// down payment assistance

The money is already
waiting for you.

A DPA — short for Down Payment Assistance — is a grant, forgivable loan, or deferred second mortgage that covers some or all of a buyer's down payment and closing costs. Every state, county, and city in America funds them. The problem isn't supply — it's that buyers can't find the right program in time. Diorama threads DPA discovery, eligibility, and application into the home-buying workflow itself.

Ch. 01
The problem

↑ that's nine zeros

in down payment assistance grants, unclaimed by FHA first-time buyers every year.

For context: that's enough to fund a $25,000 down payment grant for 280,000 first-time buyers — every year.

Source · DPR / Urban Inst. 2024

The landscape

Plenty of programs. No way to navigate them.

of first-time FHA buyers

walk away from assistance they qualified for. Not because they were rejected — because they never knew.

active DPA programs nationwide

An all-time high. Grants, forgivable loans, deferred seconds, MCCs — fragmented across thousands of agencies.

platforms that close the loop

Every existing tool is a database lookup behind a lender's lead form. None handle application, document collection, or close-coordination.

How it works

DPAs as a step in the transaction — not a side-quest.

01 · THE ENGINE

Your profile, your programs.

Income, household size, location, credit, and first-time status from your Diorama profile instantly map to every DPA you qualify for — federal, state, county, and city. No re-entering the same details into five lender lead forms. Your matches, stackable combinations, and total eligible assistance, all in a single view.

// pick your strategy3 matches

Diorama match-results screen showing DPA programs the buyer qualifies for

02 · THE PROCESS

Apply. Learn. Approved.

Apply to your matched programs

One short form, sent to every DPA you qualify for. Your Diorama profile already carries the income, household, and location details — nothing to re-key, no five separate lender intake calls.

02 · the part most platforms gloss over

Earn your homebuyer education certificate

Most DPAs require a HUD-approved homebuyer course — typically six to eight hours covering budgeting, mortgage mechanics, escrow, taxes, maintenance, and long-term homeownership. Diorama walks you to the right course for your program and tracks the certificate when you finish.

The certificate is a one-time requirement. The knowledge compounds for thirty years — better mortgage choices, lower default risk, more equity built faster.

Your pre-approval, with DPA built in

Your pre-approval letter reflects the full boost from your matched programs — so when you make an offer, sellers see your real buying power. The assistance carries through to the closing statement, then becomes lasting equity you didn't have to earn first.

// your turn

Stop leaving your share of seven billion on the table.

Tap the map. We'll show you which programs apply to your neighborhood.

Minneapolis–St. Paul property map preview with color-coded affordability pins

The money is alreadywaiting for you.