BUILD
BUILD, Inc. is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 1969 that delivers free gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development services across ten program lines to over 6,500 youth and families annually on Chicago's West Side.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What BUILD does
BUILD, Inc. is a Chicago-based nonprofit founded in 1969 that delivers gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development services to residents of Chicago's West Side, primarily in the Austin and Humboldt Park neighborhoods. The organization operates as a wraparound service provider, running ten core program lines — Upstream In Schools, After School & Community Programs, Intervention & Crisis Response, College & Career Pathways (including Jobs for Teens), Mental Health & Support Services, Sports & Fitness, Art/Music & Making, Farm & Gardens, Community & Civic Engagement, and E-Waste Recycling — that collectively reach over 6,500 youth and families annually. All services are provided free of charge with no enrollment barriers.
Service delivery is human-centered and site-anchored. BUILD runs two physical facilities — the Austin Campus headquarters at 5100 W. Harrison St. and a Humboldt Park office at 1750 N. Kimball Ave. — and extends reach through the school-based Upstream In Schools channel and recurring community events (Summer Family Nights, Hoops on the Block, PlayStreets, Donna Dudley Peace Project Softball League). Technology use is limited to standard back-office tools: Paylocity for HR/payroll, Bonterra Solutions Apricot 360 for registrations, Microsoft 365 Forms for event sign-ups, Google Calendar/Outlook/iCalendar for event distribution, and Cloudflare for security and email obfuscation. Compliance certifications include HIPAA, FERPA, PCI DSS, and COPPA.
BUILD's business model is donation- and grant-funded; the organization is governed as BUILD, Inc. under Illinois nonprofit law with no parent company, no private equity, and no institutional investor ownership. Programs are free to participants, and the operating base is supplemented through strategic partnerships — Rush University Medical Center (health services), Austin Garden Collective and Neighborspace (urban farming and nutrition), Sunshine Enterprises (Community Business Academy), The Collective Yoga Co-op (wellness), Bethel New Life, CHANGE Illinois, and others — that extend service depth without direct cost passthrough.
BUILD firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BUILD
- Legal name
- BUILD, Inc.
- Website
- https://buildchicago.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- BUILD, Inc. is a Chicago nonprofit founded in 1969 that delivers free gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development services across ten program lines to over 6,500 youth and families annually on Chicago's West Side.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BUILD industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Youth Development & Community Social Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD)
Keywords
Where BUILD is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
BUILD business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: As a nonprofit organization, BUILD is funded through donations, grants, and charitable contributions. The organization offers volunteer opportunities and accepts donations through its website. All services to youth and families are provided free of charge.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Free | All programs are completely free to youth and families |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
BUILD product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BUILD is a nonprofit organization that delivers free gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development services on Chicago's West Side. Programs span school-based intervention, after-school activities, crisis response, mental health counseling, college and career readiness, sports, arts, urban farming, and civic engagement. All services are provided at no cost to more than 6,500 youth and families annually through facilities in the Austin and Humboldt Park neighborhoods and partnerships with Chicago Public Schools.
Product overview
BUILD is a nonprofit gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of free programs and services reaching over 6,500 youth and families annually. The organization operates as a unified service provider with multiple interconnected programs including Upstream In Schools, After School & Community Programs, Intervention & Crisis Response, College & Career Pathways (including Jobs for Teens), Mental Health & Support Services, Sports & Fitness, Art, Music & Making, Farm & Gardens (with Home Gardening Workshop Series), Community & Civic Engagement (including the Peace & Justice Center), and E-Waste Recycling. All services are provided free of charge to Chicago's West Side communities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Upstream In Schools
- After School & Community Programs
- Intervention & Crisis Response
- College & Career Pathways
- Mental Health & Support Services
- Sports & Fitness
- Art, Music & Making
- Farm & Gardens
- Community & Civic Engagement
- E-Waste Recycling Hub
Quantifiable outcome
- 6,500+ youth and families reached annually with free comprehensive services
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use BUILD
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
BUILD technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
BUILD partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Austin Garden CollectivecorePartner in the West Side Fresh Side culinary and nutrition seminar series, providing hands-on nutrition education and fresh produce access to West Side residents.
- NeighborspacecoreCollaborative partner in the West Side Fresh Side nutrition workshop series, supporting community gardening and food access initiatives.
- CHANGE ILminorPartner in Ending Prison Gerrymandering initiative, providing information to incarcerated individuals about census representation rights and hosting letter-writing campaigns.
- Creer Un EspaceminorPartner in Community Dialogue events focused on building trust, healing, and reimagining public safety through authentic community engagement.
- Austin Coming TogetherminorPartner in Austin Eats Movie in the Garden community event, bringing film, food, and community conversation to the Austin neighborhood.
- One Earth CollectiveminorPartner in Austin Eats Movie in the Garden community event focused on food access and community building.
- Rush University Medical Center / Rush GenerationscorePartner providing health promotion and disease prevention services, including flu shots and health education at BUILD's Sue Gin Health Center.
- Sunshine EnterprisesminorPartner providing the Community Business Academy, offering hands-on training in business planning and management for entrepreneurs.
- The Collective Yoga Co-opminorPartner leading Yoga on the Farm sessions at BUILD's urban farm, providing mindfulness and wellness programming.
- CHANGE IllinoisminorPartner in voter engagement and civic education initiatives, including Together We Vote programs.
- Bethel New LifeminorCommunity partner organization, co-host of garden workshop events.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BUILD competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Youth Guidance: Youth Guidance is a Chicago nonprofit providing school-based mental health, violence prevention, and youth development programs — directly comparable to BUILD's Upstream In Schools and mental health service lines.
- After School Matters: After School Matters is a Chicago-based nonprofit providing out-of-school programs in arts, sports, STEM, and career exploration for teens — overlapping directly with BUILD's after-school, arts, and college/career pathway offerings.
- UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network): UCAN provides youth and family services on Chicago's West and South Sides, including counseling, youth development, and violence prevention — closely aligned with BUILD's mental health, intervention, and youth development services.
- Chicago Youth Centers: Chicago Youth Centers operates youth development centers across the city offering after-school, sports, education, and career programs — directly comparable to BUILD's after-school and youth development model.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago: Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago operates youth development programs across Chicago's most underserved neighborhoods, including after-school, sports, arts, and college/career readiness — directly mirroring BUILD's service mix and target youth population.
- Communities In Schools of Chicago: Communities In Schools of Chicago places support staff inside Chicago Public Schools to connect students with counseling, tutoring, and crisis intervention — directly comparable to BUILD's Upstream In Schools school-based programming.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago provides one-on-one youth mentoring across Chicago, including in underserved neighborhoods — closely aligned with BUILD's mentoring-driven youth development model.
Broad incumbents
- Metropolitan Family Services: Metropolitan Family Services is a Chicago-based human services nonprofit offering youth, family, and mental health programs — overlapping with BUILD's wraparound service model and West Side service area.
- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago: Catholic Charities of Chicago is a large established social services nonprofit providing youth, family, and community-based programs citywide — comparable in mission and target population to BUILD, though with broader geographic and service scope.
- YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago: YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is a large established youth services organization offering after-school, sports, and wellness programming across the city — comparable to BUILD's sports/fitness and after-school offerings, though serving a broader geographic and demographic base.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BUILD social profiles
Digital presenceBUILD compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
BUILD financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BUILD leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
BUILD funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BUILD 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
What does BUILD do?
BUILD is a nonprofit organization that delivers free gang intervention, violence prevention, and youth development services on Chicago's West Side. Programs span school-based intervention, after-school activities, crisis response, mental health counseling, college and career readiness, sports, arts, urban farming, and civic engagement. All services are provided at no cost to more than 6,500 youth and families annually through facilities in the Austin and Humboldt Park neighborhoods and partnerships with Chicago Public Schools.
Is BUILD a public or private company?
BUILD is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BUILD founded?
BUILD was founded in 1969. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is BUILD based?
BUILD is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does BUILD make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Grants.
Who are BUILD's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Youth Guidance, After School Matters, UCAN (Uhlich Children's Advantage Network), Chicago Youth Centers, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Communities In Schools of Chicago and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago. Broad incumbents are Metropolitan Family Services, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
Does BUILD have an API?
No public API is recorded for BUILD.
What industry is BUILD in?
BUILD's product category is Youth Development & Community Social Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAC, After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits, with a secondary code of BPAGADAJ, Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8300.