BUILD’s Signature Accomplishments
Since 1977, BUILD has been improving the lives of Baltimoreans
Jobs and Economic Development
The Living Wage Campaign and Turnaround Tuesday
Organizing around issues of economic security and jobs creation has always been a priority for BUILD. Two major campaigns that we have undertaken to address these issues are winning the first living wage ordinance and the creation of Turnaround Tuesday, a second chance jobs movement.
In 1994, BUILD won the nation’s first Living Wage legislation in Baltimore City. Through listening campaigns, BUILD discovered that many of the people using social services offered by BUILD churches were low-wage workers in service jobs, and that many low-wage workers were employed by contractors doing business with the city. That led to BUILD’s demand that the city include “living wage” standards in all its service contracts. A living wage was defined as a wage that could bring a family of four above the poverty line.
Continuing this campaign, BUILD won regulations protecting contract workers from discrimination for organizing activity and contract changes, created access to benefits, and developed the first worker-owned temporary employment agency in the country. Today, because of BUILD’s efforts, no politician can talk about jobs without using the term “living wage.”
In the mid-2010s Zion Baptist Church and other leaders in East Baltimore went door-to-door to speak with more than 5,000 residents. The number one issue residents identified was unemployment. The most distressed neighborhoods suffered from over 50% of people unemployed or who had dropped out of the labor market altogether. In the absence of a thriving economy, generations of residents were turning to the underground drug economy.
To address the unemployment problem, BUILD developed Turnaround Tuesday which works with both employers and employees to ensure both parties’ interests are being met. Since its inception in 2014, Turnaround Tuesday has placed more than 2300 residents in living wage jobs.
For more information about Turnaround Tuesday and to access its services please visit www.turnaroundtuesday.org.
Children and Education
The CollegeBound Foundation and ChildFirst Authority
Education and childhood development have also been at the heart of much of BUILD’s organizing. Two key victories in those campaigns are the development of the CollegeBound Foundation and the Child First Authority.
In 1988, BUILD worked with then-Mayor Kurt Schmoke and the Greater Baltimore Committee to leverage $15 million from the corporate community to create the CollegeBound Foundation. The organization was designed to address structural gaps in three key areas: college advising in public high schools, access to scholarship funding, and “last dollar grant” support that helps cover the difference between financial aid and what a student’s family can afford.
Since its founding in 1989, CollegeBound has worked one-on-one with close to 100,000 high school students to complete college applications and secure funding for higher education. It has also awarded more than $7.5 million in last-dollar grants to approximately 2,500 scholars.
To learn more about CollegeBound Foundation, visit CollegeBoundFoundation.org.
The Child First Authority was developed in 1996 in response to a citywide listening campaign that called for safe, productive learning environments for children during out-of-school hours and throughout the summer. Today, Child First serves as the community school nonprofit partner and out-of-school-time provider at eight community schools in Baltimore City, as well as the out-of-school-time partner at four additional schools.
Altogether, approximately 1,100 students are enrolled in out-of-school-time programming, and 3,400 students are supported across the eight community schools.
To learn more about Child First Authority, visit ChildFirstAuthority.org.
Criminal Justice Reform and Community Safety
Parole fee repeal and support during COVID-19
To rebuild and strengthen Baltimore’s communities, BUILD has made criminal justice reform and community safety top priorities. Two landmark efforts—the repeal of parole fees and community response during the COVID-19 pandemic—demonstrate BUILD’s commitment to justice, dignity, and collective care.
BUILD’s campaign to repeal parole fees was a powerful step toward repairing communities harmed by systemic injustice. Through persistent organizing with Turnaround Tuesday leaders, BUILD helped pass House Bill 531 in 2024, ending parole supervision and drug testing fees and erasing more than $13 million in debt carried by returning citizens across Maryland.
This victory restored financial stability and dignity to thousands of families, proving that when people organize together, they can remove barriers to opportunity and rebuild lives.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, BUILD once again stood shoulder to shoulder with Baltimore residents in a time of crisis. Its network of congregations and neighborhood leaders mobilized to deliver food, conduct wellness checks, and connect families to essential resources amid widespread hardship.
These efforts not only met urgent needs but also strengthened the bonds of trust, solidarity, and shared purpose that are the foundation of lasting community renewal.
If you want, I can also tighten all three section intros so they feel even more consistent with one another.
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At a Glance
By the Numbers
2300+
Job placements
$1 Billion
School funding in Baltimore and beyond
$13 Million
Debt erased from returning citizens
HB531 [the bill that repealed parole fees in Maryland] created a sense of relief for me, removed financial obstacles for those to come, and a gateway for a fresh start.
Alicia Shaw
Turnaround Tuesday
My 45 years with BUILD has been the source of personal growth as a leader working for positive change for people throughout the city. Whether I was acting as a team member, president, or member of the strategy team, I worked with BUILD to create opportunities for citizens to become homeowners through Nehemiah; for students to go to college through CollegBound Foundation; for students and schools to be supported by Child First Authority; for students and communities to be proud of new school buildings thanks to our organizing.
Carol Reckling
Co-Chair, MetroIAF
