Press Release: Invested Faith Selects 12th Class of Fellows
For immediate release: 08.14.2024
Invested Faith Awards 12th Class of Fellows
Washington, DC: Invested Faith has named a twelfth class of faith-rooted social entrepreneurs. These five social innovators are working to address systemic issues of injustice in their communities while building sustainable financial models. The Fellowship includes an unrestricted grant, an invitation to tell their story through the Invested Faith community, and the opportunity to join the Invested Faith RESOURCED program, a peer support network of Fellows across the U.S.
Invested Faith has now awarded 57 Fellowships in just 3 years. Invested Faith Fellows are working in 22 states plus the District of Columbia. The first class of Fellows was awarded in July of 2021.
Invested Faith Founder Rev. Dr. Amy K. Butler notes: "I believe that people of faith are always called to go where God is at work. Perhaps these times of division and desperation are amplifying that call, and our Fellows are right here, doing important work that is changing the world. They are prophets and disruptors, brave leaders who are showing us that there is a way for all of us to live the mandate of our faith in this moment. Now is the time to do everything we can to support and champion their work."
The following individuals were selected as Invested Faith Fellows in July of 2024:
Marcy Bursac
The Forgotten Adoption Option
St. Louis, Missouri
The Forgotten Adoption Option is dedicated to advocating for 113,000 children in the U.S. foster care system that are available for adoption Through a faith-rooted approach, the non-profit provide mentorship and resources, empowering families to overcome obstacles and successfully navigate the adoption journey to become a forever family for a child or sibling group. Founder Marcy Bursac’s mission is to help children be adopted before they age out of the foster care system.
Erna Kim Hackett
Liberated Together
Richmond, California
Liberated Together creates community for Women of Color, Queer WOC, and non-binary folks who follow Jesus to explore liberated and embodied theology, decolonized approaches to social justice, and radical solidarities across ethnic lines. Founder Erna Hackett offers learning cohorts, spiritual direction and coaching; along with spiritual direction training centered on POC.
Tamice Spencer-Helms
Sub:Culture Inc
Richmond, Virginia
Sub:Culture Inc. is a Black led nonprofit striving to remove barriers to holistic well-being, social flourishing and academic success for Black university students. Founded by Tamice Spence-Helms, the Sub:Culture program offers a comprehensive and transformative experience for Black students designed to foster their personal and professional growth, along with financial support to offset unexpected costs that often cause students to drop out.
Stephen Cue Jn-Marie
The Hip Hop Smoothie Shop
Los Angeles, California
The Hip-Hop Smoothie Shop, a worker-owned co-op and social enterprise, provides living wage employment and employee ownership to residents of Skid Row in LA as well as providing nutritious food in a food desert. Stephen Cue Jn-Marie, a former Virgin Records rapper now known as Pastor Cue, founded the Hip Hop Smoothie Shop as a part of Creating Justice LA, a non-profit that advances justice through creative expression.
Josh Richardson
Brugsmansia Ministries
St. Louis, Missouri
Brugmansia Ministries’ mission is to address climate change and climate migration through building physical, relational, and spiritual infrastructure within faith communities. Using climate projections and current physical and social data, founder Josh Richardson helps communities identify current vulnerabilities and needs as well as potential future challenges and to proactively prepare for climate driven environmental disasters or other climate change events.
About Invested Faith: Invested Faith is a fund for faith-rooted social innovators founded by Rev. Dr. Amy Butler in 2019 in response to declining church attendance and the need for a new model of philanthropy. Invested Faith is a bridge between traditional churches and social innovators who are creating new expressions of faith and community.
For additional information and photos, visit the Press Center at Invested Faith.
Media Contact: Anita Flowers, Coordinator
investedfaith.org/press-center
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