Sawhorse Revolution

What Sawhorse Revolution does

Sawhorse Revolution is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 (incubated under the Rubicon Foundation) that operates youth design-build programs in partnership with area high schools, architecture firms, and construction companies. Students from Central and South Seattle high schools — Rainier Beach, Franklin, Garfield, Nova, Summit Sierra, Interagency Academy, Chief Sealth, and West Seattle — work alongside professional carpenter and architect mentors to design and construct community infrastructure, including tiny homes placed in city-run homeless encampments, garden sheds, libraries, pavilions, and boats. Over 75 projects have been completed to date, housing more than 300 people, with a notable $128,500 award from Seattle's Human Services Department in 2017 funding 10 tiny homes in a single year.

The organization's underlying technology is fundamentally traditional: carpentry education using hand and power tools, student-led design processes, and physical construction informed by professional design mentorship. The operating model is asset-light, with the organization holding a Washington State General Contractor License since 2018 and running annual summer residential camps at Smoke Farm in Arlington, WA, in addition to year-round programming in Seattle.

Revenue derives entirely from contributions, not from participant fees. The funding mix includes individual donations at tiered levels from $5 to $3,500, grants from roughly a dozen foundations plus the City of Seattle (Office of Arts & Culture, Department of Neighborhoods, Human Services Department), sustained corporate sponsorships from construction firms (DPR Construction since 2018, Skanska, BN Builders, Dowbuilt) and architecture firms (LMN Architects, Olson Kundig, Mithun, BN Builders), plus an event-based fundraising arm anchored by the annual Gingerbread Barn-Raiser Gala (9th annual in 2025) with a stated $100,000 single-night goal. Programs are delivered free to high school participants, who receive school credit and stipends; built structures are delivered at no cost to recipient community organizations.

Name

Sawhorse Revolution

Legal name

Sawhorse Revolution

Website

https://sawhorserevolution.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that pairs Central and South Seattle high school students with professional carpenters and architects to design and build community infrastructure such as tiny homes, garden structures, libraries, and pavilions through free design-build programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Trades Education

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

DIY & Home Skills Workshops (Woodworking, Carpentry, Home Repair, Gardening) (THAJAKAI), Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Youth carpentry programs
• Design-build education
• Community construction training
• Nonprofit vocational training
• Tiny home construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Sawhorse Revolution is funded primarily through individual donations at various levels ($5 to $3,500+). The donation page outlines specific impact levels: $5 for box of screws, $20 for design materials, $50 for stocked tool belt, $80 for safety gear, $100 for circular saw or lumber framing a tiny home, $250 for student transportation, $500 for a watershed/boathouse project, $1,000 for a full day build, $3,500 for a full building.
2. Foundation and Corporate Grants: Grant funding from foundations including foundry10, Medina Foundation, 4Culture, Norcliffe Foundation, MJ Murdock Charitable Trust, Mannix Canby, Royal Little Foundation, Treeline Foundation, Horizons Foundation, East Seattle Foundation, ArtsFund, Bonnell Cove Foundation, Wild Geese Foundation, Adobe Employee Community Fund, and government funding from Office of Arts & Culture and Department of Neighborhoods.
3. Corporate Sponsorships and Partner Support: Sustained support from construction companies (DPR Construction since 2018, Skanska, BN Builders, Dowbuilt, etc.) and architecture firms (LMN Architects, Olson Kundig, etc.) who provide funding, volunteer mentors, materials donations, and event sponsorship.
4. Event-Based Fundraising: Annual galas and fundraising events including the Gingerbread Barn-Raiser Gala (goal: $100,000 in one night per 2024 event), cocktail parties, and cornhole tournaments generate significant revenue and community engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sawhorse Revolution is a Seattle-based non-profit that teams high school youth with professional carpenters and architects to design and build community projects including tiny homes for the homeless, libraries, garden structures, and boats. The organization delivers free year-round design/build programs, immersive summer camps, women-focused programming, boat building courses, and work readiness training, producing tangible community infrastructure while teaching practical carpentry and trades skills.

Product overview

Sawhorse Revolution is a Seattle-based non-profit offering youth carpentry and design education programs. The organization operates several interconnected programs: Design/Build Programs where high school students collaborate with professional carpenters and architects on community projects; Summer Camps held at Smoke Farm providing immersive carpentry education; Women's Programs serving all-women and non-binary youth; Boat Building Programs teaching wooden boat construction; Work Readiness Programs preparing students for construction careers; and the Impossible City initiative building tiny homes for the homeless. The portfolio ranges from tiny home construction and garden structures to boat building and community facilities, all unified by the mission of fostering confident, community-oriented youth through the power of carpentry and craft.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design/Build Programs Student-led design and construction programs where high school youth work with professional carpenters and architects to create community projects including tiny homes, garden structures, and public facilities. Programs are free for participating students.
• Summer Camp Immersive week-long residential carpentry programs held at Smoke Farm in Arlington, WA, where students learn carpentry skills while building structures in a camp setting.
• Women's Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 75 projects completed, housing 300+ people
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and foundational.

• DPR ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term corporate partner supporting Sawhorse since 2018. Hosts annual Cornhole Classic fundraiser to raise money for Sawhorse programs. Provides professional mentorship and volunteer support on build projects.
• LMN ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm partner hosting Cocktails & Community fundraiser events at The Shop (723 1st Avenue, Seattle). Provides design mentorship for student projects including Salish House and Wunderbar Salvage House.
• Olson KundigcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning architecture firm providing design mentorship on multiple projects including The Nest, EASE.L House, Estelita's Library, Salish House, and New Holly Shade Shelter.
• Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary recipient of tiny home projects. Nickelsville homeless encampment coalition receives student-built structures including The Nest, Green House, multiple Salvage Houses, and more. Ongoing relationship since 2014.
• Seattle Housing AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on multiple projects including Neighborhood Impact Design Program (remote Covid program) and New Holly Shade Shelter for Rockery Market Garden. Provides site access and community connections.
• BN BuildersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction company partner on The Parabay Homes and Estelita's Expansion projects. Provides professional mentorship and volunteer build support.
• DowbuiltmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor of Fundamentals of Residential Construction program (pays student stipends) and build mentor on Fireweed House and New Holly Shade Shelter projects.
• Rubicon FoundationfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwner of Smoke Farm property (Arlington, WA) where Sawhorse's first three summer camps were held. Original incubator of Sawhorse Revolution starting in 2010. Provided land and support for early programs.
• Wood Technology Center (Seattle Community College)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides shop and classroom space for Boat Camp programs. Source of student mentors. Collaboration on multiple build projects including Boat Camp I, Boat Camp II, and Not-a-bunk-bed House interior buildout.
• Interagency AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle's last-chance public school system serving students with multiple barriers to success. Primary school partner for Sawhorse programs including Security Booth, Salvage Houses II & III, Community Locker, and Resilient Environments Lab.
• Franklin High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Seattle high school partner for multiple projects including Salvage House I, Theater Set, Vivaldi House, Fireweed House, and Not-a-bunk-bed House.
• AIA Diversity RoundtablemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture professional group providing design mentorship on Africatown Center Garden Shed, Resilient Environments Lab, and YES Farm Outdoor Classroom projects.
• MithunmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm providing design mentorship on Vivaldi House, Fireweed House, and Wunderbar Salvage House projects.
• SkanskamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCurrent partner construction company listed on partners page. Provides professional mentorship and build support.
• Thomas Dambo / Northwest Trolls - Way of the Bird KingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with international artist Thomas Dambo on building Bruun Idun, a 16-foot pallet wood troll sculpture at Lincoln Park, West Seattle. Students worked on sculpture crew for two weeks.
• yəhaw̓ Indigenous Creatives CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndigenous arts collective partnered on Food Sovereignty Shed Design/Build project as act of 'rematriation' in Rainier Beach. Featured in South Seattle Emerald and foundry10 coverage.
• Estelita's LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term community partner for tiny cultural space project. Sawhorse students designed and built 200 sq ft library for social justice literature. Expansion added in 2022. Lindo family project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Per Scholas: National nonprofit providing tuition-free technical training for underrepresented adults. Comparable mission of skills-based pathways for underserved youth and adults, though focused on IT rather than trades; competes for similar workforce-development funding.
• Habitat for Humanity: Massive international nonprofit affordable homebuilder with youth and volunteer engagement programs. Overlaps with Sawhorse on nonprofit-built housing and volunteer-driven construction, but at vastly greater scale and with a global affiliate structure.
• Job Corps: Federal program providing free education and vocational training—including construction trades—to young adults ages 16-24. Largest incumbent in the youth-trades-training space and a partial substitute for Sawhorse's Work Readiness outcomes.

Direct peers

• YouthBuild USA: National nonprofit network of 260+ YouthBuild programs that provide construction trades training and education to opportunity youth ages 16-24. Operates the same youth-construction-plus-community-service model as Sawhorse at much larger national scale.
• Community Rebuilds: Moab, Utah-based nonprofit that trains young adults in natural building and straw-bale construction while producing affordable housing for low-income homeowners. Most direct operational analog to Sawhorse's youth-labor + community-construction model.
• Urban Boatbuilders: St. Paul, Minnesota nonprofit that pairs at-risk youth with mentors to build wooden boats sold to the public, using hands-on craft as a vehicle for life skills and career pathways. Directly comparable to Sawhorse's Boat Building Program philosophy and craft-based youth development model.
• Trade Institute of Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that trains returning citizens in masonry and carpentry trades, pairing instruction with real construction projects. Similar model of hands-on trades training combined with community-relevant build output for an underserved adult population.

Regional players

• Rising Sun Center for Opportunity: Oakland, California nonprofit that trains young adults (primarily women and people of color) for green careers including construction and energy efficiency. Comparable workforce-development focus but California-specific and broader than carpentry alone.

Emerging players

• Juma Ventures: National nonprofit providing youth employment, financial literacy, and workforce development, often operating social enterprises. Comparable youth-workforce-development mission and competes for similar corporate and foundation funding pools.
• Larkin Street Youth Services: San Francisco nonprofit serving youth experiencing homelessness with housing, education, and workforce programs. Shares Sawhorse's intersection of youth services and housing access, though without the explicit design-build trade training component.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sawhorse-revolution

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Sawhorse Revolution