Data Philanthropy Backs buildOn with $1.2M to Build Schools and Strengthen Impact Through Data

Investment funds 20 new schools in Burkina Faso, Guatemala, Haiti, Malawi, and Senegal, and strengthens buildOn's global data systems to drive long-term impact.

STAMFORD, Conn., Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- buildOn, the global nonprofit uniting communities through service and education, is proud to announce a transformative partnership with Data Philanthropy, a foundation committed to addressing inequality by applying data to opportunity gaps.

Through a $1.2 million investment, Data Philanthropy is advancing buildOn's mission in two critical ways:

• $980,000 to construct 20 new schools in Burkina Faso, Guatemala, Haiti, Malawi, and Senegal, which will all break ground in 2025.
• $220,000 to enhance buildOn's Global Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system, creating a stronger foundation to measure impact, learn from results, and continually improve programs.

This dual investment reflects a shared commitment to ensure every child, regardless of geography or economic status, has access to a safe, high-quality education while strengthening the systems that sustain long-term impact.

Jed Nahum, Vice President of Metrics at DataPhilanthropy, said, "We're excited to invest in buildOn's mission to end poverty and illiteracy by funding these twenty schools. buildOn's quest to continuously improve their outcomes by developing measurement and evaluation systems is a natural fit for DataPhilanthropy's data-focused approach to giving."

"Data Philanthropy's gift is powerful not only because it builds schools," said Carrie Pena, COO of buildOn. "It also helps us create sustainable systems to measure and strengthen our impact through data. Together, we're not only expanding access to classrooms but ensuring that the education inside those classrooms transforms lives for generations."

Since 1991, buildOn has partnered with rural communities in eight of the world's economically poorest countries to construct nearly 3,000 schools, enrolling over 383,000 children and adults. With the support of partners like Data Philanthropy, buildOn is building not only schools but also opportunity, equity, and brighter futures worldwide.

About buildOn

buildOn has been uniting people through service and education to ignite opportunity since 1991. In the U.S., buildOn mobilizes students from under-resourced high schools to transform their neighborhoods through service. Globally, buildOn partners with rural communities to construct schools, enroll children in class, and deliver adult literacy programs. To date, buildOn has constructed nearly 3,000 schools worldwide through over 5.6 million volunteer workdays.

About DataPhilanthropy

DataPhilanthropy believes that long-term inequality has many roots in disparity of opportunity. By applying data to those disparities, particularly in key formative areas such as education, DataPhilanthropy builds action-oriented, repeatable programs that remove barriers and expand opportunity.

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SOURCE buildOn, Inc.