BUILD Metro DC

Provide real-world entrepreneurial experience for high school students, promoting achievement, leadership and professional success.

Offer an elective business course during freshman year including a once-a-week after-school mentoring session and after-school support and guidance for the remaining years. The program equips students with core coding and business skills and knowledge to launch digital-based businesses. Through its data-driven and entrepreneurship-focused culture, the national leadership empower local directors to customize their programs. In the DMV area, BUILD has partnered with Friendship Tech, a Charter School.

At A Glance

Total Earnings Boost
Total Lever Fund Benefit: $318,000
Benefit-Cost Ratio: 16:1

General Operations Support: $20,000

PROJECTION: The Lever Fund's $20,000 grant will support BUILD's $100,000 Pilot program in DC's Ward 8, where 72.7% of students are at-risk and the pre-intervention on-time graduation rate was 70%. BUILD develops deep relationships with its partner schools and makes a considerable investment in its teaching staff. BUILD DC's Executive Director Bryce Jacobs is an experienced social entrepreneur who founded Sela Public Charter School.

Graduation Boost

BUILD's Pilot program in DC will serve 35 students annually. Lever Fund's contribution will support 20% or 7 students. We project that Lever Fund's grant will boost the high school graduation rate for this group from 5 of 7 (70%) to 7 of 7 (100%). We value these graduations at $95,000 each ($50,000 for increased earning and $45,000 for improved health), resulting $190,000 in benefits.

Career Earnings Boost + Health Impacts

Because BUILD reports a boost in both college enrollment and college persistence among its alumni, we further project that 5 students (71%) will enroll in college after graduation from high school and persist for at least 2 years. This compares with 3 students (42%) enrolling pre-intervention. We value these four extra student years at $128,000 or $16,000 per student, per year.

At A Glance

General Operations Support: $20,000 Projection

$100,000 Pilot Program

DC’s Ward 8

72.7% of students are at-risk

Pre-Intervention on-time graduation rate was 70%

BUILD develops deep relationships with its partner schools and makes a considerable investment in its teaching staff. BUILD DC's Executive Director Bryce Jacobs is an experienced social entrepreneur who founded Sela Public Charter School.

The Lever Fund Impact

Graduation Boost

35 students annually

Lever Fund’s Contribution will support 20% or 7 students

5 of 7 to 7 of 7 70% to 100% Boost of high school graduation rate

Each Graduation $95,000 ($50,000 for increased earning and $45,000 for improved health)

Lever Fund $190,000

Career Earnings Boost + Health Impacts

3 Students to 5 students 42% to 71% Enroll in College & Persist for at least 2 years

four extra student years $128,000 or $16,000/student/yr

Total Earnings Boost

Total Lever Fund Benefit $528,000

Benefit Cost Ratio 17:1

Friendship Tech Support

BUILD has partnered with Friendship Tech, one of two charter schools operated by the Friendship network. Both schools have above-average high school graduation rates. Because these students arrive at Friendship Tech already computer literate, they generally have the skills necessary to develop their own apps, with guidance and direction of the BUILD team. BUILD has also engaged with Scratch (https://scratch.mit.edu/educators/), an elementary coding program developed at MIT and General Assembly to provide a proven curriculum and tools for success.