Habitat for Humanity’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter invites organizations from the construction industry, media platforms, innovative engineering or architecture influencers and the labor training ecosystem to influence the construction practices of laborers and homebuilders to build safer, more durable disaster-resilient housing.

The Terwilliger Center is focused on developing innovative solutions that lead to better housing for the low-income segment.

Construction labor practices play a crucial role in supporting low-income households to build durable houses particularly in disaster prone areas. However, many homeowners and construction laborers build unsafe homes because they 1) are not aware of the importance of proper building practices; 2) lack simple tools / materials which encourage proper construction techniques; and/or 3) choose to use poor practices to save money or time.

The invitation:

Faced with this challenge, the Terwilliger Center is inviting the problem solvers in the Philippines, who through innovative business models can respond to the 3 major challenges of the sector, via commercially viable solutions.

The Terwilliger Center promise:

The Terwilliger Center supports and advises companies, governments and other stakeholders to pilot and scale promising new approaches.
We offer capital to pilot your innovation and advisory services to reach the low income housing market segment. Our advisory services is our trademark, offering strategies focused on the owner-driven incremental housing market and is designed specifically for private sector CEOs and entrepreneurial minds that wish to expand into low income markets or go down market.
Our advisory services helps your company to tailor products, distribution systems, and marketing strategies that respond to the low income segment.
Companies value our global perspective and expertise. Partnerships with TCIS has directly correlated to an increase in their company’s productivity, customer relationships and distribution channels.


Come and work with us, we look forward to taking the conversation forward!

Learn more about TCIS’ Bahay, Buhay Report here
The Terwilliger Centre for Innovation in Shelter was launched in 2016 with the aim to help housing markets better meet the needs of low-income households. It achieves this by working to mobilize investment capital to the housing sector, facilitate and advise housing market actors and companies, and share knowledge around affordable housing.
As a market facilitator, the Terwilliger Center aims to catalyze both the demand and supply side of the affordable housing market to achieve a vibrant housing ecosystem around the world, and is currently working on projects in eight countries. The Center’s ultimate goal is to significantly reduce the housing deficit, thereby, reducing poverty and increasing the quality of life for low-income households. For more information you can go to habitat.org/tcis.
The opportunity to apply is open to organizations across construction industry which includes material and equipment manufacturers and suppliers, real estate developers, labor groups, industry associations, training institutes. It is also available for private companies including media that may also play a role.
NGOs are not eligible to apply.
The Terwilliger Center globally has worked with over 50 private sector partners to scale up innovative business ideas.
The Terwilliger Center offers:
  • Financial & Technical Support
  • Knowledge of low-income housing
  • Findings from on-going research on the sector
  • Access to a global network and best practices
Deadline for 1st round of selection is December 6, 2018 but applications are ongoing. Interested organizations may either apply online via the form above or send an “Expression of Interest” along with a short company profile to: tcis-ph@habitat.org.
You may contact Al Francis Razon at tcis-ph@habitat.org.