adapt, innovate, and find solutions. Faced with confusion and disruption, now is the perfect time to focus on innovative solutions for housing affordability and how we can deal with the challenges we all face. 2020 Ivory Prize Winners 2020 Finance Winner: Rhino New
Apr 16, 2020
Announcing the 2020 Ivory Prize Top 10
February 26, 2020 SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Today, Ivory Innovations announced the Top 10 finalists for the 2020 Ivory Prize for Housing...
Feb 26, 2020
The 2020 Ivory Prize Top 25
Ivory Innovations is proud to announce the Top 25 finalists for the 2020 Ivory Prize for Housing Affordability. The Ivory Prize...
Jan 27, 2020
The 2019 Ivory Prize Winners
The four winning efforts, which were chosen by an advisory board made up of national housing leaders, were recognized at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The advisory board includes, Kent Colton, Colton Housing Group; Carol Galante, Terner Center for Housing Innovation; Chris Herbert, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies; Laurie Goodman, Urban Institute; and Natalie Gochnour, Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. Winners received cash prizes up to $50,000, introduct
Apr 10, 2019
The Ivory Prize 2019 Top 25
Here are the Top 25 finalists for the 2019 Ivory Prize!
Jan 24, 2019
The Cost of Time in Development: Lessons from The Little Book
Our newest resource, The Little Book of Low-Cost, High-Impact Housing Solutions, captures and shares this momentum. Rather than dwelling on scarcity or constraints, it showcases the practical tools, proven strategies, and inspiring success stories that are already reshaping what’s possible in housing policy and delivery.
Dec 12, 2025
Innovation on the Go: How America’s Production Builders are Shaping the Future of Housing
The reality is that innovation in home building isn’t a single breakthrough; rather, it’s a structured process of experimentation, testing, and scaling.
Dec 11, 2025
Will The Fed Rate Cut Help Housing Affordability?
On Wednesday, September 17th, the Federal Reserve voted to cut rates for the first time in 2025, and signaled that more cuts are on the way. This move was in response to growing concerns over the slowing labor market, and the hope is that by making borrowing cheaper, economic growth will follow and help turn the tide on employment.
Oct 23, 2025
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