Mission Statement
Our mission is to build community and improve lives. As the construction industry’s outreach to the world, we envision a future in which all communities have the buildings they need to thrive.About Building Goodness Foundation
Founded in 1999, Building Goodness Foundation (BGF) brings together people, expertise, and resources from the construction industry to build a better future for communities in need. What began with a small group of Charlottesville-area builders who traveled to Haiti to put their skills to work for a good cause has grown into a nonprofit that partners with local and international communities to create safe, lasting spaces where people can live, learn, work, and thrive.
Volunteerism is central to the BGF model and mission. Some 400 volunteers participate in BGF projects annually. Architects, engineers, contractors, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and other industry professionals volunteer their time, expertise, and services to make projects possible. BGF connects and coordinates these volunteers with nonprofit partners and community members in need, transforming donated skills and resources into building construction, renovation, and repair that might otherwise be out of reach. For each dollar invested in a BGF project, approximately $3 is generated in market value construction.
BGF works in Central Virginia and internationally across Central America and the Caribbean. Our local work, through C’ville Builds, connects volunteers and construction partners with low-income homeowners, nonprofits, and small businesses in the Charlottesville area. Since the program began in 2020, BGF has completed more than 300 projects, from accessibility ramps and critical home repairs to renovations that allow nonprofits to better serve their communities and improvements that help small businesses grow. Increasingly, BGF is focusing on housing, helping older adults, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable homeowners remain safely in their homes. Home projects are completed at no cost to homeowners.
Internationally, BGF partners with exemplary non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to address some of the most fundamental needs facing communities in developing countries. In Haiti, where BGF’s work began, volunteers and locally-hired construction crews have built more than 1,200 homes as well as schools, clinics, and community facilities since the 2010 earthquake. Today, BGF continues to build homes and advance sanitation and reforestation efforts in rural communities.
In Guatemala, BGF works with rural, Indigenous Maya communities to build schools and other spaces that grow opportunity. Since 2015, BGF has constructed six schools where access to quality educational facilities remains limited, giving children safer, inspiring places to learn. There are two active construction projects in Guatemala: a preschool and primary school.
BGF recently launched a new housing initiative in Jamaica following the devastation of Hurricane Melissa in 2025. Working with local partners, BGF is building storm-resistant homes designed to provide families with safe, durable shelter while respecting local culture and building traditions. This is only the beginning of a long-term presence in Jamaica.
