Carter Work Project 2025

A volunteer in a blue Habitat shirt and hard hat carries an armload of lumber through the frame of a house.

October 26-31, 2025 |  Austin, Texas

This year marked a poignant milestone as the first Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project since President Jimmy Carter’s passing. Held in Austin, Texas, the 2025 project brought together volunteers from around the world to build 25 affordable, energy-efficient homes at Whisper Valley, a sustainable “naturehood” designed to model innovative, eco-friendly living and long-term housing affordability. The project honors President Carter’s lifelong commitment to creating decent, affordable homes and building a more sustainable future for all.

President Carter and others gather next to solar panels for a dedication ceremony.

President Carter was an early advocate for renewable energy in the United States. He installed 32 solar panels on the roof of the White House in 1979, and his vision laid the foundation for future clean energy initiatives.

The 25 affordable, energy-efficient homes built during this year’s Carter Work Project will help families save on energy costs and demonstrate how sustainable, thoughtful design can create lasting impact. 

Carter Work Project Rural Rally

To shine the light on the need for more affordable housing in rural America, Habitat held its first-ever Rural Rally as part of the 2025 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project. During the last week of October, home builds and rehabs in more than 60 rural communities, stretching across at least 20 states and all regions of the U.S., took place alongside the project’s signature large-scale build in Austin, Texas. 

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Groundbreaking sustainability

A geothermal grid combined with solar panels will allow Habitat’s Whisper Valley homes to generate their own clean, renewable energy. 

This zero-energy-capable solution allows homes to generate as much power as they use. As such, these homes provide their own heating and cooling. 

A Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index of 25 makes these homes 75%-80% more energy-efficient than a standard home. 

 

Rendering of Whisper Valley entrance.

These homes cut carbon emissions and reduce energy consumption, which also makes them more sustainable and affordable.

Learn more about geothermal grids and sustainable development from our frequently asked questions. 

Whisper Valley Habitat homes will have three or four bedrooms, range in size from 1,280 to 1,490 square feet and be priced at US$230,000 to US$245,000. Austin Habitat for Humanity will build a total of 48 homes, including the 25 from Carter Work Project. To apply for an affordable home in the Whisper Valley development, complete the form.

Apply for a home
Bright green 3D printed good.

Waste reimagined at the Austin ReStore

Austin ReStore is more than a store—it’s a sustainability pioneer. As the first Habitat ReStore in the U.S., it continues to innovate through programs like ReCreateIt. This year, during the Carter Work Project, volunteers’ reusable water bottles will be turned into 3D-printed home goods sold in-store. 

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Whisper Valley takes shape

The Whisper Valley development is located just east of Austin, Texas, in eastern Travis County. More homes will be built in later phases. The development will also have amenities like hiking and biking trails, parks, community gardens, a resort pool and a community center.

See below to see photos of the progress we made during this year’s Carter Work Project. 

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Aerial photo of Whisper Valley development.

Site preview of the houses in Whisper Valley that volunteers will help build during this year’s Carter Work Project.

White marquee letters spelling out CWP ATX are surrounded by a large orange, blue and green balloon display.

A display outside of the Bullock Texas State History Museum welcomes visitors at the opening ceremony of the 2025 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Austin, Texas. 

The famous El Arroyo sign in Austin displays a message reading, “Hammers up y’all. 25 homes in 1 week. Habitat Carter Work Project ‘25.”

 The famous El Arroyo sign in Austin displays a message in honor of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project reading, “Hammers up y’all. 25 homes in 1 week. Habitat Carter Work Project ‘25.”

The back of the audience's heads, including someone wearing a large white cowboy hat, are displayed as they watch the stage for the opening ceremony.

Attendees gather for the opening ceremony of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project held at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. 

Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity International stands alongside Ray Benson, Austin musician and event emcee, behind a podium and microphone on a stage.

Jonathan Reckford, CEO for Habitat for Humanity International, addresses attendees alongside Ray Benson, Austin musician and event emcee, during the opening ceremony of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project held at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas. 

Chip Carter, son of President Jimmy Carter, sits with his wife Becky Carter in the audience staring up at the stage and smiling.

Chip Carter, son of President Jimmy Carter attends the opening ceremony of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project with his wife Becky Carter. 

Two volunteers in blue shirts and hats carry tool bags as they walk to the build site before the sun comes up.

Volunteers arrive at the build site of the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Austin, Texas.

Four volunteers pose in blue Habitat shirts under a giant welcome sign banner.
John Poynor, home repair project manager, Austin Habitat for Humanity, stands behind a podium on stage in a yellow shirt and white hard hat while the crowd listens.

John Poynor, home repair project manager, Austin Habitat for Humanity, leads the safety briefing for volunteers at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Austin, Texas. 

A man in a blue hard hat sets up a sign that has a dancing man and woman on it that says Texas Two-Step.

Signs containing house numbers and names are set up on the build site during the morning briefing 

Four volunteers in blue hard hats pull on a wooden frame wall of a house to lift it up off the ground.
Seven volunteers wearing blue Habitat shirts lift a wooden frame above their heads
Chip Carter, son of President Jimmy Carter, squats down with two other volunteers to inspect the foundation of a build site.

Chip Carter, son of President Jimmy Carter, builds with volunteers during the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Austin, Texas. 

Thirteen volunteers in blue Habitat shirts and hard hats stand on one side of a wooden frame of a house preparing to lift it into place.
A volunteer with curly hair wearing a blue Habitat shirt and hard hat lifts a piece of lumber above her head.
In the background a volunteer in a blue hard hat hammers a piece of lumber. His face is framed by another volunteer's arms working in the foreground.
A volunteer in a long sleeve white shirt and blue Habitat shirt and hard hat stands on a ladder marking a piece of lumber with a pencil.
One volunteer in a blue Habitat shirt and hard hat uses a red power saw while the other volunteer observes.
A volunteer in a hard hat carries an armload of lumber through the open wooden frame of a house.
Two volunteers stand with their arms up holding pieces of lumber in place.
Three volunteers stand on the ground and hold a piece of lumber that is also being held on the other end on the porch of a build house.
A volunteer stands with his arms above his head holding a drill that he is pushing into the frame of a house.
One volunteer stands and uses a power saw on a piece of lumber while the other volunteer holds it in place.
Two volunteers in blue Habitat hard hats hold a green ladder between them as they stand in the wooden frame of a house.
Two volunteers in blue hard hats lean over to drill a piece of lumber that is attached to the wooden frame of a house.
A volunteer in a blue hard hat stands with a green piece of boarding in his hand and a hammer in the other hand.
A volunteer in a white shirt and blue hard hat holds the middle of a green ladder steady and looks upward.
A volunteer with a blue hard hat holds a hammer in their hand getting ready to hammer a nail in to place on a wall.
Three volunteers in hard hats work on using paint rollers to paint pieces of lumber white.
Two volunteers stand at the top of ladders leaning against the outside wall of two separate houses.
A volunteer in a blue hard hat bends down and angles his arm in front of him holding a paint brush as he paints a wall white.
One volunteer in a hard hat uses a power saw and dust floats away as another volunteer looks on in the background.
A volunteer in a blue Habitat hard hat uses a caulking gun on a window frame inside a Habitat house.
A volunteer in a blue hard hat and shirt works with a drill in front of green drywall.
Two volunteers in blue shirts and hard hats stand with a green ladder between them and holding a measuring tape.
Wooden frame of a house build backlit against the sky as the sun rises.
Habitat hard hats sit on a table in the foreground with a hand reaching out for one.
A volunteer in a blue shirt and hard hat stands on a ladder and reaches his arms out to the top a roof as sawdust falls.
Four volunteers in hard hats with their backs to the camera stand on ladders while working on a house frame.

See the Carter Work Project 2025 house photos

Check out this year’s house photos, featuring homeowners and volunteers. 

View the photos
Grid of photos displaying shirts and hats branded with Carter Work Project and Austin, Texas.

Carter Work Project Shop

Celebrate the spirit of service and community with exclusive Carter Work Project merchandise — available now for a limited time.

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Carter Work Project stories

  • Four volunteers in blue hard hats pull on a wooden frame wall of a house to lift it up off the ground.

    2025 Carter Work Project recap

    Habitat for Humanity’s 39th Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project, the first since the passing of President Carter, brought together more than 2,000 volunteers in Austin’s Whisper Valley neighborhood to keep the work going.

    Watch the video

With the 2025 Carter Work Project in his sights, 76-year-old Gerard Van de Werken has been hitting the gym to prepare for the physical demands of building houses. In a recent NPR story, Van de Werken shared reflections on his more than 25 years as a Habitat volunteer.