Established in 1997 to fundraise, design, build, and manage the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus, familiarly known as THEARC, Building Bridges' importance to the revitalization of Southeast DC cannot be overstated. Today, the campus houses over a dozen nonprofits in the arts, education, health, recreation, and workforce development fields, and Building Bridges manages two theaters, seven urban farms, a technical theater internship program, and more. It is the engine behind it all, providing nonprofit partners with space, marketing, and management free of charge, and leading projects such as the Skyland Workforce Center and the 11th Street Bridge Park, a new outdoor civic venue designed to generate economic opportunity for the surrounding communities. It’s all about making collaboration a force multiplier – addressing multiple disparities, creating better outcomes for the people THEARC serves, and equipping the residents of Wards 7 and 8 not only to survive, but to thrive.

Headquarters: DC-Ward 8

Where They Operate: DC-Ward 7; DC-Ward 8; THEARC is located in Congress Heights, Washington, DC.

Age Groups Served: Infants (0-2); Pre-K (3-4); Youth (5-11); Pre-teen/teen (12-17); Young adult (18-24); Adult (25-49); Seniors (50+); All

Ethnic Groups Served: African American

Population(s) Served: Low- to Moderate-Income Community Members

Schools They Work In: Building Bridges Across the River and its partners at THEARC all work in conjunction with local public, charter and private schools in the east of the Anacostia River community to offer high quality, low cost cultural and social programs to at risk children and youth.

Awards & Recognition

n/a

Press

Budget (FY2023)

  • The current budget for Building Bridges Across the River is: $3 million or higher
  • $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

About Spur Local

Every year, 190+ local nonprofits (with budgets under $4M) apply to join the Spur Local network. 170+ community volunteers assess these applications for impact. 100% of organizations are site visited and financially reviewed. Finally, 76+ critical, local nonprofits are selected for inclusion in Spur Local's annual print and digital catalog, and enter a four-year partnership with us. Since 2003, we have raised over $65 million for nonprofits across the Greater Washington region. We charge no fees and raise funds separately to support our work.

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