Press
For journalists and editors
A description of the work, research with context and current brand assets. Please confirm program status before describing assistance as available.
About Own Your Frontier
Own Your Frontier is a program of American Dream Foundation, with a mission to help working Americans gain the ownership, opportunity and independence to build a life on their own terms. Homeownership is its first focus. The proposed approach uses recoverable assistance to reduce a household's first mortgage, with repayment governed by an assistance agreement. The initial research covers selected Chicago-area communities. Future areas of exploration include skilled careers, small businesses and the resilience to preserve what people have built.
Homebuyer applications are not open yet. Read current program information. Additional program areas are exploratory.
Please use the organization as the source of statements. Press inquiries are handled through the organization; no individual staff biographies or endorsements are provided here.
Research figures and scenario results
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Modeled principal and interest as a share of median individual full-time earnings: January 2020 benchmark versus a 7% mortgage scenario using 2026 inputs | 27.7% → 49.1% | What changed |
| National nominal home-price change, Jan 2020–Jun 2026, versus median full-time weekly earnings, Q1 2020–Q2 2026 | +58.5% vs +30.7% | Sources and methods |
| Monthly gap on an illustrative $500,000 home at 7%, 20% down | $1,158 | Worked example |
| Principal equivalent of the modeled monthly gap over 30 years at 7%; recoverable assistance remains a debt | $174,052 | Worked example |
The model includes mortgage principal and interest only; taxes, insurance, maintenance and other ownership costs are excluded. A 7% rate is an assumption, not a current quote. The linked methods document dates, populations and calculations.
Current brand assets
Use the current sunrise mark unaltered on a light background with generous clear space. Older red-and-blue American Dream Foundation assets are legacy materials and do not represent the current Own Your Frontier identity.