Justice Built Communities is an innovative community development corporation that leverages land, labor, entrepreneurship and capital to build equitable wealth for the Black and Brown residents of our region, while preventing gentrification and displacement.
Our Vision: We imagine thriving communities where every person has personal, social, and economic power.
JBC stewards equitable development with an interconnected approach, leaning on all the economic levers all at once.
We buy up vacant land to turn blighted areas into thriving corridors that improve quality of life.
We provide opportunities and financial support to grow local businesses and community wealth.
We open pathways to good-paying jobs and create a pipeline of talent for regional businesses.
We leverage public and private funding sources to build self-sustaining assets long term.
We use human-centered design to channel the assets and aspirations of our neighbors at all phases. Instead of telling people, “Here’s what you need,” we ask, “What can we do together?”
We engage local artists to enhance the unique cultural and physical character of corridors while building belonging, pride, and connection among residents.
JBC is an entity of Pillsbury United Communities, community builders with a 140-year legacy in the Twin Cities. Together with strategic advisors and supporters, we are building a more equitable and prosperous region for all who live here.
Pillsbury United Communities was founded in 1879 as the Bethel Mission, an offshoot of Plymouth Congregational Church. We trace our roots to many of the earliest settlement houses in our city, including Pillsbury House, Unity House, and Wells Memorial House. Our history is as rich and diverse as the neighborhoods we’ve called home.
Our communities and our work have evolved over the last 140 years, but our mission remains the same: working with our communities to co-create enduring change towards a just society.
