The revitalized Whittier School now provides a modern, high-quality learning environment for up to 700 middle school students in Allegheny West. By expanding capacity from 360 students, KIPP Philadelphia addresses significant demand for accessible, college-preparatory education in an underserved neighborhood. The school’s open enrollment lottery ensures equitable access for families citywide.

KIPP Philadelphia primarily serves economically and educationally disadvantaged students, with 86% qualifying for the Federal Meals Program and 24% receiving special education assistance. The student body reflects the surrounding community, with 98% identifying as African American or Hispanic. The project also created new green spaces and public access areas, strengthening connections between the school and its neighbors.

The Field School has moved from its rented church space into the revitalized Key School building, creating room to grow beyond its previous 150-student limit. With the new facility, enrollment can increase by up to 240 students, and with the second phase complete, the school has capacity for 400 students. This expansion ensures long-term stability and provides modern learning spaces for families on Chicago’s West Side.

Relocating from the more affluent Oak Park neighborhood to South Austin allows the Field School to better fulfill its mission of serving children who lack equitable access to quality education. At least half of the school’s seats are reserved for families from low-income homes. Currently, 25% of students come from extremely low-income households earning less than $30,000 annually, and the school aims to raise that figure to 30% or more.

The YWCA Wheeling, which has not seen a major upgrade since its initial construction, is poised to make a transformative impact on the program participants, organization employees, and the local community with this renovation.

Construction efforts generated an estimated 67 positions, 85% of which were accessible to those facing barriers to entering the workforce. The renovated facility will enable the YWCA to add 7 new positions in addition to its current staff of 33.

Additionally, the building has new and upgraded systems, including a new elevator which will replace the one that has been in use since 1969, updated lighting and plumbing for better energy efficiency, and a brand new HVAC system. The renovation of the programmatic, residential, and shelter spaces provides an estimated 20% increased capacity by adding 14 rooms that are even more comfortable and inviting for program participants and will enable the YWCA to support an additional 1,200 people each year.

The Cambridge community is once again benefiting from jobs created from within The Packing House. The extensive construction and preservation efforts generated 110 construction jobs, and as the tenant businesses grow in their new spaces, they’ll create and retain a projected 161 permanent jobs. 100% of the construction and permanent positions will be quality, well-paying jobs targeting and supporting the community.

The tenants of the building are dedicated to giving back to the community through various programming and support. The Maryland DHCD operates a Community Engagement Center within the Packing House to host training and certification programs for residents, including holistic health, continuing education in the medical field, farming certifications, and landscaping certifications.

MERGE is focusing on career growth support by operating one of Cambridge, Maryland’s few incubation hubs and shared office space, with a focus on education.

The new collaborative space will support an estimated 50 entrepreneurs each year. Several active MERGE members, such as the Dorchester Foundation, are community-oriented and operate youth employment programs targeting low-income families.

Food entrepreneurs will also benefit from the new space, with Four Eleven Kitchen offering classes, support, and training in its food concept spaces. Four times a year, it will offer six—to eight-week programs for six young chefs (24 annually). The Four Eleven Kitchen will also offer an additional 10–20 food concept production platforms for others looking to try their hand in the kitchen.

All of this and more will take place in the newly renovated Packing House. This historic, 60,000-square-foot industrial warehouse has been awarded LEED Gold certification for meeting high standards in energy efficiency, water conservation, and material reuse. It is projected that the restored Packing House will conserve 148.9 MWh of electricity each year, equivalent to the amount of energy used when burning 120,000 lbs. of coal.