Technical Assistance, Consulting and Project Management Services

Building Hope assists high-potential charter schools overcome facilities challenges by offering technical assistance and financial expertise related to the planning, acquisition, renovation, construction, and maintenance of school facilities. The organization invests directly in real estate projects, typically as a subordinated lender on a medium term basis (3-5 years). Schools are selected based on specified criteria, including: institutional leadership, academic performance, fiscal stability, and community support. Building Hope also acts as project manager and developer of facilities. Projects in the District of Columbia have included new construction as well as retrofitting and remodeling of existing facilities such as churches, warehouses and former schools.

• Providing assistance for site selection, school design and development, and lease/purchase negotiation.
• Developing financial cash-flow projections to determine realistic lease or loan payments amounts for school operators.
• Soliciting proposals and assisting with the selection of a lender by a charter school for long-term bond financing for a facility project.
• Construction affordable financing packages acceptable to commercial lending institutions.
• Advocating on behalf of charter school for adequate facilities at the local, state and national levels.
• Providing financial oversight to charter schools for closing of complex New Market Tax Credit Transactions.
• Lending money for facilities acquisitions and/or improvements at below-market rates.
• Exploring tax-exempt financing and other tax-structuring opportunities.
• Extending credit guarantees to allow schools to obtain additional financing
• Acquiring and developing sites, then subleasing them to schools at below-market rates.
• Working with the D.C. government to develop a process for charter school co-locations and acting as project manager for three co-location projects.
• Providing project management services and turnkey facilities solutions.

Real Estate Advisory Services

• Assistance related to site selection, school design, lease/purchase negotiations, and facilities financing.
• Developing financial cash-flow projections to determine realistic lease or loan payment amounts for school operators.
• Constructing affordable financing packages acceptable to commercial lending institutions.
• Acquiring and developing sites and sub-leasing to schools at below-market rates.
• Advocating on behalf of charter schools for affordable facilities at the local, state, and national levels.

Financing

• Lending money to charter schools for facilities acquisitions and/or improvements at below-market rates.
• Guaranteeing debt used to assist charter schools to acquire, renovate, or construct school facilities.
• Guaranteeing or insuring leases of personal or real property that are needed to begin or continue the operation of the charter schools.
• Facilitating financing by potential lenders.
• Facilitating the issuance of bonds by charter schools or other public entities for the benefit of charter schools.

To see some sample projects, please click here.