The new Builders + Backers Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to help every American become a builder, fueling innovation from neighborhoods to next-generation industries.
ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Amid rapid technological change and shifting economic realities, the Builders + Backers Foundation has launched to ensure that every American – regardless of background, geography, or resources – has the opportunity to become an entrepreneur. The Foundation believes the best way to create mobility in the modern economy is not just by helping people find jobs, but by giving them the tools, capital, and confidence to create their own.
The newly established 501(c)(3) nonprofit enables philanthropic, corporate, and individual partners to fund proven venture-building programs that equip people everywhere to turn ideas into ventures – from neighborhood-based businesses to breakthrough technology startups. By channeling charitable capital directly into innovation, the Foundation aims to expand economic opportunity and unleash the entrepreneurial potential already present in communities across the nation.
"There are millions of people with ideas – everywhere, not just in Silicon Valley – who can build what their communities, industries, and our world need next," said Donna Harris, President of the Builders + Backers Foundation. "When you remove financial, educational and geographic barriers, it's incredible what people build. Our new Foundation enables philanthropic partners to help every American with the desire to become a builder bring their ideas to life."
A Proven Model, Now Ready to Scale
The Builders + Backers Foundation partners closely with Builders + Backers Studio, leveraging its AI-powered venture-building platform, Builders Studio™ and national infrastructure to guide individuals from idea to validated venture and beyond. Through this partnership, the Foundation activates untapped potential in people who have been left out or left behind by traditional innovation systems, opening entrepreneurship as a pathway to prosperity for everyone.
This proven model has already demonstrated powerful results:
- Surfaced more than 8,000 ideas across the country
- Equipped over 2,100 builders with tools and venture education
- Funded 1,000 early-stage experiments
- Helped launch 600+ ventures — from community solutions to scalable tech companies
- Catalyzed a naturally diverse builder community: 57% women and 67% people of color
Together, these entrepreneurs are creating everything from neighborhood revitalization projects to cutting-edge technology innovations, collectively reshaping how and where entrepreneurship happens in America.
Redefining Who Gets to Build the Future
For decades, entrepreneurship and innovation have been concentrated in a few places and among a narrow group of people. The Builders + Backers Foundation exists to change that. At the heart of the Foundation's work is a core belief: human creativity is the most underutilized resource in our economy – and AI, used well, can unlock it. At a time when automation threatens to narrow opportunity, the Foundation sees technology as a tool to widen it, helping anyone turn ideas into action and open new paths to prosperity.
"The next wave of American innovation will come from every corner of this country," said Harris. "From rural towns to big cities, from everyday citizens to aspiring founders, we're proving that great ideas are everywhere, and builders are everywhere too."
About the Builders + Backers Foundation
The Builders + Backers Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding economic opportunity by equipping people everywhere to build new ventures through AI, education, mentorship, and early capital. Through its partnership with Builders + Backers Studio, the Foundation is fueling a movement to democratize entrepreneurship and unlock the hidden entrepreneurs who will drive the next era of American innovation.
Learn more and join the movement atbuildersandbackers.foundation.
Media Contact
Erich Broksas, Builders + Backers, 1 571-521-4699, [email protected], https://www.buildersandbackers.com/
SOURCE Builders + Backers
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