BUILD is proud to announce it has been selected to participate in Stand Together’s Catalyst Program, joining the growing national network of more than 100 high-performing organizations that are transforming communities across the country and helping people break the cycle of poverty.
A highly selective six-month management training and mentorship program, Stand Together’s Catalyst Program brings together the nation’s most effective, community-based nonprofits to support, strengthen and scale their impact. Organizations typically fall within one or more issue-area portfolios, such as: Addiction and Mental Health; Financial Empowerment and Entrepreneurship; Housing and Homelessness; In-Prison, Re-Entry and Second Chances; Workforce Development; and Youth and Education.
“We are proud to partner with Stand Together through this opportunity to spend time focused on our organization’s health and growth plans,” said Ayele Shakur, CEO of BUILD. “This network has the ability to connect us to some of the nation’s most influential philanthropists and social change leaders as well as an intimate group of fellow social entrepreneurs working alongside us to address some of the issues we’re all facing in our respective communities together.”
Organizations invited to join Stand Together’s Catalyst Program have a unique opportunity to improve organizational health and multiply the change they’re driving in their communities through business management coaching; skills-based volunteer support; and connection to national networks of both peer nonprofit leaders and influential philanthropists and business leaders. At the core of the program is the Market-Based Management philosophy, which has been successfully implemented by Koch Industries for decades, to become one of the most profitable enterprises in the country.
“We're thrilled to welcome these organizations to our Stand Together network and empower community leaders to grow the incredible impact they’re already making,” said Evan Feinberg, executive director of Stand Together. “This Catalyst cohort is a group with impressive capabilities and dedication to truly transformational change in their communities, and we couldn’t be more excited to elevate their work through our platforms.”
BUILD equips students from under-resourced high schools with entrepreneurial and interpersonal skills that enable them to thrive in the 21st-century job market. Over the course of a four-year program, students work in teams and–supported by mentors–design and launch real businesses, while receiving ongoing college and career counseling and support. By empowering high school students with these experiential learning opportunities, BUILD seeks to help them overcome the racial and economic inequality impacting their communities, neighborhoods and families.
In addition to BUILD, organizations participating in the Catalyst Program as part of Cohort Seven include:
- College Bound Dorchester – Dorchester, MA | Youth and Education
- DC Central Kitchen – Washington, D.C. | Workforce Development
- Embarc – Chicago, IL | Youth and Education
- Envision – Wichita, KS | Workforce Development
- Exalt Youth – Brooklyn, NY | In-Prison, Reentry and Second Chances
- Give An Hour – Bethesda, MD | Addiction Recovery and Mental Health
- Illumination Foundation – Irvine, CA | Housing and Homelessness
- Juma Ventures – San Francisco, CA | Workforce Development
- My Possibilities – Plano, TX | Workforce Development
- Outdoor Outreach – San Diego, CA | Youth and Education
- PowerMyLearning – New York, NY | Youth and Education
- Prison Fellowship – Lansdowne, VA | In-Prison, Reentry and Second Chances
- Recovery Café – Seattle, WA | Addiction Recovery and Mental Health
- Safe Families for Children – Chicago, IL | Youth and Education
Cohort Seven of the 2019 Catalyst Program will kick off on February 4, 2019 in Arlington, VA. For more information on Stand Together’s Catalyst Network and how to get involved, visit stand-together.org.
ABOUT STAND TOGETHER
Stand Together is a social change organization committed to breaking the cycle of poverty by supporting the creative solutions of individuals and communities around the country. Founded in 2016, Stand Together draws from a talented pool of social entrepreneurs and committed individuals to select, invest, build and develop community-based, for-purpose organizations with a demonstrated ability to transform lives. Stand Together strengthens communities by investing in social change-makers that can break barriers for individuals in poverty so that they can realize their full potential. For more information visit: https://www.stand-together.org.
ABOUT BUILD
BUILD uses entrepreneurship and experiential learning to ignite the potential of youth in under-resourced communities and equip them for high school, college and career success. BUILD’s four-year program guides high school students through the process of designing and launching real businesses, and gives them the 21st-century skills and the academic support they need to succeed in college and careers. Founded in 1999, BUILD serves students in Boston, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco/Oakland and other communities.
