What buildOn does

buildOn is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1991 by Jim Ziolkowski, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, that operates two interconnected core programs: a Global School Construction Program building schools in eight low-income countries (Malawi, Nepal, Guatemala, Senegal, Haiti, Nicaragua, Mali, Burkina Faso) and a U.S. Service Learning Program engaging high school students in underperforming urban schools across six U.S. regions (Bronx, Boston, Bridgeport/Connecticut, Chicago, Detroit, NYC). As of November 2025 the organization has cumulatively built 3,224 schools, serves 414,954+ students globally, and has logged 2.6 million hours of U.S. student service; it breaks ground on a new school approximately every two days. The organization layers three complementary programs onto the core: Enroll (re-enrolling out-of-school children), Adult Literacy (with microfinance components), and Trek (volunteer immersion experiences where donors and corporate partners travel to construct schools alongside communities).

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating in the commercial sense. Funding streams include tax-deductible individual donations, foundation and corporate grants (NACEPF $1.43M in 2026), government partnerships (NYC Public Schools $2.1M initial investment in 2024), and corporate CSR partnerships (Fitch Group, School in a Bag) that include employee Trek experiences. Distribution is direct: Engagement Specialists operate chapters within U.S. high schools, while international program directors manage country-level school construction with local Project Leadership Committees that ensure post-construction community ownership. The organization employs 101-250 staff across headquarters and six regional offices, and has begun professionalizing its executive layer with a CRO, COO, and CXO in addition to the founder-CEO.

The underlying "technology" is operational rather than digital: a repeatable community-led construction methodology combined with a service-learning chapter model that demonstrably produces a 98% high school graduation rate and 86% college attendance rate among Bronx buildOn students, versus peer baselines. No proprietary software platform, AI/ML system, or data flywheel is disclosed; the asset base is human capital, brand, and community relationships accumulated over 33 years of operation.

Name

buildOn

Legal name

buildOn, Inc.

Website

https://buildon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

buildOn is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that builds schools in eight low-income countries and mobilizes U.S. high school students in underperforming urban schools through service-learning chapters across six U.S. regions, funding operations via individual donations, foundation grants, and corporate CSR partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), New School Construction (Greenfield Builds) (EDAEABAA), Education, Skills & Workforce Development Aid Programs (BPADABAE)

Keywords

• Service learning programs
• School construction nonprofit
• International education development
• Youth community service
• Adult literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Stamford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals supporting the organization's mission to build schools and fund service learning programs.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Funding from foundations like NACEPF ($1.43 million pledge in 2026) and corporate partners for school construction and programs.
3. Government Partnerships: NYC Public Schools committed $2.1 million initial investment to expand service learning programs in the Bronx.
4. Corporate CSR Partnerships: Companies partner through CSR programs, funding schools and sending employees on Trek experiences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

buildOn runs two interconnected programs: a U.S. Service Learning Program that mobilizes high school students in underperforming urban schools through weekly community service, and a Global School Construction Program that partners with rural communities in eight low-income countries (Malawi, Nepal, Guatemala, Senegal, Haiti, Nicaragua, Mali, Burkina Faso) to build schools, breaking ground on a new school every two days. Supporting programs include the Enroll Program (returning out-of-school children to classrooms), Adult Literacy Program, and Trek volunteer immersion experiences for donors and corporate partners.

Product overview

buildOn is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating two interconnected core programs: a Global School Construction Program that builds schools in eight low-income countries (breaking ground on a new school every two days), and a U.S. Service Learning Program that engages American high school students in community service. The organization supports these core offerings with complementary programs including the Enroll Program (re-enrolling out-of-school children), Adult Literacy Program (teaching adults reading, writing, and numeracy skills with microfinance components), and Trek (volunteer immersion experiences where participants travel to partner countries to build schools alongside communities). Together, these programs form a unified service model that addresses educational access globally while developing youth leadership locally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global School Construction Program Partners with rural communities in eight low-income countries (Malawi, Nepal, Guatemala, Senegal, Haiti, Nicaragua, Mali, Burkina Faso) to build schools, breaking ground on a new school every two days. Community residents contribute labor and form Project Leadership Committees that maintain the buildings long-term. Funded by individual donors, foundations, and corporate partners; serves children in low-income communities lacking educational infrastructure.
• U.S. Service Learning Program Mobilizes high school students in underperforming urban high schools across the Bronx, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Bridgeport, and Connecticut to participate in weekly community service. Engagement Specialists facilitate the chapter-based program addressing local needs such as food insecurity, senior care, youth mentorship, and community development.
• Enroll Program Identifies out-of-school children in buildOn's partner communities and provides accelerated learning classes, resources, and ongoing support to help them return to and remain in formal school settings. Delivered jointly with Education Above All/EAC and other partners.
• Adult Literacy Program Equips adults in buildOn's partner developing communities with reading, writing, and numeracy skills, often combined with microfinance training to enable income-generating activities. Funded with partners including the Education Above All Foundation / Educate A Child (EAC) and Qatar Fund for Development.
• Trek Voluntary immersion program for donors, corporate partners, and students to travel to partner countries and work alongside local communities to construct school buildings, providing a cultural and hands-on engagement with the communities buildOn serves.
• CSR Partnership Program Customized corporate social responsibility engagements that combine school funding, employee Trek volunteer experiences, and branded storytelling for partner companies (e.g., Fitch Group, NACEPF). Packages can include dedicated school construction, Enroll and Adult Literacy co-funding, and School in a Bag distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% high school graduation rate for buildOn students vs. peers
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Fitch GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFitch Group has helped construct 5 schools across Nepal, Guatemala, and Senegal, creating classrooms for 660 students. Funded Enroll Program (83 children re-enrolled) and Adult Literacy Program (574 adult learners). Employees participate in Trek experiences, and Fitch has partnered with School in a Bag to distribute thousands of SchoolBags.
• School in a BagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool in a Bag provides backpacks filled with essential learning materials (exercise books, stationery, hygiene items, water bottles) to students at buildOn schools. Fitch Group has partnered to pack thousands of SchoolBags, including a 40-foot container with 3,000 bags for Senegal communities.
• Education Above All Foundation - Educate A Child (EAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEAC partners with buildOn to construct schools and implement Enroll Programs. Jointly funded school in Chimbwanda (buildOn's 3,000th school). Partnership also supports Adult Literacy Programs with funding from Qatar Fund for Development.
• Rising GroundsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the Bronx for MLK Day resource fair serving families, providing community resources and support services.
• RYZE West Nursing HomesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago partnership where buildOn students host BINGO events and intergenerational service activities.
• The Avalon VillagesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDetroit partnership for MLK Day service projects including packing winter wellness kits for senior homes.
• Education Above All FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with EAC's Educate A Child program to build Chimbwanda school #3,000 in Malawi, with Education Above All funding construction.
• Education Above All - Educate A ChildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn Haiti, EAC partnership runs Accelerated Learning classes helping displaced children from Port-au-Prince catch up on missed education.
• Greater Chicago Food DepositorysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago service partner where buildOn students volunteer to pack and organize food for families facing hunger.
• DuSable Black History MuseumsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural institution for Chicago buildOn students to explore African American history and leadership legacy.
• National Veterans Art MuseumsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago partner where veterans share stories with buildOn students about military service experiences.
• Habitat for HumanitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston partnership where buildOn students work on fair housing projects in the community.
• Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun ViolencesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston partnership for MLK Day focusing on gun violence prevention, healing, and policy awareness.
• Louis D. Brown Peace InstitutesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston partner for gun violence prevention programming and healing-centered service.
• University of Detroit MercysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership in Detroit for MLK Day service projects alongside buildOn students.
• University of ChicagosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege exploration partner where buildOn students tour campus to imagine futures beyond high school.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• YouthBuild USA: YouthBuild engages opportunity youth in education and community service in U.S. cities, mirroring buildOn's domestic service-learning delivery model and target demographics.
• DoSomething.org: DoSomething.org mobilizes young people in volunteer campaigns and civic service across U.S. cities, overlapping buildOn's youth-engagement funnel and U.S. service-learning channels.
• Pencils of Promise: Pencils of Promise builds schools in developing countries and runs U.S. service-learning engagement — the closest one-for-one comparable to buildOn's dual school-construction-plus-domestic-youth-program model.
• Room to Read: Room to Read constructs schools and supports literacy programs across low-income countries in Asia and Africa, sharing buildOn's school-construction-plus-education-services model and global developing-country footprint.
• WE Charity (Free The Children): WE Charity mobilized North American youth through domestic service-learning while building schools and development programs internationally — directly overlapping buildOn's youth-service-plus-global-construction identity.
• City Year: City Year places young adults in underperforming U.S. urban schools to improve attendance and graduation outcomes — highly comparable to buildOn's U.S. Service Learning Program targeting the same urban high school population.

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: Points of Light operates a broader volunteer-movement infrastructure that includes corporate CSR and youth service — comparable in mission but much larger in scope than buildOn's specialist U.S. program.
• Habitat for Humanity: Habitat for Humanity is both an existing buildOn partner and a broader incumbent that builds shelter infrastructure (including schools) globally via community-labor models — overlapping buildOn's construction methodology.
• UNICEF USA: UNICEF funds and operates large-scale education access and school construction in many of the same low-income countries where buildOn operates, representing a much larger but adjacent incumbent in the same geographies.

Others

• NetHope: NetHope is a consortium of international NGOs operating in low-income countries — adjacent to buildOn's global program footprint and overlapping on partner ecosystem and field operations, though not a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/buildOn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buildon
• Instagraminstagram.com/buildOn
• TikToktiktok.com/@buildonofficial
• Xx.com/buildon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about buildOn