Build Healthy Places Network

What Build Healthy Places Network does

Build Healthy Places Network (BHPN) is a national nonprofit convener, founded in 2016 and operating as a program of the Public Health Institute (Oakland, CA), that unites the community development, health, and finance sectors to improve neighborhood-level health outcomes and advance racial equity. The organization produces an extensive content and tool library — including the Healthcare Playbook for Community Developers, REPAIR Framework for Racial Healing, Partner Finder directory, Jargon Buster, MeasureUp microsite, Factsheet Series, Community Close-Ups case studies, Crosswalk blog (on Medium), The Pulse newsletter, and The Bulletin — delivered through its website (buildhealthyplaces.org) and a multi-channel content marketing footprint spanning LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Medium, and webinars. BHPN also runs convening programs including the Network Commons webinar series and the Healthy Communities Initiative (co-stewarded with regional Federal Reserve Banks and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), and delivers customized fee-for-service technical assistance (landscape/market analysis, case-making, connection brokering, training).

The flagship programmatic line is the Community Innovations for Racial Equity (CIRE) initiative, launched in 2022 with funding from The Kresge Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which provides $50,000 grants plus coaching, action labs, and peer learning to cohorts of BIPOC-led and allied Community Development Corporations in small and mid-sized U.S. cities. The current CIRE cohort (2024-2026) is funded by a $1.1 million Kresge Foundation grant. BHPN is led by Co-Executive Directors Colleen Flynn and Ruth Thomas-Squance (in shared leadership since 2022), supported by a small senior program team and a National Advisory Council; the organization adopted a new 2026-2028 strategic plan to sharpen its mission around community leadership, health, opportunity, and belonging. The revenue model is grant-funded foundation support (RWJF, Kresge, W.K. Kellogg, Benedum) augmented by quote-based, multi-year contracted technical assistance engagements; no traditional software product, paid SaaS tier, or AI capability exists.

Name

Build Healthy Places Network

Legal name

Build Healthy Places Network

Website

https://buildhealthyplaces.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Build Healthy Places Network is a national nonprofit convener that unites community development, health, and finance sectors through publications, frameworks, webinars, and the CIRE initiative, serving healthcare systems, BIPOC-led CDCs, and CDFIs across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development and Health Consulting

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health & Health Equity/Social Determinants Units (HLAJAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL), Care Navigation, Advocacy & Benefits Guidance Platforms (HLALADAJ)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Cross-sector collaboration
• Health equity consulting
• Community investment network
• Nonprofit field building

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: BHPN operates as a program of the Public Health Institute with support from major foundations including Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. The CIRE initiative received a $1.1 million grant from Kresge Foundation for 2024-2026.
2. Fee-for-Service Technical Assistance: BHPN provides customized services including landscape/market analysis, case-making, brokering connections, and training to health and community development organizations for fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Build Healthy Places Network is a national nonprofit network that publishes free tools, frameworks, and publications (e.g., Partner Finder, Jargon Buster, MeasureUp, REPAIR Framework, Healthcare Playbook) and delivers paid technical assistance and convening services to help healthcare systems, community development corporations, CDFIs, and foundations collaborate on health, racial equity, and community investment. Its flagship initiative, Community Innovations for Racial Equity (CIRE), funds and coaches BIPOC-led CDCs with cross-sector partnerships.

Product overview

Build Healthy Places Network is a knowledge-sharing platform that provides publications, tools, resources, training, and convening services to unite the health, community development, and finance sectors. The organization operates primarily as a content and knowledge hub rather than a software product. Key offerings include the Partner Finder directory tool, MeasureUp microsite for measuring program impact, the Healthcare Playbook for Community Developers, the REPAIR Framework for Racial Healing, Community Innovations for Racial Equity (CIRE) initiative, various publications (Crosswalk, The Pulse Newsletter, Community Close-Ups, The Bulletin), Network Commons webinars, and professional services including landscape/market analysis, case-making, connection brokering, and training. The network also manages the Healthy Communities Initiative in partnership with Federal Reserve Banks and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and provides thematic resource collections on topics including COVID-19, rural partnerships, and community building principles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CIRE (Community Innovations for Racial Equity): A learning community and initiative supporting BIPOC-led and allied Community Development Corporations to advance health and racial equity through cross-sector partnerships
• Crosswalk
• The Pulse
• The Bulletin
• Community Close-Ups
• Network Commons
• Healthy Communities Initiative
• MeasureUp
• Principles for Building Healthy and Prosperous Communities

Products and services

• Community Innovations for Racial Equity (CIRE) A learning community and cohort initiative providing funding (approximately $50,000 per cohort member), coaching, peer learning, and action labs to selected BIPOC-led and allied Community Development Corporations to advance health and racial equity through community-driven strategies and partnerships with mission-driven investors.
• Healthcare Playbook for Community Developers A resource/guide that provides practical advice for community developers on navigating partnerships with hospitals and healthcare systems, directed at community development organizations seeking to partner with healthcare.
• Partner Finder A collection of directories to help users find organizations nearest to them for cross-sector collaboration at the intersection of community development and health.
• Jargon Buster A tool to demystify common industry jargon at the intersection of community development and health.
• MeasureUp A microsite of resources and tools to help measure and describe the impact of programs addressing community health, including mapping tools, measurement tools, evidence base, and measurement stories.
• REPAIR Framework for Racial Healing A framework for leaders in healthcare, community development, and philanthropy to partner with community development corporations to rectify past harms done to historically marginalized and disinvested communities.
• Principles for Building Healthy and Prosperous Communities A shared values framework across community development and health sectors, derived from review of 35 organizations and input from over 200 respondents providing 1,800+ comments, providing best practices for improving health and wellbeing in low-income communities.
• Network Resource Library A resource collection of research, best practices, and models demonstrating what works, highlighting the health-related value and impact of community development work.
• Healthy Neighborhood Investments: A Policy Scan & Strategy Map A tool that identifies policy actions for advancing health and racial equity through cross-sector investments.
• Rural Resources A collection of resources curated for organizations interested in creating cross-sector health partnerships in rural areas.
• Factsheet Series: The Intersection of Community Development and Health A series of factsheets exploring what makes community development a great partner in health.
• Our Publications and Reports A collection of publications and reports providing insights to cross-sector work addressing social determinants of health.
• Crosswalk A publication platform (Medium) featuring stories emerging from the connection between health and place.
• The Pulse Newsletter Monthly newsletter from Build Healthy Places Network featuring the latest news, resources, and stories from the intersection of community development and health.
• Community Close-Ups In-depth case studies that showcase innovative cross-sector partnerships for health.
• The Bulletin A regular roundup of the latest news and resources from the Build Healthy Places Network.
• Network Commons A series of webinars featuring conversations with national experts on community development and health, with recordings archived for on-demand viewing.
• Healthy Communities Initiative A joint effort between the regional Federal Reserve Banks and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that organizes conferences and convenings to advance health through community development.
• Landscape/Market Analysis Services Customized analysis tailored to identify potential health and/or community partners, initiatives, priorities, pain points, and investment history using race-conscious approaches, delivered to healthcare systems, CDFIs, and community development organizations.
• Case-Making Services Customized case-making providing organizations with messaging, language, and knowledge needed to engage with other sectors to advance racial and health equity.
• Brokering Connections Services Fostering and managing meaningful connections between community development, healthcare and public health organizations that are mission-aligned.
• Training Services Convening and providing training to community development and health leaders for project development and co-investment to improve health and racial equity.
• Community-Driven Data and Evaluation Strategies A tool co-created with Verge Impact Partners that highlights strategies prioritizing and centering residents' voices and visions for their communities in data collection and evaluation processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 85% of partnerships in the 2022 Rural Health Partnership Playbook are thriving
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Chronic Disease DirectorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered to create a public health primer offering frameworks for public health and community development sectors to work together advancing racial equity through collaboration.
• Public Health InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBHPN operates as a program of the Public Health Institute (PHI), providing organizational infrastructure, administrative support, and association with PHI's broader public health network and initiatives.
• Federal Reserve Banks (Regional)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint effort with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on the Healthy Communities Initiative, organizing conferences and convenings across regional Federal Reserve Banks to advance community development and health collaboration.
• Verge Impact PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Community-Driven Data and Evaluation Strategies tool that prioritizes and centers residents' voices in data collection and evaluation processes.
• Equity Research Institute at USCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Dr. Manuel Pastor, participated in BHPN's Virtual Summit on climate resilience as a fireside chat speaker on equitable solutions.
• Lincoln Land InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBHPN partners with Lincoln Land Institute's Vibrant Communities Fellowship supporting community leadership development.
• Grounded Solutions NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Community Land Trust models and shared equity approaches, providing expertise on whole-community land trust development for Bordeaux, Nashville initiative.
• Co-Create HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-supported the Big Bold Bordeaux Vision cross-sector gathering, collaborating on community-driven land trust development and health equity initiatives.
• Beyond HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIRE awardee and co-host of CIRE Partners Convening in St. Louis, MO. Demonstrates comprehensive community development approach addressing housing, education, health, and economic opportunity.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Enterprise Community Partners: Major national community development nonprofit with explicit health partnerships (a named BHPN partner and customer). Directly comparable as a cross-sector convener building healthcare-community development bridges, though larger and more focused on affordable housing development.
• Prevention Institute: National nonprofit focused on health equity, community health, and prevention through upstream systems change. Directly comparable as a mission-aligned nonprofit producing frameworks, tools, and convenings to advance community-level health and equity outcomes.
• Center for Community Investment: National nonprofit focused on equitable community investment, training and supporting local leaders to direct capital toward health and equity. Directly comparable in mission and network-based convening model bridging community development finance and health.
• Healthy Places by Design: National nonprofit that partners with communities to advance equitable healthy community design. Directly comparable as a national nonprofit at the intersection of community development and public health, providing frameworks, convening, and technical assistance to cross-sector partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): One of the largest U.S. community development financial intermediaries, operating a national network that increasingly intersects with health through its Healthy Communities efforts. Comparable to BHPN as a national convener bridging community development and health, but with substantially greater capital deployment and operational scale.
• Trust for America's Health: Nonprofit focused on public health policy and prevention, regularly convening cross-sector stakeholders and producing research/frameworks. Comparable to BHPN as a policy and field-building nonprofit operating in the health-equity space, though more policy-focused and less community-development-rooted.
• NeighborWorks America: National network of community development nonprofits and housing counseling organizations. Comparable as a network/convener infrastructure serving community development organizations, though with a primary housing-counseling focus rather than health-equity framing.
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO): Membership organization representing nearly 3,000 local health departments across the U.S. Comparable as a national convening infrastructure for the public health ecosystem, though more institutional/government-facing than BHPN's community-development-rooted approach.
• Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group: Policy program within the Aspen Institute focused on rural development, community change, and place-based equity. Comparable as a national convening and field-building entity working at the intersection of community development, equity, and rural prosperity — overlapping with BHPN's rural partnership work.

Others

• Grantmakers In Health: National organization serving health-focused foundations with learning, networking, and knowledge resources. Comparable as a nonprofit network that convenes funders around cross-sector health issues, though its primary audience is grantmakers rather than community development practitioners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/bhpnetwork
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYrRefS29BmucjD1t1QzNZA
• Facebookfacebook.com/bhpnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/build-healthy-places-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/bhpnetwork

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 Build Healthy Places Network