Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community

What Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community does

Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community is a 501(c)(3) non-profit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) founded in 1850 by Bishop Christopher Gadsden, making it one of the oldest continuously operating CCRCs in the United States. It is headquartered on a 100+ acre arboretum-designated campus on James Island, Charleston, South Carolina, and serves more than 500 residents across a full continuum of care including independent living (apartments at The Quay, Trawick Commons, The Meade, and Georgian-style cottages), assisted living (Myers Hall), memory support (Arcadia, using the DICE/Encircle approach), skilled nursing (Estes Community), and short-term rehabilitation (Christie Rehab Center), with affiliated therapy (BG Therapy) and off-campus home care (BG At Home) and continuing care planning (Embark).

The community generated an approximately $72 million operating budget in FY2025 under Executive Vice President/CFO Lynne Kerrison, with revenue drawn from upfront entrance fees, recurring monthly service fees that vary by residence size and level of care, healthcare service fees (Medicare/insurance for rehab services open to non-residents), home care fees, and tax-deductible charitable donations to the 501(c)(3) Charitable Fund. Bishop Gadsden carries a BBB- investment-grade credit rating from Fitch Ratings (assigned 2019) and closed $47.9 million in Series 2025 Bonds in January 2026 to fund expanded wellness, performing arts, culinary, parking, and central plant upgrades, with a parallel $48.7 million SC JEDA revenue bond issuance in November 2025.

The company operates a sales-led go-to-market targeting Charleston-area seniors via campus tours, a dedicated inquiry line (800.373.2384), a Future Resident Program, and content marketing (podcast, blog, video), supplemented by direct-to-consumer short-term rehabilitation services open to the broader Charleston community. The organization is led by President & CEO Sarah E.H. Tipton (joined 1995, CEO since 2018) with an Episcopal Church affiliation under Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley on the Board of Trustees, holds CARF accreditation since 2003 (1 of only 77 of 1,911 US CCRCs), and in 2024-2025 extended its footprint through the Seafields at Kiawah Island affiliated 62+ life plan community.

Name

Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community

Legal name

Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community

Website

https://bishopgadsden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1850

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Bishop Gadsden is a 501(c)(3) non-profit continuing care retirement community founded in 1850 on a 100+ acre James Island, Charleston campus, serving 500+ residents across independent living, assisted living, memory support, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and home care services on a recurring entrance-fee and monthly-fee revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Continuing Care Retirement Community

NAICS

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (623311), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (6233), Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (623312), Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (62311)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Life Plan / Entrance-Fee CCRCs (HLADAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) with Memory Care (HLADACAD), Nonprofit / Faith-Based CCRCs (HLADAEAC), Multi-Campus / Regional CCRC Networks (HLADAEAF), Specialty CCRCs (e.g., Memory-Care-Focused, Veteran-Focused) (HLADAEAK)

Keywords

• Senior living services
• Continuing care retirement
• Assisted living facilities
• Skilled nursing care
• Memory support programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Charleston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Entrance Fees and Monthly Service Fees: Residents pay entrance fees and ongoing monthly fees for independent living, assisted living, and healthcare services. Fees vary based on residence size and level of care needed. This is the traditional continuing care retirement community (CCRC) model.
2. Healthcare Service Fees: Fees for skilled nursing, memory support, short-term rehabilitation, and therapy services. Christie Rehab Center open to non-residents for Medicare-covered post-acute rehabilitation.
3. BG At Home Services: Home care services provided to individuals in their own homes, including personal care, meal preparation, housekeeping, companionship, transportation, and memory care support.
4. Charitable Donations: Tax-deductible donations to the independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation support the Charitable Fund, Employee Appreciation Fund, and endowment programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Bishop Gadsden is a nonprofit life plan community operating on a 100+ acre James Island campus in Charleston, SC, providing a full continuum of senior living and healthcare services. Residents contract for independent living apartments or cottages, with priority access to assisted living (Myers Hall), memory support (Arcadia), skilled nursing (Estes Community), short-term rehabilitation (Christie Rehab Center), and on-campus therapy (BG Therapy). The community also operates BG At Home in-home care and the Embark continuing care at-home program for non-residents.

Product overview

Bishop Gadsden is a nonprofit life plan community offering a comprehensive continuum of senior living and healthcare services. The community operates as a platform with multiple distinct residential and care products: Independent Living through Apartments (Quay, Trawick Commons, Meade) and Cottages; Assisted Living at Myers Hall; Skilled Nursing at the Estes Community; Memory Support at Arcadia; Short-term Rehabilitation at Christie Rehab Center; and Therapy services via BG Therapy. Additional services include BG At Home (home care) and the Embark continuing care program. The community has recently expanded through its Gadsden Glen health center and the new Seafields at Kiawah Island affiliation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gadsden Glen: State-of-the-art health care facility featuring memory support, skilled nursing, and post-acute rehab services.
• Myers Hall
• Arcadia
• Estes Community
• Christie Rehab Center
• BG At Home
• Embark
• BG Therapy
• Seafields by Bishop Gadsden

Products and services

• Independent Living - Apartments

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Seafields at Kiawah IslandmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 November 2024Bishop Gadsden established affiliation creating Seafields at Kiawah Island by Bishop Gadsden, expanding mission and market reach. Seafields is a 62+ life plan community with 89 independent and 16 assisted living residences.
• MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBishop Gadsden is affiliated with MUSC Behavioral Health and other health systems specializing in geriatric and post-acute care. Provides access to specialty medical care for residents.
• Roper St. Francis HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site clinic affiliated with Roper St. Francis. Strong healthcare partnership providing primary and specialty medical care access. Led by Roper-affiliated medical director.
• The Episcopal ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based community affiliated with The Episcopal Church. Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina provides spiritual leadership through Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley on Board of Trustees.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Peers

• Atria Senior Living:

Others

• Life Care Services: One of the largest CCRC management companies in the US, managing 140+ communities including many life plan communities. While not a direct operator like Bishop Gadsden, LCS is a meaningful ecosystem peer given the third-party CCRC management model common in the industry.
• National Health Investors: Healthcare REIT that owns senior living and CCRC properties, including lease and mortgage relationships with senior housing operators. Relevant as a capital markets peer and potential financing counterparty for nonprofit CCRCs like Bishop Gadsden.

Direct peers

• Erickson Senior Living: One of the largest CCRC operators in the US with 20+ managed communities and a robust continuum-of-care model. Direct competitor in the life plan community category with comparable entrance-fee structure and aging-in-place philosophy.
• Acts Retirement-Life Communities: One of the largest nonprofit CCRC operators in the US with a faith-based heritage, operating 27+ communities across the East Coast and Midwest. Closely comparable to Bishop Gadsden in mission, life plan community model, and continuum-of-care service offering.
• Westminster Communities: Faith-based nonprofit CCRC operator with multiple communities primarily in the Southeast. Comparable in faith-based heritage, life plan contracts, and full continuum of care from independent living through skilled nursing.

Broad incumbents

• Atria Senior Living: Large US senior living operator with 250+ communities across 44 states. Competes in the same independent living, assisted living, and memory care categories, but operates at a broader scale and predominantly with a rental pricing model.
• Sunrise Senior Living: Major senior living operator with 270+ communities across the US and UK offering assisted living, memory care, and independent living. Provides similar care services though with a rental model rather than Bishop Gadsden's entrance-fee life plan structure.
• Brookdale Senior Living: Largest senior living operator in the US with 650+ communities offering independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing. Operates at much larger scale with a broader geographic footprint; overlaps with Bishop Gadsden across most service lines.
• Capital Senior Living (Sonida Senior Living): Senior living operator with 80+ communities across the US focused primarily on assisted living and memory care. Broader-market peer with comparable service offerings to Bishop Gadsden's assisted living and memory support operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bishopgadsdenlifeplancommunity
• Xx.com/BGAlerts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bishop-gadsden

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bishop Gadsden Episcopal Retirement Community