Social Enterprise Funding
About St. George’s Enterprise Ministry
The St. George’s Enterprise Ministry (“SGEM”) was formed as an expression of St. George’s successful Living Waters Campaign which was completed in 2013 and raised more than $6 million. One-tenth of the funds raised were designated “to invest in a new mission initiative that would bless the Nashville community and serve as a catalyst for future St. George’s ministry opportunities and relationships outside the parish.”
Click here to read more about our current and previous SGEM partners.
If you have questions about St. George’s Enterprise Ministry or if you are interested in applying for future funding, please contact Calvin Lewis, SGEM Committee Chair, at calvin_lewis@comcast.net
Grant Information
Grant Guidelines & Timeline
God calls us as a church to embody and bear witness to his kingdom in the world around us. One of the fundamental ways we do this is through the giving of our time and resources for the benefit of our neighbors as an expression of God’s love for all people. Because of our belief that deep and ongoing personal relationships are integral to this witness, this ministry seeks opportunities that are located within the Nashville Metro area only.
The SGEM Committee will seek to identify, evaluate, and support social enterprises that:
- Focus on development, not betterment
- Promote interdependency, not dependency
- Empower recipients with personal and social transformation
- Leverage St. George’s strengths in business, leadership, entrepreneurship, and mentoring
To ensure the broadest impact, SGEM intends to limit the total amount of financial support committed on an annual basis to all supported partner enterprises to no more than $100,000 and the total cumulative support to any one enterprise to no more than $100,000.
SGEM anticipates selecting one new enterprise for support annually, though more than one enterprise may be recommended for support at the discretion of the SGEM Committee. SGEM does not intend to be the sole or even majority financial supporter of any enterprise beyond the first year of support. To ensure the sustainability of SGEM-supported enterprises, the following target funding guidelines have been established to encourage SGEM-supported enterprises to develop a broad base of support for their work, both financial and non-financial:
- No enterprise will receive more than $50,000 from SGEM within any 12 month period
- SGEM’s financial support of an enterprise will represent less than 50% of an enterprise’s total annual operating budget within 24 months of SGEM support
Funding Criteria
In addition to considering the faith-based nature of prospective enterprises and the more detailed criteria outlined below, in its selection process the SGEM Committee will prioritize funding enterprises that possess most if not all of the following characteristics:
- Target an underserved community within Metro Nashville
- Led by a committed, visionary leader
- Developmental in nature, with an orientation toward job creation or jobs training
- Start up or early stage in development
- “Sponsored” by one or more St. George’s parishioners
- Provide ongoing, consistent opportunities for parishioner involvement
Timeline
Application review will take place June-August, with finalists being chosen at the end of the review period. Finalists will be asked to present to the SGEM committee in the fall, and once those presentations are complete, the SGEM committee will make funding recommendations to the Church leadership in late fall.
Application
2022 Grant Application (PDF)
2022 Grant Application (Word)
Pitch Night
Each year, our finalists are invited to participate in a Pitch Night. This is an opportunity for each organization to share their mission and vision with the St. George's community as we consider how we might partner together. Watch our finalists from the 2020 Pitch Night below: Crossroads Campus, Project Return's PROPS, and Humphreys Street.