About
HISTORY
Project Own was founded in 2019 by Tyrell Dixon and AJ Protin. Seventy-five years ago, amid a wave of block-busting and White flight, AJ’s grandfather moved from West Baltimore to the suburbs. Soon after, Tyrell’s grandma moved in, just half a mile away from AJ’s family’s vacated home.
While AJ’s grandfather and his nine siblings grew up in the suburbs, each buying a home and building wealth, Tyrell’s grandmother rented her house for decades and watched her community sink into disarray and despair. Her home, which she could have bought twice over with what she paid in rent, became one of 16,000 vacant buildings in Baltimore.
AJ and Tyrell probed this history and felt the weight of generational privilege and disadvantage. Understanding homeownership helped connect the dots -- from the lives of their grandparents to the challenges Baltimore faces in 2025. Their dream is to chart a new course of history for Black Americans; to help build neighborhoods rooted in principles of equity and community.
FAQ
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Yes, Project Own is a 501c3 nonprofit.
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Project Own is the nonprofit organization that created Rooted. Rooted is a product used for housing counseling and financial coaching.
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Rooted is free for users. Our partners (such as nonprofit housing counseling agencies) pay a licensing fee to use Rooted with their clients.
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