Honor a local partner as a National Partner of Excellence

The Coalition seeks honorees for National Partners of Excellence, part of the Pinnacle Awards. This award celebrates partnership as a core pillar of excellence in strong home repair programs.

This award recognizes the importance of partnership and serves as a way for members to honor key partners and elevate their dedication to a national level. It is awarded to non-member organizations or employees at an organization that demonstrates outstanding commitment to funding and advocating for affordable housing and home repair and modification interventions.

• A referral partner or peer nonprofit highlighting a collaboration to increase services
• A municipal funding partner with a commitment to home preservation
• A business that provided volunteers and funding for repairs
• A long-time event or campaign sponsor
• A supplier that gives product discounts or donates in-kind to help you maximize your budget
• A church that has a small group of volunteers regularly
• A referral partner or peer nonprofit highlighting a collaboration to increase services
• A bank that volunteers regularly and also provides funding
• Any local partner you feel goes above and beyond to support your program

One honoree will be named the 2025 Partner of the Year. That honoree will receive additional recognition and perks, listed below. Each honoree will be named as a National Partner of Excellence and receive digital recognition.

• It's a no-cost way to recognize a partner who deserves to be celebrated. Nominations for this award are included in your membership benefits.
• The Coalition will provide a media packet so you can use the award to garner interest in your organization.
• Awards are a tool to add to your donor and partner stewardship planning.
• All Partners of Excellence will receive a letter of recognition from Coalition CEO, Freyja Harris, and will be recognized on the Coalition blog and social media.
• All nominating organizations will receive a physical award template so your team can gift a certificate or even a plaque/trophy that can be gifted to your honoree for photos. 

All nominees who meet the criteria will be named as a National Partner of Excellence. One nominee will be chosen as the Partner of the Year. Only the organization selected for Partner of the Year will receive two free conference tickets.

Eligibility & Application

• Nominees should be businesses, nonprofits, coalitions/networks, or individuals with demonstrated financial and/or volunteer commitment to affordable housing.

• Nominees can be an entity or a person employed by an entity. If nominating a person, show how they have leveraged successful partnerships in their role.

• Members are welcome to collaborate on nominations for state or regional businesses or entities that have contributed substantially to a particular region. Mention group nominators in your application.

• Submit one PDF or Word Document (max two pages) sharing:

  • Professional details about the nominee, including philanthropic commitment to affordable housing, key initiatives, volunteer commitment, region of investment, etc.

  • Share why this partner deserves national recognition for their partnership.

  • Include if you have a personal connection to the business or an employee and if any upcoming meetings are currently scheduled. 

  • Quantitative or Qualitative impact

  • 1 optional attachment, such as a volunteer photo, news articles, etc may be submitted.

• Remote recognition can be made possible on a flexible schedule if necessary, but nominating organization's attendance for Partner of the Year at the conference is preferred. Recognition for other National Partners of Excellence will be digital.

• Scoring for Partner of the Year will be made on qualitative and quantitative impact, length of partnership, and if this partnership is of national interest to peers. If there are multiple competitive nominations, geographic location and the location of recent honorees will be taken into consideration so the Partner of the Year will be representative of nationwide impact. 
• Nominees may be asked to participate in a case study (written, webinar-style, or both) to elevate the partnership as a model for other home repair organizations.

• Finalists will be notified by July 15th, before conference early bird pricing closes.

• Members must be current on dues for applications to be considered.
• The Partner of the Year honoree will receive 2 complimentary conference tickets. Other honorees will receive digital recognition.

Partnership is critical in successful home repair programs. Members are encouraged to honor a local partner as a National Partner of Excellence.

Access the full awards and application instructions.