BUILD

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.

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

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

• Youth development services
• Gang intervention programs
• Violence prevention services
• Community mental health
• Nonprofit youth programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Austin Garden CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the West Side Fresh Side culinary and nutrition seminar series, providing hands-on nutrition education and fresh produce access to West Side residents.
• NeighborspacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the West Side Fresh Side nutrition workshop series, supporting community gardening and food access initiatives.
• CHANGE ILminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Ending Prison Gerrymandering initiative, providing information to incarcerated individuals about census representation rights and hosting letter-writing campaigns.
• Creer Un EspaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Community Dialogue events focused on building trust, healing, and reimagining public safety through authentic community engagement.
• Austin Coming TogetherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Austin Eats Movie in the Garden community event, bringing film, food, and community conversation to the Austin neighborhood.
• One Earth CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Austin Eats Movie in the Garden community event focused on food access and community building.
• Rush University Medical Center / Rush GenerationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing health promotion and disease prevention services, including flu shots and health education at BUILD's Sue Gin Health Center.
• Sunshine EnterprisesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing the Community Business Academy, offering hands-on training in business planning and management for entrepreneurs.
• The Collective Yoga Co-opminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner leading Yoga on the Farm sessions at BUILD's urban farm, providing mindfulness and wellness programming.
• CHANGE IllinoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in voter engagement and civic education initiatives, including Together We Vote programs.
• Bethel New LifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner organization, co-host of garden workshop events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/buildchicago

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 BUILD