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Building Futures at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Building Futures

BUILDING FUTURES' mission is achieved through pre-apprenticeship training and social service supports for individuals experiencing poverty who seek careers in the building trades through registered apprenticeship; and strategies to increase employer use of apprentices on construction projects; as well as technical assistance to…

$354k
Granted FY2025still arriving
9
Grants FY2025still arriving
3
States reached
$84k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2025.

Employment$1.3MEducation$186kHealth$168kHuman Services$90kEnvironment$86kScience & Tech$50kHousing & Shelter$39kCrime & Legal$7k
02FY2025 · 9 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $13k
  • $10k–50k4 grants · $130k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $208k
$36,360
Median grant
3
States reached
$4.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
RHODE ISLAND ASSOCIATION FOR EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN$83,792
FTISNE INC$65,937
INSTITUTE LABOR STUDIES AND RESEARCH$57,963
CARPENTERS LOCAL 330$46,298
NORTH ATLANTIC STATES CARPENTERS TRAINING FUND$36,360
IRONWORKERS LOCAL 37$29,345
IBEW LOCAL 99 JATC$17,537
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND$7,384
NE LABORERS APP ADV$5,365
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY20–21, $90k) land where the poverty rate runs at 7%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 0% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%PARENT SUPPORT NETWORK OF RI: $37k → 7%PARENT SUPPORT NETWORK OF RI: $9k → 7%RHODE ISLAND PARENT INFORMATION NETWORK INC: $31k → 7%RHODE ISLAND PARENT INFORMATION NETWORK INC: $12k → 7%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.5M · 13 repeat orgs$336k to everyone else

13 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

13
6

Total granted

$1.5M
$158k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+14%
+16%

Still filing today

85%
17%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 49% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $178k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’20’21’22’23’24’25
EmploymentEducationHuman ServicesHealthSocial ScienceOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • RI
    RHODE ISLAND MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE DB
    3× · 2020–2022 · $382k · revenue +14%
  • RI
    RHODE ISLAND NURSERY LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION INC
    3× · 2020–2022 · $276k · revenue +13%
  • CN
    CARE NEW ENGLAND HEALTH SYSTEM
    3× · 2020–2022 · $252k · revenue +6%

Funded once

  • CI
    CAROUSEL INDUSTRIES INC
    one grant, 2020 · $48k
  • CP
    CVS PHARMACY INC
    one grant, 2020 · $36k
  • CP
    CVS PHARMACY INC
    one grant, 2021 · $30k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Build Ri

Provide a forum to facilitate a partnership between labor and management in areas of mutual concern for the betterment of the industry.

Employment
2
Rhode Island Laborers' District Council

Membership organization representing approximately 8,700 union members for the purpose of collective bargaining.

—
3
Ri Federation of Teachers - Aft

Labor organization

—
4
New England Joint Board Unite Here

To unite all workers for the purpose of collective bargaining throughout the trades and industries within its jurisdiction.

—
5
Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association Inc

Ri chiefs of police gather to share information on new or proposed state laws and maintaining best methods for state's citizens' protection

Community Improvement
6
Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Apprentice and Training Trust Fund

The Fund provides education and training to apprentices and journeymen as provided by the collective bargaining agreement.

Employment
7
Local 67 Training Program Trust

This is a multiemployer collectively bargained plan that provides training and education for apprentices and journeyman ironworkers.

—
8
The Connecticut Construction Industries Association Inc

All activities conducted by the association are to enable it to:a. establish a better understanding between the members and companies in the construction and related industries.b. foster reasonable and just regulations by governments c.…

Employment
9
Laborers International Union of North America

Represents its members when dealing with the state of Delaware and other employment related matters.

—
10
Jamaican Association of Rhode Island
Arts & Culture
11
Rochester Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Tr

Provide electrical skills and apprentice educational training for students in rochester, new york and the surrounding area.

Employment
12
Rhode Island Bankers Association Inc

The rhode island bankers association will serve as the sole rhode island based organization serving the banking industry and will advocate for its member institutions and participate alongside other new england banking industry…

Public Benefit
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Rhode Island Institute for Labor Studies and Research; the most unlike its peers is Ubc & Ja Local 330. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

15 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 15 of the 22 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
15/15
Grantees still filing
10/15
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

RHODE ISLAND NURSERY LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION INC: $275,514 · OtherRHODE ISLAND NURSERY LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION I…RHODE ISLAND ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN: $83,792 · OtherRHODE ISLAND ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION O…UBC & JA LOCAL 330: $65,976 · OtherUBC & JA LOCAL 330UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND: $57,026 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLANDDIMEO CONSTRUCTION COMPANY: $50,000 · OtherDIMEO CONSTRUCTION COMPANYCAROUSEL INDUSTRIES INC: $47,595 · OtherCAROUSEL INDUSTRIES INCInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local No 99-JATC Trust: $46,855 · OtherInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Work…CVS PHARMACY INC: $35,892 · OtherCVS PHARMACY INC: $29,792 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND: $29,076 · Other+2 more: $23,922 · OtherRHODE ISLAND MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE DB: $382,432 · EducationRHODE ISLAND MANUFACTURING INSTITU…FINISHING TRADES INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND INC: $182,735 · EducationFINISHING TRADES INSTITUTE OF SOUT…CARE NEW ENGLAND HEALTH SYSTEM: $252,156 · HealthCARE NEW ENGLAN…IRON WORKERS LOCAL UNION NO 37: $86,340 · EmploymentIRON WORKE…THE NEW ENGLAND LABORERS APPRENTICESHIP ADVANCEMENT FUND: $40,882 · EmploymentTHE NEW EN…NORTH ATLANTIC STATES CARPENTERS TRAINING FUND: $36,360 · EmploymentNORTH ATLA…Plumbers & Pipefitters Local No 51 Joint Apprenticeship Comm Trust Fund: $7,808 · EmploymentPARENT SUPPORT NETWORK OF RHODE ISLAND: $46,684 · Human ServicesRHODE ISLAND PARENT INFORMATION NETWORK INC: $42,978 · Human ServicesRHODE ISLAND INSTITUTE FOR LABOR STUDIES AND RESEARCH: $57,963 · Social Science
Other$745,440Education$565,167Health$252,156Employment$171,390Human Services$89,662Social Science$57,963

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetRHODE ISLAND MANUFACTURING INSTITUTE DB: $382,432 over 3y, 24% of budgetRHODE ISLAND NURSERY LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION INC: $275,514 over 3y, 14% of budgetCARE NEW ENGLAND HEALTH SYSTEM: $252,156 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetFINISHING TRADES INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND INC: $182,735 over 4y, 3.6% of budgetIRON WORKERS LOCAL UNION NO 37: $86,340 over 3y, 1.6% of budgetRHODE ISLAND ASSOCIATION FOR THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG CHILDREN: $83,792 over 1y, 1.3% of budgetUBC & JA LOCAL 330: $65,976 over 2y, 8.8% of budgetRHODE ISLAND INSTITUTE FOR LABOR STUDIES AND RESEARCH: $57,963 over 1y, 3.9% of budgetInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local No 99-JATC Trust: $46,855 over 2y, 2.5% of budgetPARENT SUPPORT NETWORK OF RHODE ISLAND: $46,684 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetRHODE ISLAND PARENT INFORMATION NETWORK INC: $42,978 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetTHE NEW ENGLAND LABORERS APPRENTICESHIP ADVANCEMENT FUND: $40,882 over 2y, 14% of budgetNORTH ATLANTIC STATES CARPENTERS TRAINING FUND: $36,360 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRHODE ISLAND MARINE TRADE ASSOCIATION: $16,474 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetPlumbers & Pipefitters Local No 51 Joint Apprenticeship Comm Trust Fund: $7,808 over 1y, 0.5% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a set of overlaps that mostly run through this funder rather than between each other.

The Rhode Island Comm…
The Rhode Island Community FoundationRI15.1× affinity5 shared granteesties to 0 of 0Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Rhode Island Community Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Building Futures funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Building Futures. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%2%6%14%25%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Building Futures?

    Find your warmest path to Building Futures through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 22 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Building Futures’ filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home