OWP’s comunidad campus at 44 Seeley street:

Fund, design, and sustainably build OWP’s forever home

Donate here to support this work!

A Brief History

Founded in 2012, One World Project has moved through a variety of spaces over the years in our search for a permanent home within the community. OWP began with just one class in Joanne’s living room, and moved to 302 Vanderbilt Street in July of 2015. After lovingly restoring and revitalizing the former church building, it has now become a vibrant space with a bountiful garden, and ample indoor and outdoor opportunities for exploration and discovery.

The Search for a new home

Unfortunately, in July of 2030 our lease at 302 Vanderbilt Street comes to an end, and it will not be renewed.

This means that to continue our important work, we must now find a new home. By a stroke of luck, One World Project was able to purchase 44 Seeley Street in the summer of 2024. This gorgeous space is just a few blocks from our current location, and is an important step towards the ultimate goal of designing and building a new and permanent home for our families past, present, and future.

We believe this challenge is an opportunity, and allows us the once-in-a-lifetime chance to build something from the ground up that can best meet the needs of our neighborhood and community.

What We’re building

As we consider all the ways that we want this new space to serve our community, One World Project’s dedication to socio-emotional learning, sustainability, and a connection to the natural environment are key points of inspiration. We are calling this new space a “campus” because we want it to encompass more than just a building. Rather, it will be a collection of learning spaces both indoors and outdoors that work together to create a home for our Welcoming Community of Learners, providing new opportunities for connection, collaboration, and discovery for all.

Preliminary plans for the Comunidad Campus include a community garden, a rooftop food lab, and plenty of space for outdoor exploration, as well as indoor classrooms with lots of natural light throughout that uphold OWP’s desire to make all children feel safe, welcome, and ready to learn.

We are exceptionally grateful to Rogers Partners Architects for their passion and incredibly hard work on the project thus far. We are thrilled to be working with such a talented team, and cannot wait for future collaboration.

Supporting Our Work

This project will mean a beacon of progressive education in Brooklyn, nurturing and caring for children and their families for generations to come. However, we cannot get there alone — we are launching a capital campaign to support this work, and are asking for you all to join us in making this vision a reality.

Of course, we deeply value financial contributions, which will be a key part of the journey, and are hopeful that every family can make a donation and invite others to do the same. However that is not the only way to be involved: we would also be deeply grateful to community members with previous capital campaign experience or experience working with public and city funds to give their time and wisdom. Or if you have any relevant skills or experiences not mentioned here that you think would be important, please get in touch! We would love to hear from you.

To learn more, or to get involved with our capital campaign committee, please reach out to hola@oneworldproject.org or fill out this google form.

timeline

2024

• May: One World Project purchases lot at 44 Seeley Street

• December: OWP hires Rogers Partners Architects to lead design and construction

2025

• January: Renderings and preliminary schematic drawings developed; OWP hosts listening sessions with neighbors and architects

• February: OWP submits application for public funds from NYC to support the Comunidad Campus

• July: Awards are granted, and public funds are made available to grantees

2026

• Permits applied for and secured

2027-29

• Construction begins, with work completed by the middle of 2029

2030

• Lease at 302 Vanderbilt ends, move to the Comunidad Campus at 44 Seeley Street complete!