Build Change
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersDenver, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Build Change firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Build Change
- Legal name
- Build Change
- Website
- https://buildchange.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Build Change industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disaster-Resilient Housing Technical Assistance
- NAICS
- Residential Remodelers (236118), Residential Building Construction (2361)
- SIC
- General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), Services-Miscellaneous Repair Services (7600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Post-Disaster Whole-Home Rebuild (Fire/Water/Storm) (HSAPAEAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs (BPAGAAAK), Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK), Disaster Recovery & Emergency Housing Assistance Programs (FSALAKAK)
Keywords
Where Build Change is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Denver
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Build Change business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: Build Change is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that operates primarily through donations from individuals, corporations, and charitable foundations. The organization accepts one-time and monthly donations.
- Foundation and Government Grants: Major funding from foundations such as Patrick J. McGovern Foundation ($73.5M grant in 2024), Global Innovation Fund, and government partnerships including support from the Government of India through CDRI-IRAF.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies including Autodesk Foundation, Holcim, Turner & Townsend, and others that provide financial support, in-kind donations, and pro bono services.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Build Change product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Build Change delivers technical assistance, capacity building, and technology solutions for disaster-resilient housing in developing countries. The organization partners with governments, microfinance institutions, and community-based organizations to enable homeowner-driven construction, retrofitting, and policy reform, supported by its proprietary BCtap platform and Tara generative AI assistant.
Product overview
Build Change offers a suite of products and tools centered on resilient housing. The flagship is BCtap, an end-to-end technical assistance platform (web and offline-first mobile) that digitizes the construction value chain for use by engineers, architects, program administrators, microfinance loan officers, and homeowners. Complementing BCtap is The Build Change Guide to Resilient Housing, an essential handbook for governments and practitioners. Additional tools include RHEAT™ (a named tool in the sitemap) and Tara, a generative AI chatbot built on BCtap that provides multilingual conversational assistance on disaster-resilient construction. The Climate Resilient Housing Initiative is a broader Race to Resilience program. The portfolio is unified around a homeowner-driven approach to systems change in resilient housing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BCtap: Build Change's technical assistance platform, an end-to-end solution that pairs technology with subject matter expertise to take resilient housing programs to scale.
- The Climate Resilient Housing Initiative
Products and services
- BCtap Technical Assistance Platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Retrofitting saves 68% of embodied carbon compared to new construction
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Build Change
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Build Change technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature5 records
Build Change partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- KOMIDAcoreWomen-centered local microfinance institution in Indonesia. Partnership launched Incremental Climate Adaptation Loans (ICALs) helping low-income households (living on less than $5/day) afford incremental home improvements for climate and disaster resilience. Combines financing with technical assistance.
- World BankcorePartnership with World Bank and Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing in Indonesia. Conducted surveys of over 500 homes and presented recommendations that led to compliance increase from 11% to 75%. Also supporting Indonesia Green Affordable Housing Program (IGAHP).
- Honduran Red CrosscoreJoint program leading climate-resilient housing in Honduras. Combined Build Change's technical expertise with Red Cross's frontline emergency response experience. Targeted communities in Lupo Viejo and Portrerillos in Sula Valley.
- KCoopcoreMicrofinance institution in the Philippines serving as distribution channel for resilient housing loans. Partnered with Build Change to pilot Tara AI assistant for supporting homeowners and local builders in constructing safer homes.
- Autodesk FoundationcoreFinancial and pro bono technical support including employee volunteering. Enabled expansion of programs in the Philippines, Nepal, and Haiti, fostering innovative digital tools that strengthened thousands of homes and schools and accelerated resilient building practices globally.
- RMS (Risk Management Solutions)coreProvided pro bono access to advanced catastrophe modeling and risk assessment tools. Helped quantify benefits of resilient construction, empowering local governments and homeowners to make informed safety investments.
- HolcimcoreAs a leader in sustainable building, Holcim's partnership advances the use of innovative, resilient, and eco-friendly construction materials. Support enabled piloting and scaling of sustainable building practices, resulting in safer, more durable, and environmentally responsible homes and schools.
- IFC Building Resilience Index Technical Review PanelminorElizabeth Hausler served on the panel contributing expertise on disaster-resilient housing.
- World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council for Risk and ResilienceminorElizabeth Hausler served on the council contributing to global discussions on risk and resilience.
- UN-HabitatflagshipOngoing collaboration including participation in Open-Ended Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All (OEWG-H2) and contributions to housing policy discussions at global forums including COP30.
- UNFCCC Race to ResilienceflagshipBuild Change is a member of Race to Resilience, driving the Climate Resilient Housing Initiative that engages decision-makers and homeowners across the housing value chain.
- Habitat for Humanity InternationalcoreCo-leading UNFCCC side events at COP30 on financing resilient built environment, exploring challenges and opportunities in securing finance for sustainable and resilient housing.
- World Green Building Council (WGBC)corePartnership at COP30 for UNFCCC side event on resilient built environment, showcasing policy interventions and scalable solutions for climate action.
Scale indicators18 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Build Change competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Miyamoto International: Engineering and program delivery firm specializing in disaster-resilient structural design and reconstruction; operates with similar mission to reduce earthquake/disaster losses and serves overlapping government and humanitarian clients.
- Habitat for Humanity International: Global nonprofit building and improving housing for low-income families; Build Change is co-leading UNFCCC COP30 side events with Habitat for Humanity on financing resilient built environments, reflecting directly aligned mission and donor base.
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): Global humanitarian network with major shelter and disaster-recovery programs; Build Change's Honduras program with the Honduran Red Cross demonstrates direct partnership and overlapping post-disaster housing reconstruction work.
- ShelterBox: Specialized disaster-relief nonprofit providing emergency shelter and recovery support after disasters; narrower focus than Build Change but directly comparable in disaster-affected housing reconstruction.
Emerging players
- Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation: Nonprofit advancing seismic risk assessment and open data; complementary rather than directly competing, but shares Build Change's structural-engineering approach to reducing earthquake mortality in vulnerable regions.
Broad incumbents
- World Vision International: Large humanitarian and development NGO with disaster recovery and shelter programs; broader portfolio than Build Change but overlapping geographies, donor base, and vulnerable-population focus.
- Mercy Corps: Large humanitarian NGO with disaster recovery programming including shelter; broader portfolio than Build Change but directly overlapping in disaster-affected geographies and vulnerable-population focus.
- UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urban development and adequate housing; Build Change partners with UN-Habitat on policy working groups but UN-Habitat is the larger institutional actor shaping housing policy.
- Catholic Relief Services (CRS): International humanitarian agency with significant shelter and recovery programs; competes for similar institutional donor funding and works in overlapping disaster-prone countries.
Others
- Holcim Foundation: Corporate foundation of a global building-materials company funding sustainable construction; Build Change's partnership with Holcim positions the foundation as a thematically-aligned enabler rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Build Change social profiles
Digital presenceBuild Change financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Build Change leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Build Change funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Build Change M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Build Change
What does Build Change do?
Build Change delivers technical assistance, capacity building, and technology solutions for disaster-resilient housing in developing countries. The organization partners with governments, microfinance institutions, and community-based organizations to enable homeowner-driven construction, retrofitting, and policy reform, supported by its proprietary BCtap platform and Tara generative AI assistant.
Is Build Change a public or private company?
Build Change is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Build Change founded?
Build Change was founded in 2004. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Build Change based?
Build Change is headquartered in Denver, United States, in the North America region.
How does Build Change make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are foundation and Government Grants and corporate Partnerships.
Who are Build Change's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Miyamoto International, Habitat for Humanity International, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and ShelterBox. Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are World Vision International, Mercy Corps, UN-Habitat and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). Holcim Foundation is listed as an others.
Does Build Change have an API?
No public API is recorded for Build Change.
What industry is Build Change in?
Build Change's product category is Disaster-Resilient Housing Technical Assistance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAPAEAH, Post-Disaster Whole-Home Rebuild (Fire/Water/Storm), with a secondary code of BPAGAAAK, Disaster Recovery, Reconstruction & Resilience Programs. Its NAICS code is 236118 and its SIC code is 1520.