In This Issue

Key January deadlines, including RPAC confirmations, grant applications, Advocacy Week, and upcoming GAD calls
Community Development Advocacy Grants now open, with strong early momentum for 2026
Final step for states to confirm and submit 2026 RPAC fundraising goals
Reminder on 2026 FPC expectations and planning considerations for June and January advocacy events
Upcoming trainings, office hours, and tools to support advocacy planning early in the year

Key Dates

January 5: Community Development Advocacy Grant Application Open
January 20: RPAC Lifetime Giving Confirmation Request Due
January 21-23: Advocacy Week
January 28: All GAD Call, 3 PM ET
January 30: RPAC Office Hours, 3 PM ET
January 31: 2026 Fundraising Goals Due from State Associations
January 31: RPAC Hall of Fame Nominations Due
February 6: Transforming Neighborhoods Applications Due
February 11: Fair & Attainable Housing Ideas Forum, 2 PM ET

From the Chair

GAD Nation,

The start of a new year offers a rare chance to slow down, take stock, and be intentional about the months ahead, before your calendar suddenly fills itself without asking. Taking a few minutes now to flag key dates, deadlines, and priorities can save you from future versions of yourself wondering, “Wait… that was this week?”

It is also an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and advocacy partners after the holidays, when everyone is easing back into the rhythm of the year. Strong relationships are at the heart of effective advocacy, and even a brief check-in can sharpen ideas and remind us that no one else quite understands this work like the people doing it alongside you.

As we move back into advocacy work, it has been encouraging to see a record number of Community Development Advocacy Grant applications already submitted for 2026. This early momentum is a reminder to stay familiar with NAR grants and resources, especially when strong ideas and limited dollars meet.

The Community Development Advocacy section of realtorparty.realtor includes toolkits and examples that can help spark ideas, and the Advocacy team is always there when questions come up, or plans start to feel more complicated than they looked on paper.

Our first GAD call of the year will take place on January 28, and your ideas for future conversations or potential GAD Institute sessions are always welcome. For those attending Advocacy Week in Washington, D.C., I look forward to seeing you and hope you will reach out to say hello. Advocacy is strongest when we plan ahead, stay connected, and remember that this work is much easier and more effective when we do it together.

Neeley Erickson
815.543.7147

Top Takeaways

President Donald Trump Instructs Federal Government to Buy $200 Billion in Mortgage Bonds

Statement from Shannon McGahn:
President Trump’s plan to purchase $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) will help address the high spread between mortgage rates and Treasury yields and help bring costs down for American families. In 2023, NAR joined others in the industry to urge federal leaders to take limited actions to support the MBS market to reduce historically high mortgage costs that have priced too many people out of owning a home.

The announcement reflects the kind of market-stabilizing policy we’ve championed. We stand ready to work with the Administration to ensure it delivers real relief for homebuyers and the broader housing market.

Questions? Contact Tori Syrek.

2026 RPAC Goal setting: Final Step for States

We’re in the final phase of the 2026 RPAC goal-setting process. Proposed 2026 RPAC goals, approved by the RPAC Fundraising Trustees on December 17, 2025, are now available for states to review and confirm with your RPAC Trustees or appropriate leadership body. Approved goals must be submitted no later than January 31, 2026, to be entered into Aristotle and reflected in the National Awards Tracker.

Questions? Contact Michael Clark.

Reminder: FPC Expectations Memo (Helpful for 2026 Calendar Planning)

Just a friendly reminder that the 2026 FPC expectations memo was shared last month, and it includes a few updates that may be helpful as you and your teams plan ahead. Key points include expected FPC attendance at the June REALTOR® Legislative Meetings (June 13–18), a limited invitation structure for January Advocacy Week in 2026 (FPC Advisory Committee only), and a refreshed 2026 training schedule with monthly webinars plus new quarterly lobbyist office hours.

The full memo is available on the Hub if you’d like to review the details.

Don’t have access to the Hub group? Email Jami Sims with your M1#.

Training & Events

Advocacy Week 2026: What GADs Need to Know (and Share)

Dates/Location: January 21–23, 2026 | Grand Hyatt, Washington, DC
What’s on the agenda: REALTOR® Party Training, Public Policy Leadership Meeting, and the Policy Forum. (Note: No FPC Training in 2026; it returns in 2027.)

Who’s invited: Select 2026 committee chairs/vice chairs and committees
New: State AEs may bring one complimentary guest
New: 2026 State RPAC Chairs are invited
AEs are encouraged to bring their State GAD (or another staffer who would benefit)
State GADs not invited by their AE may attend at their own expense ($199 fee)
Travel & lodging (covered by NAR): Three hotel nights, coach airfare (book through Ovation Travel with no upfront cost), meals, and ground transportation.

Special events:
Welcome Reception: Wed, Jan 21, 6:00–9:00 PM at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (each invited attendee may bring one guest, $50).
Policy Forum (Fri, Jan 23): Beyond the Tax Bill: What’s Next for Housing Affordability and Real Estate. Lodging is covered for attendees departing Sat, Jan 24.
Registration: Closes December 26, 2025.
Questions? Contact advocacyweek@nar.realtor

All GAD Call | Wed, January 28, 3:00 PM ET

Mark your calendar for the first call of the year! Join Mitchell Norton (Director, State/Local Independent Expenditures) and Darby Thorne (Director, Political Compliance) to discuss best practices for your IEs as a busy election year kicks off!

🔗Register Now!

Have an idea for a future All-GAD Call?

We want your input! Share topic ideas, success stories, or speaker suggestions anytime.

Missed a Call? In 2026, recaps will be posted in the GAD Hub group for quick access. Don’t have access to the Hub group? Email Jami Sims with your M1#.

Fair & Attainable Housing Month | February 11, 2 PM ET

Prepare for Fair Housing Month with strategies that drive real impact. Join NAR’s Fair & Attainable Housing Ideas Forum for an interactive session featuring real-world examples, policy insights and breakout discussions—plus guidance on using NAR grants to bring your initiatives to life. Space is limited.—register today!

Office Hours & Trainings

✉️Aristotle 360 System Overview for PAC Managers (Semimonthly)
🔗Aristotle 360: Calls for Action Training (Monthly starting in February)
🔗Advocacy Everywhere Office Hours
🔗Community Development Advocacy Planning Sessions (Weekly)
🔗RPAC Office Hours (Monthly)

Inside the Advocacy Strategic Plan: What It Means for Your Business

It’s a new year and the Advocacy team is ready to go! In this episode, Shannon and Patrick outline the advocacy portion of NAR’s new Strategic Plan and discuss our policy goals for 2026, which include unleashing housing inventory, confronting NIMBYism and the growing equity gap, and protecting access to homeownership and REALTORS® representation. Building on our 2025 wins, Shannon shares what it will take—from a legislative and grassroots perspective—to increase housing supply and affordability and ensure homeownership is attainable for more Americans.

Listen and subscribe where you get your other podcasts.

Apple

Spotify

Audible

Compliance Corner

Independent Expenditures

On the upcoming January 28th All-GAD call, Mitchell Norton and I will speak about the State and Local Independent Expenditure Grant Program. This program assists state and local associations with independent expenditure campaigns.

But first- what exactly is an independent expenditure?

An “IE” is money spent on a communication that expressly advocates the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate and which is NOT made in coordination with any candidate or their campaign or political party. Independence is the key word here. (Exception: A very small amount of states allow coordination).

These expenditures come with registration and reporting requirements, and they typically must be made through a political committee.

While IEs offer meaningful opportunities, they also come with complex compliance rules. That’s where Mitchell and I come in – we are here to help you navigate this process smoothly and stay in compliance.

Questions? Contact Darby Thorne, Director of Political Compliance.

Compliance Corner is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any matter.

RPAC Updates

2026 RPAC Transmittal Deadlines Updated

Add the 2026 RPAC transmittal deadlines to your calendar, including date recommendations to transfer funds or physically mail checks to help ensure you don’t miss these important deadlines.

You can view the transmittal deadline calendar and payment processing timeframes here.

Hall of Fame Nominations Open!

Before submitting a Hall of Fame nomination, NAR must verify the member’s lifetime giving history. Because January brings a high volume of requests, please submit all lifetime giving history requests by January 20, 2026, to ensure timely confirmation for this year’s class.

Nomination forms cannot be accepted without confirmed giving histories. Final Hall of Fame nomination submissions are due January 31, 2026.

RPAC Office Hours is back for 2026

GADs, RPAC office hours is your opportunity to:

Ask questions
Connect with RPAC staff and Aristotle experts
Leave with quick answers and next steps

Join us and make sure you’re set up for a strong start to 2026.

NAR Washington Report

Resources & Research

Strengthen Your Grassroots Program with Advocacy Everywhere

Looking to strengthen your grassroots program? Advocacy Everywhere supports outreach to REALTORS® and/or consumers with Calls for Action (CFAs), Broker CFAs, and REALTOR® Party Mobile Alerts. These options help you deliver targeted messages, mobilize supporters quickly, and keep advocacy engagement moving year-round, not just when there’s a crisis.

Questions? Contact Jami Sims.

Building Better, More Vibrant Communities

Local leaders and REALTORS® share a common goal: building communities that thrive. NAR’s Community Development Advocacy program provides funding, tools and data that help advance housing access, smart growth and transform neighborhoods. Grant applications are now open. Explore resources and success stories to spark ideas and guide community solutions.

Unlock Up to $25K to Power Your Next Consumer Advocacy Campaign

Your association can apply for up to $25,000 through the Consumer Advocacy Grant to engage local consumers on key public policy issues affecting homeownership and property rights. With a simple five-minute presentation and monthly Zoom reviews, the grant makes it easy to launch high impact campaigns—just like Spokane REALTORS, whose “More Housing…Now campaign reached more than ten times their expected audience at half the cost of traditional media. The Consumer Advocacy Advisory Board meets via Zoom on the first Tuesday of each month at 2pm EST (first-quarter dates: February 3, March 3, April 7).

Questions? Contact Erin Murphy.

Turn Local Challenges into Community Solutions — Apply by February 6

Through NAR’s Transforming Neighborhoods Program, REALTOR® associations can bring the Counselors of Real Estate® Consulting Corps into their communities for expert, on-the-ground analysis and strategic guidance. From revitalizing neighborhoods and redeveloping brownfields to strengthening economic development and commercial activity, this program helps associations convene partners, sharpen priorities, and drive real outcomes. Learn more. Applications are due by COB February 6, 2026.

Questions? Contact Samantha DeKoven (CRE) or Hugh Morris (NAR).

Where New Households Begin: Owning vs. Renting
Explore young homeownership trends as select U.S. markets defy national declines, offering insights into pathways for younger buyers.

Ask the Economist: Why Did You Label 2026 as the “Year of Recovery” at the Forecast Summit?
NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun explains why 2026 could be well-positioned to be a year of recovery for the real estate market.

Metro Market Statistics Dashboard
Use this dashboard to get the most recent housing, demographic, economic and affordability statistics for your local area. Login required.

Economist’s Outlook
Housing stats and analysis from NAR’s research experts.

Residential Real Estate Snapshot
This monthly report provides insight into economic indicators that affect the housing market, including interest rates, employment, and inflation.

Research Update
Each month, the Research Update report provides a summary of the data, reports, blog posts, and instant reactions produced by NAR’s research team.

REALTOR® Party Success Stories

Each month, state and local associations that achieved an advocacy win with the help of a REALTOR® Party grant or resources are highlighted in the REALTOR® Party Success Stories. Read the latest success stories here:

Want to be featured in a future edition? Share your advocacy wins!

GADFly Newsletter – January 2026