AMERICAN SOUTH REAL ESTATE FUND
American South Capital Partners and ASREF
ASCP manages the American South Real Estate Fund(s), which provide preferred equity and LP equity for workforce housing projects across the funds’ 10-state southern footprint.
Manager
American South Capital Partners (“ASCP“) is a joint venture between SDS Capital Group (“SDS”) and Vintage Realty Company (“Vintage”). ASCP couples SDS’ impact-fund investment platform with Vintage’s hands-on real estate development expertise, as follows:
SDS Capital Group (SDS)
SDS was founded in 2001 by Deborah La Franchi. SDS specializes in structuring and managing impact funds. These funds seek risk-adjusted market rates of return (the First Bottom Line), while also targeting positive economic and community development impacts (the Second Bottom Line) and environmental sustainability (the Third Bottom Line). SDS has over $1 billion of current and past impact assets under management, which includes its own portfolio of impact investments ($580 million) and those of third-party impact funds ($494 million) using SDS’ investment platform. For the fourth year in a row, SDS was named to Impact Assets 50, a select group of fund managers in the impact investing space.
Vintage Realty Company (Vintage)
Vintage is a 190-person, full-service commercial real estate firm headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana, with a regional presence in Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi. Vintage’s team manages the Fund’s originations, secures and structures all equity and debt, manages the construction process, and manages the assets. Vintage also has full-scale real estate brokerage and property management divisions. Vintage utilizes a comprehensive, integrated management approach that provides the opportunity to maximize value for its portfolio – as well as for its clients’ properties – throughout the asset lifecycle. Vintage has served as the developer for 3,811 multi-family units, with 2,914 units under its current management, and an additional 760 units currently under construction or in the development phase. Upon delivery of these new units, the Vintage portfolio will represent a market value of approximately $500 million. The integrity and vision of the founders has yielded the loyalty of employees, clients and investors. Vintage has been actively developing, managing and brokering real estate projects throughout the South since its inception in 1988.
IMPACT METRICS
Woman or Minority Sponsors
%
Average Minority Population
%
Average Poverty Rate of Communities Invested In
%
Non White Population
# Low-Income Affordable Housing Units (87% of Total Units)
%
Average African American Population
%
Area Median Income
%
Unemployment Rate

SDS Capital Group is proud to have received the Impact Assets 50 designation for the fourth year in a row! This prestigious designation is given to the Top 50 impact managers in the U.S.
Our Team
Deborah La Franchi
Principal - Managing Partner

David Alexander
Principal - Managing Partner

Kip Hamilton
Managing Director

Kent Peters
Managing Director

Laura Baron
CFO (CPA)

Tyler Epps
Senior Vice President

Austin Ross
Vice President

Kate Querbes
Vice President Asset Management

News
- Press
- Investments
Multi-Housing News – What’s Sparking Private Investment In Affordable Housing

How Well Can You Do by Doing Good? by Patricia Kirk
Multifamily impact investing’s accelerating as private capital shoulders more of the affordability burden.
May 28, 2025
What’s sparking private investment in affordable housing
“But few private investors were interested in this sector until fairly recently. The pivot point for private capital investment in distressed communities was the George Floyd tragedy, suggested Deborah La Franchi, founder & CEO of fund manager SDS Capital Group. That’s when corporations and other institutional investors started asking how they could make a difference in low-income communities.
About this same time, many of the earliest impact platforms focused on delivering risk-adjusted, market rates of return now had track records demonstrating that the approach can work “with the right team,” La Franchi continued.
Then a few years ago, public pension funds became interested in impact investing, and SDS’ capital partner American South Capital Partners, an affordable housing fund based in the U.S South, along with Vintage Realty Co., landed five of them. “This migration of pensions into the space illustrates how some impact funds are now breaking through to very untraditional investors due to performance,” said La Franchi.”
Multi-Housing News – What’s sparking private investment in affordable housing
How Well Can You Do by Doing Good? by Patricia Kirk
Multifamily impact investing’s accelerating as private capital shoulders more of the affordability burden.
May 28, 2025
What’s sparking private investment in affordable housing
“But few private investors were interested in this sector until fairly recently. The pivot point for private capital investment in distressed communities was the George Floyd tragedy, suggested Deborah La Franchi, founder & CEO of fund manager SDS Capital Group. That’s when corporations and other institutional investors started asking how they could make a difference in low-income communities.
About this same time, many of the earliest impact platforms focused on delivering risk-adjusted, market rates of return now had track records demonstrating that the approach can work “with the right team,” La Franchi continued.
Then a few years ago, public pension funds became interested in impact investing, and SDS’ capital partner American South Capital Partners, an affordable housing fund based in the U.S South, along with Vintage Realty Co., landed five of them. “This migration of pensions into the space illustrates how some impact funds are now breaking through to very untraditional investors due to performance,” said La Franchi.”
Woodfield And American South Capital Partner On 840 Woodrow Development

Woodfield JV to Begin Affordable Project in Atlanta Mikayla Sciortino
June 17, 2025
Woodfield Development has entered a joint venture with American South Capital Partners for the land purchase of 840 Woodrow SW, a parcel located along Atlanta Beltline’s Westside Trail. The site will see the development of 840 Woodrow, a planned 326-unit mixed-use affordable community. Vida Cos. sourced the plot for the buyers.
840 Woodrow has been in been in planning for three years, and the community is set to break ground within the next five to six weeks. When completed, it will feature 326 apartments, 66 of which will be reserved for affordable and workforce housing. Approximately 16 apartments will be designated for residents using tenant-based vouchers. An anticipated full build-out is expected in late 2027.
Aside from increasing affordable housing units in the area, the 840 Woodrow will provide commercial space and job opportunities for residents. For the BeltLine, the ongoing construction will make 500 construction jobs available as well as over 40 permanent jobs when the community comes online. The project also includes a $1.5 million investment for brownfield remediation, site revitalization and environmental protection to make it construction-ready.
Woodfield and American South Capital partner on 840 Woodrow development
Woodfield JV to Begin Affordable Project in Atlanta Mikayla Sciortino
June 17, 2025
Woodfield Development has entered a joint venture with American South Capital Partners for the land purchase of 840 Woodrow SW, a parcel located along Atlanta Beltline’s Westside Trail. The site will see the development of 840 Woodrow, a planned 326-unit mixed-use affordable community. Vida Cos. sourced the plot for the buyers.
840 Woodrow has been in been in planning for three years, and the community is set to break ground within the next five to six weeks. When completed, it will feature 326 apartments, 66 of which will be reserved for affordable and workforce housing. Approximately 16 apartments will be designated for residents using tenant-based vouchers. An anticipated full build-out is expected in late 2027.
Aside from increasing affordable housing units in the area, the 840 Woodrow will provide commercial space and job opportunities for residents. For the BeltLine, the ongoing construction will make 500 construction jobs available as well as over 40 permanent jobs when the community comes online. The project also includes a $1.5 million investment for brownfield remediation, site revitalization and environmental protection to make it construction-ready.
Closed $4.23 M Financing For Acquisition And Renovation Of 168-Unit Affordable Housing Complex In Charlotte

American South Capital Partners(“ASCP”), a joint venture of SDS Capital Group and Vintage Realty Company, has provided Infinity Real Estate Advisors with $4.23 million of preferred equity for the acquisition and renovation of Randolph Hills, a 168-unit affordable housing community in Charlotte, NC.
Closed $4.23 M financing for acquisition and renovation of 168-Unit affordable housing complex in Charlotte
American South Capital Partners(“ASCP”), a joint venture of SDS Capital Group and Vintage Realty Company, has provided Infinity Real Estate Advisors with $4.23 million of preferred equity for the acquisition and renovation of Randolph Hills, a 168-unit affordable housing community in Charlotte, NC.
Urban Land Article Access To Capital: Solutions For Black Developers To Overcome Funding Challenges

January 2024 By Carisa Chappell
View online at Urbanland.uli.org
La Franchi’s firm has money available to smaller developers. For example, SDS Capital provided New Orleans–based developer VPG with $2.7 million of preferred equity for a project whose cost was just under $20 million. “That was [small, even] for us, frankly,” she says. “But it was a really talented team [whose founders] all came out of Tuskegee University with engineering degrees and wanted to have their own company. We hope to keep funding them year after year to help them grow.”
Urban Land Article Access to Capital: Solutions for Black Developers to Overcome Funding Challenges
January 2024 By Carisa Chappell
View online at Urbanland.uli.org
La Franchi’s firm has money available to smaller developers. For example, SDS Capital provided New Orleans–based developer VPG with $2.7 million of preferred equity for a project whose cost was just under $20 million. “That was [small, even] for us, frankly,” she says. “But it was a really talented team [whose founders] all came out of Tuskegee University with engineering degrees and wanted to have their own company. We hope to keep funding them year after year to help them grow.”

840 WOODROW – ATLANTA GA
840 WOODROW – ATLANTA GA
American South Capital Partners has entered into a joint venture with Woodfield Development to acquire the site at 840 Woodrow SW in Atlanta, marking a major step forward in addressing the city’s affordable housing needs. The 4.2-acre property, strategically located along the BeltLine’s Westside Trail, will become home to a new mixed-use development featuring 326 affordable housing units. The project was sourced by Vida Cos., and it aligns with American South Capital Partners’ mission of investing in transformative projects across underserved communities in the southern U.S.
The development, named 840 Woodrow, will offer a range of unit types across five stories, along with 3,700 square feet of retail space. Residents will benefit from proximity to transit, employment centers, and community amenities, reinforcing the project’s focus on walkability and accessibility. The partnership with Woodfield Development and involvement from American South Fund Management reflect a growing emphasis on creating long-term impact through collaborative capital in areas facing housing affordability challenges.

1,068-unit Affordable Housing Portfolio – NC & SC
1,068-unit affordable housing portfolio – NC & SC
Infinity Real Estate Partners has received an $18.75 million investment from American South Capital Partners (“ASCP”), a joint venture of SDS Capital Group and Vintage Realty Company, for the acquisition and renovation of a 1,068-unit affordable housing portfolio with assets located in North Carolina and South Carolina. The portfolio consists of seven communities built between 1968 and 1973 ranging in size from 81 to 200 units, 95% of which are governed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Housing Assistance Program.
• Boulder Creek, Greenville, SC
• Crescent Hill Apartments, Spartanburg, SC
• Roosevelt Gardens, Orangeburg, SC
• Spring Grove Apartments, Taylors, SC
• Cedar Moor Apartments, Raleigh, NC
• Timber Ridge, Charlotte, NC
• Brentwood Crossing, High Point, NC

ENTRADA AT SAN MARCOS – TEXAS
ENTRADA AT SAN MARCOS – TEXAS
The development is being financed with a 40-year HUD 221(d)(4) loan, which facilitates new construction of housing for moderate-income families, originated by Regions Bank. The financing package also includes a preferred equity investment provided by American South Capital Partners (“ASCP”) a joint venture of SDS Capital Group and Vintage Realty Company. The preferred equity was arranged by Francisco Herrera of Peak 15 Capital.
ASCP made the investment through its recently closed $174 million American South Real Estate Fund II, which provides equity financing for real estate sponsors of affordable housing projects located in 10 Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas). ASCP, through its family of funds, have to-date collectively committed more than $176 million to 26 projects, financing more than 7,025 housing units – 82% of them affordable to families at less than 80% of the AMI.

PRESERVE AT HANOVER – BEAUFORT, SC
PRESERVE AT HANOVER – BEAUFORT, SC
The American South Real Estate Fund (ASREF II) has closed $13.5M in preferred equity funding to finance the construction of a new affordable housing development in South Carolina! The Preserve at Hanover Park project site, located at Beaufort, will soon be transformed into a 280-unit residential apartment building in an opportunity zone area.