NLIHC is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 Organizing Awards. Denver Metro Tenants Union (Denver, CO) will receive the Tenant-Led Organizing Award, and Community Development Alliance (Milwaukee, WI) will receive the Local Organizing Award.

Denver Metro Tenants Union (DMTU) is a tenant-led organization building collective power across the greater Denver metro area so renters can win safe, stable, and dignified housing. In 2025, through its Safe and Healthy Homes campaign, DMTU won meaningful new enforcement tools to ensure renters’ rights to safe and healthy homes are upheld. The campaign won a budget amendment to add a public health investigator, created and funded a public dashboard of rental property complaints and violations, and secured commitments from the Mayor’s Office to strengthen the Residential Rental Licensing Program by requiring landlords to resolve violations and fines before renewing their licenses.

Community Development Alliance (CDA) is a Milwaukee-based charitable organization advancing racial equity by working to ensure every Milwaukeean has a quality affordable home and by prioritizing equitable homeownership for Black and Latino households. Its work is guided by the Resident Advisory Council on Housing, a group of residents from across Milwaukee County, including individuals who currently or previously experienced housing instability. In 2026, CDA led a successful campaign to reinstate $1.4 million in down-payment assistance to the City’s 2026 budget.