The BUILD Health Challenge began as an innovative idea with an ambitious goal: to incentivize communities to work together on new ways to improve health outcomes, from creating healthier housing conditions to reduce childhood asthma, to building accessible, economically viable, and sustainable food systems that improve nutrition in neighborhoods. More than a decade later, BUILD is a national movement.
“We’ve heard multiple times…not only [has BUILD] inspired other communities, unlocked other funding and resources, but also helped really show this is possible, that systems change as we have defined it and articulated it in the evaluation reports, it is possible.”
The BUILD model and its five principles—Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local, and Data-driven—have been implemented by 68 partnerships in 53 communities around the country.
As BUILD’s long-term learning partner, Equal Measure has helped surface lessons about how the five principles interact and support progress on the local level, in both linear and non-linear ways. We have designed and supported feedback loops of learning and data from both grantees and community members that have helped the initiative evolve and pivot, increasing its focus over time on deep, authentic community engagement, decision-making, and leadership, and explicit attention to racial justice.
As BUILD celebrates its tenth anniversary, we are sharing these learnings through a series of briefs, beginning with “Ten Years of Building Together: Lessons Learned on Being Bold, Upstream, Integrated, Local, and Data-driven.”
The brief explores the benefits of the BUILD model; a powerful yet flexible framework that has evolved through an intentional evaluation, learning, and technical assistance process to best support awardees in their work. The BUILD framework has successfully guided and supported community health partners and residents as they design uniquely local solutions to health in their neighborhoods—and apply the principles around the country.
DOWNLOAD THE BRIEF
