In just seven months in 2014, five leaders from the Colorado Health Foundation, the de Beaumont Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Advisory Board Company created the BUILD award program.
The group raised funding, developed programmatic concepts, and issued a call for applications. BUILD rapidly took form as a national awards program advancing multi-sector, community-driven partnerships to drive sustainable improvements in community health and address systemic and social inequities. The original funders were motivated to take action on urgent health needs and a policy opportunity, “flying the plane” as they built it.