Mission
To build sustainable organizations and healthy, vibrant communities
Values
· Integrity and Honesty in Our Work. As professionals, we believe in being accountable for our actions and ensuring that we act ethically at all times both as individuals and as an organization.
· A Culture of Mutual Respect and Openness. We believe that collaboration and communication are essential in all of our actions.
· Maintaining Our Resourcefulness. We believe in the importance of innovation and improvisation to meet our business objectives as a social enterprise and to meet the needs of our partners.
· Striving for Continual Improvement. We believe that Build with Purpose, our partners and our projects can always be better. As individuals and as an organization, we are committed to continual improvement, the broadening of possibilities, and to the realization of opportunities for growth.
· Commitment to Excellence. We are committed to producing work of the highest quality and ensuring that our organization is known for excellence.
· A Deep Belief in the Power of Partnership. Our client-centered focus means that we focus on giving back to our clients and their communities.
History
Founded in 2003, Build with Purpose changed its name from Real Estate Advisory and Development Services (READS) in 2011 to better represent the work that we do- building community facilities, gardens and communities with a social purpose. Build with Purpose is a non-profit real estate development and consulting firm with a focus on community and economic development. Build with Purpose was created to meet the specific and unique real estate needs of the non-profit sector and is committed to helping other non-profits build strong organizations and communities through innovative real estate development. Build with Purpose has worked extensively on the development of charter school facilities, supportive and special needs housing Helping organizations and individuals to build equity and ensure long-term financial stability is fundamental to our work.
Like many non-profits, the initial idea for Build with Purpose came from a small group of committed people who saw a significant need for a nonprofit real estate development company focused on community facilities and commercial real estate. Originally sponsored by New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC), an industry leader in the provision of financing and technical assistance for community development projects throughout New Jersey, the initial intent for Build with Purpose was modest: to help high quality social service providers seeking funding from NJCC to better plan and implement their real estate projects. At that time, NJCC saw a consistent need emerging from its borrowers. While these organizations were skilled at providing services to their communities, the development of real estate was found to be cumbersome for them, both strategically and financially. Build with Purpose was born from the desire to transfer NJCC understanding of real estate development and finance into a business that could benefit its clients and facilitate quality projects that would have a lasting impact on New Jersey’s underserved communities.
Build with Purpose’s first client was the Greater Brunswick Charter School (GBCS) in New Brunswick, NJ. When Build with Purpose first began to work with GBCS in April 2003 they had moved three times in five years residing in 4 different facilities. They faced the possibility of closure because of their inability to secure a permanent facility. Build with Purpose assisted the organization in securing over $3 million in funding to purchase and renovate a building and in August 2004, GBCS moved into their new permanent school facility. Since that time, GBCS has grown from 130 students to nearly 300 and is now expanding to accommodate its growing enrollment.
Build with Purpose has assisted more than two dozen organizations to plan for and implement their real estate strategies. Projects have ranged from the development of multi-million dollar charter school facilities, to providing business development and management guidance for startup special needs housing developers to working with residents of manufactured housing parks to preserve their communities. Our Gaining Ground initiative alone has spurred the development of nearly 20 charter school facilities statewide totaling more than $110,000,000 in development costs and educating more than 6,000 students.
Build with Purpose’s work has led to state and national recognition. In 2007, Build with Purpose was awarded the New Jersey Department of Education Corporate Partnership Award recognizing Build with Purpose’s leadership, creativity and commitment to equality and excellence in public education and its efforts to support quality public school choice in the state. In 2008, Build with Purpose received national recognition from the National Resource Center on Charter School Finance and Governance for its Gaining Ground program which is profiled as one of ten promising practices for charter school finance on the National Resource Center’s website.
