Top Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund Sponsors In 2027

Compare 10 sponsors of opportunity zone funds for 2027: track records, fund structures, SEC filings and what the permanent OZ 2.0 rules mean for investors.

Important: This is a vendor overview, not investment advice and not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. Most opportunity zone funds are private placements that are typically limited to accredited investors. Before investing, check the sponsor and the selling broker on FINRA BrokerCheck, read the fund’s SEC filings and offering documents, and speak with a licensed financial advisor and your CPA.

Opportunity zone funds let investors put capital gains into businesses and real estate in designated low-income census tracts in exchange for tax benefits. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, made the program permanent. New zones are designated on a rolling 10-year cycle: the first new round is nominated in 2026 and is expected to take effect on January 1, 2027, while existing zones remain in place through December 31, 2028. For gains invested on or after January 1, 2027, each investment gets its own five-year deferral, a 10% basis step-up after five years (30% for qualified rural opportunity funds) and, after a 10-year hold, exclusion of appreciation, with the fair market value step-up capped at year 30. Funds also face new mandatory reporting with penalties. Gains deferred under the original rules are still recognized at the end of 2026.

We chose these 10 qualified opportunity fund sponsors on how long they have run opportunity zone investing, the number of funds and projects they have completed, the size of the platform behind them and how openly they publish fund information. Entries are ordered by profile, track record and platform size, not by expected returns, and we do not report targets or performance. We excluded sponsors with bankruptcies, suspended distributions or redemptions, going-concern problems or SEC and FINRA actions tied to their real estate programs. For a wider look at tax planning around a sale, see our list of tax strategy firms for real estate investors.

Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund Sponsors At A Glance

Company	Headquarters	Best For	Standout
CIM Group	Los Angeles, CA	Large, diversified OZ exposure	CIM Opportunity Zone Fund, $2.1B committed
Bridge Investment Group	Salt Lake City, UT	Multifamily and transit-oriented OZ projects	OZ strategy since 2018, now part of Apollo
Peakline Partners	Chicago, IL	Diversified multi-project OZ funds	$1.2B raised across three QOZ funds
Origin Investments	Chicago, IL	Ground-up multifamily development	16 ground-up QOZ developments since 2019
Belpointe PREP	Greenwich, CT	Investors who want a listed fund	Publicly traded on NYSE American (OZ)
Capital Square	Glen Allen, VA	Southeast multifamily development	Nine opportunity zone funds
Grubb Properties	Charlotte, NC	Workforce housing in growth markets	Link Apartments Opportunity Zone REIT
Urban Catalyst	San Jose, CA	A single-market urban OZ strategy	Downtown San Jose focus since 2018
Arctaris Impact Investors	Boston, MA	OZ equity in operating businesses	Impact investor founded in 2009
Virtua Partners	Scottsdale, AZ	Hospitality and residential OZ projects	50+ assets sponsored in 10+ states

Best Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund Sponsors In 2027

1. CIM Group — $2.1 Billion Opportunity Zone Fund From A Firm Founded In 1994

CIM Group is a real estate and infrastructure owner, operator, lender and developer founded in 1994. It reports $31.8 billion in assets owned and operated across 296 assets as of March 31, 2026, and says it has deployed $5.0 billion in communities now designated as opportunity zones.

Its main vehicle, CIM Opportunity Zone Fund, L.P., files periodic reports with the SEC. Its mid-2025 quarterly report shows about $2.11 billion in total capital commitments, all contributed. The fund holds real estate and infrastructure, including development projects and solar facilities, with examples such as Centennial Yards in Atlanta and solar in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

CIM suits investors who want a very large, diversified fund with public reporting and an experienced urban developer behind it. Because the fund files with the SEC, investors can read its financial statements, including its leverage and redemption terms, before committing.

Best for: Investors who want broad opportunity zone investing exposure through one large fund.

2. Bridge Investment Group — Opportunity Zone Strategy Launched In 2018, Now Powered By Apollo

Bridge Investment Group is an alternative investment manager specializing in commercial real estate equity and credit. It began building its opportunity zone pipeline when the first zones were designated in April 2018, and Apollo completed its acquisition of Bridge in September 2025.

Bridge’s inaugural opportunity zone fund deployed $509 million into 12 properties in eight cities, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, Portland, Sacramento and Salt Lake City, with a focus on transit-oriented and mixed-use communities. Its OZ work sits in its Development and Opportunity Zones strategy, and the firm is a member of the Opportunity Zone Coalition organized by the Economic Innovation Group.

Bridge fits investors who want an experienced multifamily operator with institutional backing. The Apollo ownership adds scale, but check how future funds are structured, since the platform is still integrating.

Best for: Investors who want multifamily OZ projects from an established operator.

3. Peakline Partners — $1.2 Billion Raised Across Three QOZ Funds

Peakline Partners is an SEC-registered investment adviser founded in 2017 by Avy Stein and Eric Becker. It offers direct private investments to individuals and family offices and reports more than 22,500 investors across its opportunities.

Its opportunity zone program launched in March 2018. Peakline reports raising $1.2 billion across three qualified opportunity zone funds and investing more than $1.2 billion of equity into projects totaling more than 5.2 million square feet. Fund I financed The Finery in Nashville, a mixed-use project with 383 apartments, office and retail space, developed with Hines. Fund III has invested in multifamily in Greenville, South Carolina, and Fund IV is open.

Peakline says it ranks among the top five sponsors nationally by QOZ equity raised. It suits investors who want multi-project funds with experienced development partners rather than a single building.

Best for: Investors who want diversified multi-project opportunity zone funds.

4. Origin Investments — Chicago Multifamily Manager With 16 Ground-Up QOZ Developments

Origin Investments is a Chicago real estate manager founded in 2007 by David Scherer and Michael Episcope, who now serve as co-CEOs. It has regional offices in Charlotte, Nashville and Dallas and a credit affiliate in Denver.

Origin has run three closed QOZ funds, with vintages in 2019, 2021 and 2023, and reports investments in 16 ground-up QOZ developments since 2019. The firm says it has completed or is actively developing $2.5 billion of ground-up projects.

Origin suits investors who specifically want ground-up development, which meets the program’s improvement rules by building new property rather than renovating. The founders also report investing more than $95 million of their own money alongside investors since 2007.

Best for: Investors focused on ground-up multifamily opportunity zone funds.

5. Belpointe PREP — Publicly Traded Qualified Opportunity Fund On NYSE American

Belpointe PREP, marketed as Belpointe OZ, is a qualified opportunity fund listed on NYSE American under the ticker OZ. Its sponsor, Belpointe, is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was established in 2001 as a family office and investment firm and has run its real estate group under the Belpointe brand since 2012.

The fund develops multifamily and mixed-use real estate. Its two main assets in lease-up are Aster and Links, a 424-unit mixed-use development in downtown Sarasota, and VIV, two 15-story towers with 269 apartments and retail space in St. Petersburg, Florida. Belpointe reports more than $10 billion in assets overseen across its businesses.

A listed structure is unusual in this market. Investors can buy units through a brokerage account rather than a private placement, and the fund files public reports. Exchange trading does not remove real estate risk or the 10-year holding requirement for the main tax benefit.

Best for: Investors who want a qualified opportunity fund with exchange-listed units and public reporting.

6. Capital Square — Nine Opportunity Zone Funds From A Richmond-Area Sponsor

Capital Square was founded in 2012 by Louis Rogers in Glen Allen, Virginia, near Richmond. It began as a DST sponsor and later added development, opportunity zone funds and a REIT. It reports more than 145 sponsored offerings and more than $7 billion in assets under management.

The firm lists nine opportunity zone funds, Fund I through Fund IX, with Fund IX open and the rest closed. Its OZ projects are mostly mid-size multifamily developments, such as five-story communities of 60 to 80 units in earlier funds, a roughly 350-unit community with retail in Fund V and 221 apartments plus 95 apartment hotel rooms in Fund IX. Earlier funds include a mixed-use property in Raleigh and a site in Knoxville.

Capital Square suits investors who want a steady series of smaller funds, each tied to specific projects, from a sponsor that also offers DSTs. That lets investors see exactly which property they are funding.

Best for: Investors who want project-specific multifamily opportunity zone funds.

7. Grubb Properties — Link Apartments Opportunity Zone REIT From A Developer Founded In 1963

Grubb Properties has been in business since 1963 and has corporate offices in Charlotte, Cary and Winston-Salem, North Carolina, plus Atlanta and Culver City, California. It reports $2.5 billion in total real estate assets under management.

The firm builds workforce housing under its trademarked Link Apartments brand in 12 U.S. markets. Its opportunity zone vehicles include a 2019 QOF that served as a sidecar to its Fund VI, a 2020 qualified opportunity fund and the Link Apartments Opportunity Zone REIT, a private REIT that first launched in early 2022 and invests in multifamily and commercial development nationwide.

Grubb suits investors who like a developer that keeps costs down with a standardized product and targets middle-income renters. In July 2026 Grubb consolidated several legacy funds into a separate Link Apartments REIT, so ask how the OZ REIT is structured and financed today.

Best for: Investors who want workforce housing development in opportunity zones.

8. Urban Catalyst — Downtown San Jose Opportunity Zone Funds Since 2018

Urban Catalyst was founded in 2018 in downtown San Jose, California, in response to the law that created opportunity zones. It concentrates on one market, downtown San Jose, and its offerings are made only to accredited investors through a private placement memorandum.

The firm’s projects include Paseo, a mixed-use development completed in 2023, and Keystone, a Marriott TownePlace Suites that opened in 2025 as downtown San Jose’s first extended-stay hotel. Its portfolio also lists Aquino, Echo, Gifford Place, Icon and Spartan Vista. Opportunity Zone Fund II closed at the end of 2025, and the firm expects its next OZ fund in 2027, aligned with Opportunity Zones 2.0.

Urban Catalyst suits investors who understand and want exposure to one urban market. A single-city strategy offers focus and local knowledge, but it also concentrates risk, so weigh it against your other holdings.

Best for: Investors who want a focused, single-market urban opportunity zone strategy.

9. Arctaris Impact Investors — Boston Impact Firm Making OZ Equity Investments In Operating Businesses

Arctaris Impact Investors is a Boston-based impact investment firm founded in 2009. It manages seven private funds and makes both debt and opportunity zone equity investments in growth-oriented operating businesses, community infrastructure and real estate in underserved U.S. communities.

Unlike most sponsors on this list, Arctaris invests in operating businesses as well as property. Its portfolio has included a cold storage facility in a Pennsylvania opportunity zone that it later sold, with a goal of delivering 50 to 100 new jobs in Braddock, a laundry business in Baltimore and Saddleback Mountain. Bank of America invested in its $25 million regional opportunity zone program, and the firm publishes an annual impact report.

Arctaris suits investors who want opportunity zone investing that measures jobs and community outcomes alongside tax benefits. Business investments carry different risks from real estate, so read the fund terms carefully.

Best for: Impact-minded investors who want OZ exposure to operating businesses.

10. Virtua Partners — Scottsdale Sponsor Of Hospitality And Residential OZ Projects

Virtua Partners is a private equity real estate firm with offices in Scottsdale, Arizona and San Diego, led by co-founder and principal Quinn Palomino. It reports more than 50 assets sponsored across more than 10 states, more than $220 million in capital raised and 20 active growth and fixed income funds.

Virtua was an early opportunity zone sponsor and offers both pooled funds and single-asset syndications. Its projects have included a 126-room Courtyard by Marriott in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which was among the first hospitality projects in the country built as an opportunity zone development. Its wider portfolio covers office, flex office, industrial, hospitality, single-family rental, multifamily and mixed-use property.

Virtua is smaller than most sponsors here. It suits investors who want hospitality or single-asset OZ deals and are comfortable reviewing each project on its own merits.

Best for: Investors interested in hospitality and single-asset opportunity zone projects.

How To Choose A Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund Sponsor

How Long Has The Sponsor Run Opportunity Zone Funds?

The program dates to the 2017 tax law, so the strongest records go back to 2018 and 2019. Ask how many funds the sponsor has closed, how many projects have been completed and leased, and how the earliest funds are tracking against their original plans.

Is The Fund Diversified Or Tied To One Project?

Multi-asset funds spread risk across several developments. Single-asset funds let you see exactly what you own but concentrate risk. Neither is better by default. Match the structure to your other holdings.

What Do The SEC Filings And FINRA BrokerCheck Show?

Search EDGAR for the fund’s Form D or periodic reports, and check the selling broker on FINRA BrokerCheck. Larger funds that file 10-Q and 10-K reports disclose leverage, redemption terms and legal proceedings in detail.

Can The Sponsor Meet The New Reporting Rules?

Funds now face mandatory reporting with penalties for failures. Ask how the sponsor tracks compliance, the 90% asset test and substantial improvement requirements, since a fund that fails these tests can cost investors the tax benefits.

Does The Timeline Fit Your Tax Plan?

The main benefit requires holding for at least 10 years. Review how a gain from a property sale fits with other strategies, such as depreciation or a 1031 exchange, with one of the real estate CPA firms for investors we have reviewed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is A Qualified Opportunity Fund?

A qualified opportunity fund is a corporation or partnership that holds at least 90% of its assets in qualified opportunity zone property, such as new or substantially improved real estate or businesses operating in a designated zone. Investors put eligible capital gains into the fund, generally within 180 days of the sale.

What Changed With Opportunity Zones 2.0?

The 2025 law made the program permanent, replaced the fixed 2026 deadline with a rolling five-year deferral for investments made from 2027, restored a 10% basis step-up after five years (30% for rural funds), kept the 10-year exclusion with a cap at year 30 and added mandatory reporting. New zones are redrawn every 10 years.

Can I Use A 1031 Exchange And An Opportunity Zone Fund Together?

They are separate tools. A 1031 exchange reinvests the full proceeds of real property into like-kind real property, while an opportunity zone fund needs only the capital gain. Compare DST options in our list of Delaware Statutory Trust sponsors.

Conclusion

The opportunity zone funds on this list range from very large platforms like CIM, Bridge and Peakline to development specialists like Origin, Capital Square and Grubb, a listed fund in Belpointe, single-market and impact strategies at Urban Catalyst and Arctaris, and smaller project-level deals at Virtua. With the program now permanent, the best fit depends on diversification, sponsor history, reporting quality and whether you can commit for 10 years or more. Confirm the tax treatment with your CPA before you invest.

This overview is not an offer or solicitation to buy any security, and inclusion is not a recommendation. Opportunity zone funds are typically limited to accredited investors and carry real risks, including illiquidity, development risk and loss of principal. Check FINRA BrokerCheck and the fund’s SEC filings, and consult a licensed financial advisor before investing.

This article is general information, not tax or legal advice.