SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon on Wednesday announced it committed more than $21 million to pilot a professional training, mentorship, and capital funding programme to promote real estate developers of colour.

This two-year, part-time professional development programme, which is free for participants, aims to teach real estate developers of colour how to advance their careers. It also aims to lower the barriers these developers can face when bidding for affordable housing developments, the announcement said.

The goal of the programme is to increase the number of professional real estate developers of colour who are focused on affordable housing and inclusive community building, according to the announcement.

This initiative is part of the $2 billion Amazon Housing Equity Fund, a commitment to create and preserve 20,000 affordable homes for individuals and families earning moderate to low incomes.