The Dibe Foundation — Building affordable homes in Southwest Florida
Nonprofit · Affordable Housing · SW Florida

Every family deserves a solid foundation.

We raise charitable funds to develop quality homes that working families in Southwest Florida can actually afford.

Funds held separately from for-profit affiliates
Homes built by licensed, insured contractors
501(c)(3) status application in progress
Southwest Florida focused
Our Mission
Southwest Florida is growing faster than its families can afford to live in it. We exist to close that gap one attainable home at a time.

The Dibe Foundation is a nonprofit organization that pools charitable giving into a dedicated development fund. We acquire land and engage licensed, insured general contractors to build efficient, durable homes on our behalf, then place them with working families at prices designed around what they actually earn — not what the market will bear.

100%
of donations directed to the charitable housing mission
SWFL
Lee, Collier & Charlotte County families served
How It Works

A simple model, run in the open.

Charitable dollars in, affordable homes out — with a clear, repeatable path between the two.

PHASE 01

Raise

Community donations, grants, and sponsorships build a dedicated affordable-housing development fund held by the Foundation.

PHASE 02

Build

We acquire lots and retain licensed, insured general contractors to construct quality starter homes on the Foundation's behalf, drawing on deep local construction experience to stretch every dollar.

PHASE 03

Place

Completed homes reach qualified working families at attainable prices, keeping more local residents rooted in their communities.

The Need

Priced out of paradise.

Southwest Florida is one of the least affordable places to live in the country. A family of four earning under $82,100 — about 80% of the area median income — already counts as lower-income in Lee County, yet the typical home now sells for roughly $370,000. The workers who keep the region running are the ones being squeezed out.

$370K
Median home sale price in Lee County
Redfin · Jan 2026
~13%
of Lee & Collier residents are housing cost-burdened, spending 30%+ of income on housing
Naples Daily News · 2026
10,000+
affordable-housing unit shortfall in neighboring Collier County
UF Shimberg Center
$150–$350+
per square foot to build here — pricing the open market out of affordable construction
SWFL builders · 2025–26

Why it persists: high land prices, rising construction costs, and long permitting timelines make affordable homes unprofitable to build — so the open market mostly delivers luxury. We close that gap by working with licensed contractors to build at cost and funding it through charitable giving.

Help close the gap
Get In Touch

Let's talk.

Donations, college partnerships, volunteering, or questions — we'd love to hear from you.

Mail
10012 Gulf Center Dr, Suite 5253
Fort Myers, FL 33913

This opens your email app with the message ready to send to [email protected].

The Dibe Foundation

Raising charitable funds to build affordable homes for working families across Southwest Florida.

The Dibe Foundation is a nonprofit organization (501(c)(3) status application in progress). All charitable funds are held, accounted for, and reported separately from any affiliated for-profit entities, including Dibe Real Estate and Dibe Construction. Homes are built by independently licensed, insured general contractors engaged on the Foundation's behalf. Donations support the charitable affordable-housing mission only and are not used for the private benefit of any affiliated business or individual. EIN: 42-3222633. Contributions may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law once exempt status is confirmed.