“Hope is a passion for the possible.”
— Søren Kierkegaard

A VISION FOR VENTURE.

The Mission Venture Fund partners with ministry startups at the pre-seed, seed and early growth stages where charity incubators and accelerators typically don’t fund in higher-risk contexts. In partnership with mission venture leaders, coaches, advisors and peers, the Mission Venture Fund strengthens startups through three promises: capital, capability and community.

We are considering mission ventures in the Horn of Africa, the continent’s eastern most point, and the Sahel, the region that stretches from the Atlantic Coast to the Red Sea just below the Sahara desert. The Horn and Sahel are considered some of the most underserved regions in the world. We are also exploring ventures in Southeast Asia and Central Asia.

While capital will be philanthropic, the emerging trend toward social enterprise represents a paradigm shift from pure charity to sustainable models that integrate mission and business. Accompanying mission entrepreneurs with agile capability can yield breakthroughs, not just for individual ventures, but also the mission community.

THREE PROMISES.

  • CAPITAL

    The Mission Venture Fund provides philanthropic capital, leveraging local resources and enterprise when appropriate.

  • CAPABILITY

    The Mission Venture Fund provides context-specific advising, coaching and capability strengthening aimed at innovation, growth and impact.

  • COMMUNITY

    The Mission Venture Fund strengthens the ministry community, or ecosystem, through networking, apprenticing and peer mentoring.

HOW THE FUND WORKS

    • Leveraging an extensive global network, the Mission Venture Fund team curates a portfolio of mission startups for potential partnership.

    • The Mission Venture Team facilitates interviews and high level assessments to determine potential fit.

    • The Mission Venture Team presents potential ventures to a Portfolio Advisory Council for discussion and further vetting.

    • The Mission Venture Team presents a cohort of recommended ventures to Philanthropic Partners at the Annual Partners Gathering, along with a summary analysis for each venture, including venture-led performance goals.

    • Philanthropic Partners are invited to support the cohort, or specific themes, or affinities, within a cohort (e.g., by geography or sector) over a period of three years, with capacity grants ranging from $20,000 to $50,000 per year, over three years.

    • Following a deeper, relationally-led assessment, the Mission Venture Team assembles three-member coaching teams to accompany each venture in specific areas, such as, leadership, missional strategy, pacing and growth, organizational health, resource development and impact.

    • While the journey will include a set of shared core principles and processes, coaching teams will prioritize relationally, context-relevant pathways for each venture rather that rely on a one-size fits all approach.

    • Progress for each cohort will be reported during an annual Partners Gathering and optional quarterly calls.

“We plant seeds that one day will grow. We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”
— Bishop Ken Untener