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Mission
To provide real-world entrepreneurial experience that empowers youth from under-resourced communities to excel in education, lead in their communities, and succeed professionally.

Model
Through an in-school and after-school elective taught between ninth and twelfth grades, BUILD teaches entrepreneurial skills and provides real-world business experiences to under-served urban youth. The program helps students to design and operate their own small businesses, connecting their classwork to a business setting and providing a stimulus for them to prepare for college.

Growth
  • Grew annual revenues from FY2006 to FY2007 by 43 percent, from $1.3 million to $1.8 million, and increased annual lives touched by 50 percent, from 200 to 300 students.
  • Created a plan for expansion into the Washington, DC school system, BUILD’s first expansion outside northern California.
  • Hired a development director to oversee the shift in funding necessary to sustain a national organization.

Impact
  • One hundred percent of BUILD alumni (33 total) have gained admittance into college, with 95 percent remaining enrolled to date; 80 percent of BUILD alumni were the first in their family to attend college.
  • A majority of students enter BUILD in ninth grade taking classes that do not satisfy college requirements. Once in BUILD, these students enroll in more difficult college preparatory classes, while also maintaining a GPA that positions them to gain admittance to college.

Looking Ahead
In 2008, BUILD will expand operations to Washington, DC while exploring other potential growth sites. Over the next 10 years, BUILD aspires to serve 50 schools nationally, while exploring the potential for clustered growth in the Washington, DC metro area and in the San Francisco Bay Area.


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