Transforming vacant school buildings into teacher and essential worker housing.
Derwin Sisnett is a serial social entrepreneur that has spent the last 18 years working in community and real estate development, public education, and impact investing. In 2008, he co-founded Gestalt Community Schools (GCS), a charter management organization that develops community-based charter schools in Memphis, which he led for 8 years. Honored by the White House and US Department of Education, GCS grew into one of the highest performing school networks in Tennessee, anchoring over 40 acres of mixed-use development including a performing arts center and affordable housing. Derwin then co-founded and co-led Maslow Development Inc. to advise, design, and develop mixed use communities anchored by high quality schools. Derwin is an Echoing Green Fellow, a Cambiar Education Change Agent, a Braddock Scholar and Pahara Fellow at the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
In many communities across the United States, teachers and essential workers struggle to afford housing in the districts they serve. At the same time, there is a significant inventory of underutilized historic school buildings with school districts possessing millions of square feet of vacant buildings. Some estimates put the number of vacant public schools across the country that have closed since 2010 at 15,000. Derwin founded Adaptive Commons to address these dual challenges by transforming vacant school properties into affordable housing for teachers and essential workers. School districts will have an opportunity to bring in revenue to mitigate current fiscal challenges while also providing a critical service to their workforce and broader community. The idea is to transform unused assets into community resources through adaptive reuse. Adaptive Commons will leverage innovative financing models using tax credits and public-private partnerships to create a replicable model for nationwide conversion.
Adaptive Commons' distinct value-add is identifying specific projects and providing access to a strong network of developers, architects, investors, and other stakeholders to drive them forward. Derwin is uniquely positioned due to his relationships in the education, community development, and real estate sectors, as well as his innovative project financing expertise. Derwin is building out the core infrastructure of Adaptive Commons to lay the groundwork for several proof of concept projects. The next phase of work will be to raise a Proof of Concept Fund to finance 2-3 school conversion projects to demonstrate the viability of the model.
UP’s award will support Derwin in establishing Adaptive Commons to facilitate school-to-housing conversion projects that benefit school districts, teachers, and the broader community. Providing early support to Adaptive Commons will allow Derwin to bring on key staff and expertise that will enable him to secure the partnerships and resources for the first pilot projects.
Learn more about Derwin Sisnett and Adaptive Commons here.
Derwin Sisnett is a serial social entrepreneur that has spent the last 18 years working in community and real estate development, public education, and impact investing. In 2008, he co-founded Gestalt Community Schools (GCS), a charter management organization that develops community-based charter schools in Memphis, which he led for 8 years. Honored by the White House and US Department of Education, GCS grew into one of the highest performing school networks in Tennessee, anchoring over 40 acres of mixed-use development including a performing arts center and affordable housing. Derwin then co-founded and co-led Maslow Development Inc. to advise, design, and develop mixed use communities anchored by high quality schools. Derwin is an Echoing Green Fellow, a Cambiar Education Change Agent, a Braddock Scholar and Pahara Fellow at the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
In many communities across the United States, teachers and essential workers struggle to afford housing in the districts they serve. At the same time, there is a significant inventory of underutilized historic school buildings with school districts possessing millions of square feet of vacant buildings. Some estimates put the number of vacant public schools across the country that have closed since 2010 at 15,000. Derwin founded Adaptive Commons to address these dual challenges by transforming vacant school properties into affordable housing for teachers and essential workers. School districts will have an opportunity to bring in revenue to mitigate current fiscal challenges while also providing a critical service to their workforce and broader community. The idea is to transform unused assets into community resources through adaptive reuse. Adaptive Commons will leverage innovative financing models using tax credits and public-private partnerships to create a replicable model for nationwide conversion.
Adaptive Commons' distinct value-add is identifying specific projects and providing access to a strong network of developers, architects, investors, and other stakeholders to drive them forward. Derwin is uniquely positioned due to his relationships in the education, community development, and real estate sectors, as well as his innovative project financing expertise. Derwin is building out the core infrastructure of Adaptive Commons to lay the groundwork for several proof of concept projects. The next phase of work will be to raise a Proof of Concept Fund to finance 2-3 school conversion projects to demonstrate the viability of the model.
UP’s award will support Derwin in establishing Adaptive Commons to facilitate school-to-housing conversion projects that benefit school districts, teachers, and the broader community. Providing early support to Adaptive Commons will allow Derwin to bring on key staff and expertise that will enable him to secure the partnerships and resources for the first pilot projects.
Learn more about Derwin Sisnett and Adaptive Commons here.