GOLD2022

BUILDABRIDGE INTERNATIONAL

Transforming Live Through Art-Making

aka BuildaBridge   |   Philadelphia, PA   |  www.buildabridge.org

Mission

BuildaBridge is a non-profit 501(c)3 arts education and intervention organization. Our mission engages creative people and the transformative power of art making to bring hope and healing to children, families, and communities living in the contexts of crisis and poverty. BuildaBridge envisions a world where all children are resilient, experience self-efficacy, and have a vision for their future. BuildaBridge dedicates its resources to building the capacity of creative adults and local communities to fulfill this vision.

Notes from the nonprofit

BuildaBridge is a small and nimble non-profit and ready to serve in the moment of need or for the future. With a budget of about $116,000, BuildaBridge reaches hundreds of children and communities impacted by direct, vicarious and generational trauma. If you believe that art-making can transform lives by strengthening resilience agency and hope-infused visions of the future, then please consider learning more about BuildaBridge and restorative art-making.

Ruling year info

2001

Executive Director

Ami Yares

Main address

205 West Tulpehocken Street

Philadelphia, PA 19144 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

23-3048553

NTEE code info

Other Art, Culture, Humanities Organizations/Services N.E.C. (A99)

Arts Education/Schools (A25)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Our constituent audience consists of the lower 20% of the US and world’s population who suffer in abject poverty, physical pain, homelessness and emotional suffering as a result of war, catastrophe, human trafficking, abuse and neglect. BuildaBridge recognizes that these people desire to live with hope and joy, strong connections to family and local communities, fair and satisfactory employment, and meaningful visions for their future and the future of their children. Lack of access to facilitated art-making as a result of socio-economic status, crisis, conflict and trauma reduces opportunity to heal and realize-hope infused futures. The intrinsic value of art-making's therapeutic qualities leaves voids in a person's and community chance to move beyond terrible situations. BuildaBridge seeks to employ art-making as a means to help people heal from pain and use their creativity to enact hope-infused futures.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Community Programs

Community: BuildaBridge Community provides creative arts educational experiences and therapeutic intervention through art-making in music, drama, dance, creative writing, and the visual arts to children and families in under-served communities of Philadelphia. We collaborate with local schools, community centers, transitional homes, and religious congregations in Philadelphia. BuildaBridge Community is comprised of severtal programs currently: Orchestral Dialogues: Accepting Self, Accepting Other; Refugee Program, PhilaSing and by request direct service providing.

By request direct service providing offers after-school and evening arts-integrated educational programs to children and youth living in emergency homeless shelters and transitional homes, as well as those attending school and recreational center after-school programs. These programs connect compassionate, talented teaching artists with interested, creative children in need.

Population(s) Served
Adults

BuildaBridge International travels the world to restore hope and healing to communities affected by cultural and religious conflict, environmental catastrophe, poverty, illness, and social injustice. International trips focus on Education, Healing and the Environment. Since 1997 when we responded to requests for intervention following an earthquake in Costa Rica, our services have included creative arts camps, extended internships, training and special arts-based projects. These have taken place in Asia, Central and South America, Africa, Europe and the United States. As a professional organization, we train volunteers for service, provide trainers for local arts-based education, and collaborate with local organizations for building their capacity to serve children and families.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Adults

The BuildaBridge Institute is a training and applied research academy designed to prepare artists, youth workers, community and congregational leaders, teachers, social service professionals, and nonprofit organization personnel to integrate the arts effectively in education, social services and community development. All BuildaBridge trainings are listed as part of the Institute, including: monthly trainings at the BuildaBridge House, the Annual Institute offered the first week of June each year, International trainings as part of Arts Relief and Development, and the Online Institute.
The BuildaBridge Institute also partners with Eastern University to provide a Certificate in Arts in Transformation and a Master’s Degree in Urban Studies (Community Arts Concentration). Each year graduate students attend the Institute as part of their academic and practical training.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

United Way Member Agency 2001

Videos

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

BuildaBridge International's mission engages creative people and the transformative power of art-making to bring hope and healing to disenfranchised children and their communities. Through art-making workshops, BuildaBridge provides a safe, creative and imaginative space away from violence, poverty, drugs and other traumas. Time with BuildaBridge means a supportive, caring and nurturing environment built on the intrinsic and therapeutic value of art-making. BuildaBridge envisions a world where art-making fosters resilience, self-efficacy and hopeful visions for the future in communities worldwide.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Paper surveys, Discussions with BuildaBridge Teaching Artists,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection,

Financials

BUILDABRIDGE INTERNATIONAL
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

BUILDABRIDGE INTERNATIONAL

Board of directors
as of 11/04/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Robb Muse

SEI

Term: 2025 - 2022

Aya de Groot

Creative Arts Therapist/artist

Kelly Finlaw

New York City Department of Education

Vivian Nix-Early

BuildaBridge International Co-founder

Robb Muse

SEI

Terri Murry

WHYY

David Euwings

Comcast

Shantae Cunningham

Greystar

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 11/4/2022
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Caucasian/Jewish/Uknown
Gender identity
Male

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data