The Story
Behind the Grant

As a child, Will Stein was moved to a new home almost yearly as his parents looked to escape debt and inch their way to providing a better life for him. They eventually found themselves moving to Prince George’s County when Will was a teenager, when a church member offered their family of six a temporary bedroom in their home.

Since then, Will has invested himself in the community and as the owner of a local real estate company, found that the same hardships that his family faced, still endure today. This is especially true in Prince George’s County, where we were subjected to predatory lending practices and our poor were victimized and targeted.

It is for these reasons that he has decided to initiate a self-funded grant program, that will allow one family per year from Prince George’s County to achieve home ownership by having all downpayment and closing costs paid. They only need to be nominated by their peers, chosen by a panel, and make the transition from rental payments to mortgage payments. This grant is an award that does not have to be paid back.

The hope is that this grant will allow a deserving family within the community to be nominated and recognized for what they do everyday; the saints among us to be have their stories told, one by one. To lift our families out of poverty and provide them an easier pathway to a brighter future, ensuring that our best residents don’t become our past residents. To gift the rewards of home ownership as a thank you for their investment in our community and perhaps begin the process to allow them to pay it forward one day.