Empowering local officials to create thriving communities
Join CHAPA's Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy
Become a catalyst for change in your community by participating in CHAPA’s free, six-month fellowship designed for city and town councilors, select and planning board members, and members of local boards and commissions who can impact housing
Leadership Academy Benefits
Comprehensive Curriculum
Expert-Led Workshops
Networking Opportunities
Get Involved
CHAPA’s free, transformative fellowship involves a time commitment of roughly 25 hours over the course of 6 months. Fellows are expected to attend all cohort meetings and workshops. Monthly cohort sessions and monthly seminars will be held virtually. There will be two in-person events.
The first cohort of the Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy will run from January through June 2026.
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Apply for the Academy
Applications are open from November 5th, 2025—December 15, 2025. Submit your application before the deadline to be considered for the first cohort!
Questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply to the Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy?
The Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy is open to any elected or appointed municipal official who can impact housing. This includes:
- Mayors
- City and Town Councilors
- Select Board Members
- Planning Board Members
- Zoning Board of Appeals Members
- Affordable Housing Trust Board Members
- Finance Committee Members
- Historic Preservation Committee Members
- Members of other local Boards and Committees who touch housing policy (if you’re not sure if you qualify, reach out!)
CHAPA is happy to work with local officials who have any level of housing expertise–from seasoned housing advocates to newly-elected officials who are eager to learn about creating more housing options in their communities.
What will the curriculum cover?
The curriculum will cover:
- Roots of Massachusetts’s housing shortage and its impact on communities
- Policy options that municipal governments can implement to address their housing challenges
- How affordable housing is financed, produced, and preserved
- Addressing common concerns around housing growth
- Community engagement and building local support
Each month, housing experts will lead workshops, then fellows will dive deep into how these lessons apply to their own communities in cohort meetings.
By the end of the program, all fellows will identify a housing initiative that would solve a problem in their community and develop a plan to implement it.
What time commitment does the Academy require?
The Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy requires a total time commitment of roughly 25 hours over the course of six months. Fellows can expect:
- In-person social events in January and June in Greater Boston
- One 90-minute virtual seminar each month
- One 90-minute virtual or in-person cohort meeting with four to seven other local leaders each month
- A brief assignment to learn more about housing policy and the local housing situation each month
Fellows are expected to attend all workshops and cohort meetings.
When and where will cohort meetings and virtual workshops take place?
Virtual seminars will be held on the first Tuesday of each month from 12pm – 1:30pm via Zoom.
Cohort meeting times will be scheduled around fellows’ schedules. If possible and convenient for fellows, select cohort meetings may be held in person, but most cohort meetings will most likely be held over Zoom.
What is the cost of enrolling in the Academy?
We are pleased to offer this program at no cost to fellows! CHAPA recognizes that local officials play a powerful role in creating more housing opportunities in their communities, so we’re happy to provide this critical support without financial barriers.
What happens after fellows graduate from the Academy?
After graduation, Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy fellows will gain permanent membership in a community of local leaders dedicated to creating more housing opportunities in Massachusetts. Through the program, graduates will connect with technical experts in housing policy, experienced community organizers, and influential local officials from other communities.
Graduates will be permanently invited to the Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy’s biannual social events, where they’ll be able to network with current and former graduates. Graduates will also have continued access to CHAPA’s Municipal Engagement Team for consulting on community engagement and housing advocacy.
What is the application timeline for the Academy?
Applications for the first cohort of the Massachusetts Housing Leadership Academy opened on November 5, 2025, and will close on December 15, 2025. All applicants can expect to be notified of whether they have been accepted by December 19, 2025.
While we would love to support as many local officials as possible, we anticipate having enough capacity to accept 25 to 35 applications for our first semester. Anyone who is unable to participate in our first semester will be welcome and encouraged to reapply for the second semester which will run from June to December 2026.