True Ground Housing Partners Announces Matt Birenbaum as 2025 Celebrate Home! Honoree
ARLINGTON, VA (April 21, 2025) True Ground Housing Partners is proud to announce Matt Birenbaum as the 2025 Celebrate Home! Honoree, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to housing, community development, and affordable housing access across the DC region and beyond. The award will be presented at True Ground’s annual Celebrate Home! benefit, one of the region’s premier affordable housing industry events of the year. The event recognizes the region’s collective work to make home a reality for those who need it most, and each year it honors a person who has made meaningful contributions to advance True Ground’s mission.
Matt Birenbaum has been a leader in the commercial real estate and housing industry for more than 30 years. As Chief Investment Officer of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE: AVB)—the nation’s largest publicly traded REIT in the multifamily sector—Matt has played a central role in the development of tens of thousands of homes in the DC region and throughout the U.S., shaping the residential landscape through a blend of market-rate and affordable housing. His approach has frequently leveraged mixed-income zoning, public-private partnerships, and mixed-use development to create vibrant, sustainable communities.
Beyond his professional achievements, Matt has been a passionate champion for affordable housing. His relationship with True Ground Housing Partners spans more than a decade, including nine years of dedicated service on the Board of Directors, and culminating in his leadership as Board Chair from 2022 to 2023. In 2019, Matt and his wife Ilona deepened their commitment to True Ground’s mission with a personal gift to the Uniting to Serve Capital Campaign, helping make the construction of Terwilliger Place a reality. In 2024, they made a two-year commitment to support the People’s Pantry, a low-barrier healthy food hub that supports hundreds of households across the portfolio every month.
“I can honestly say that part of reason True Ground has matured to be the organization that it is today is because of the leadership and generosity of Matt Birenbaum,” said Carmen Romero, President and CEO of True Ground. “Matt’s range with True Ground has been extraordinary. He was a key partner during my transition to becoming CEO in 2021, helped us navigate the pandemic, take our regional expansion to more jurisdictions, and was a key advisor on the construction closing for The Exchange at Spring Hill Station. His commitment, attention to detail, and the relationships he has brought to bear have been nothing short of invaluable. We are so pleased to honor our dear friend and colleague who has made such a meaningful impact on the lives of our neighbors in need throughout the region.”
Matt Birenbaum expressed, “True Ground does amazing work that has incredible impact across the region providing badly needed housing and supportive services for those in need, and I am humbled and honored to receive this recognition and to be able to contribute to advancing their mission. I look forward to celebrating their progress with so many supporters on October 23.”
Throughout his tenure at AvalonBay, Matt has also played a key role helping the organization to become a steadfast philanthropy partner of True Ground since 2011. Their support has included financial contributions, volunteer hours, technical expertise, and a decade-long annual sponsorship of Celebrate Home! In 2021, AvalonBay demonstrated its enduring commitment to True Ground by matching a $250,000 retirement gift from former CEO Tim Naughton—further cementing their shared mission to build lasting community impact.
Matt holds a Master of Management degree in real estate and finance from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he graduated with honors, and a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Brown University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. A Washington-area native, Matt has lived in Arlington for over 25 years with his wife Ilona and their children, Gabby and Aidan.
Please join us in honoring Matt Birenbaum at Celebrate Home! on Thursday, October 23 at Capital One Hall as we recognize vision, leadership, and the enduring power of housing to change lives.
Event Details:
2025 Celebrate Home!
Thursday, October 23, 2025 from 5pm-8pm
Click here for more details and to access sponsorship opportunities.
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About True Ground Housing Partners
True Ground is a nonprofit affordable housing developer, enabling diverse families to imagine hopeful futures, even in one of the nation’s highest cost markets. At True Ground, we believe that hope, like a home, needs nurturing and care. With housing access becoming harder than ever, we’re dedicated to building hope and opportunities for those feeling left out. We are committed community builders, breaking down barriers and providing the support needed to turn aspirations into secure, comfortable apartment homes. We are not just building homes; we are changing the landscape for affordable housing, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to live in a safe and welcoming community. True Ground was named one of the nation’s Top 50 Affordable Housing Developers of 2023 by Affordable Housing Finance, one of only a dozen nonprofits to make the list. Visit www.truegroundhousing.org to learn more.
