Franciscan Sisters of Mary

What Franciscan Sisters of Mary does

Franciscan Sisters of Mary (FSM) is a private Catholic religious congregation headquartered in Bridgeton, Missouri, founded in 1872 and formed in its present identity through the 1987 reunification of the Sisters of St. Mary and the Sisters of St. Francis of Maryville. With 1-10 listed employees, FSM does not operate a commercial business; instead, it deploys an endowed asset base through mission-aligned impact investing and philanthropy in pursuit of its articulated mission of "compassionate care of Creation." It is governed by its sisterhood with no external investors or parent company.

FSM's core activity is investment stewardship guided by Catholic Social Teaching and Franciscan values. Capital is deployed exclusively through separately managed accounts (SMAs) with mission-aligned managers, applying negative screens (exclusion of abortifacients/contraceptive manufacturers, nuclear/biological/chemical weapons developers, fossil fuel extractors, tobacco producers, civilian firearms makers, military weapons contractors, and adult entertainment companies), positive screens, and a faith-aligned proxy voting framework administered through Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS). Approximately 15% of assets are allocated to private impact investments, with high-quality mission investments at market rate and deep mission investments targeting transformational impact. Its 2012 engagement of Imprint Capital and 2014 co-founding of the Catholic Impact Investing Collaborative (CIIC) anchor its leadership position in faith-consistent investing.

FSM generates no commercial revenue. Its sustaining economics come from investment returns on endowed assets and philanthropic contributions. Its philanthropic arm has evolved from outsourced program management (Arabella Advisors, 2015-2018) through trust-based relational grantmaking (2019-2023) to "Participatory Grantmaking" (2023+). Reported impact outcomes include 1,230 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions reduced, 11,000+ kilowatts of clean energy produced, and $36,300 in reduced energy costs for low-income East African households over the past year. Outreach spans Missouri and East Africa.

Name

Franciscan Sisters of Mary

Legal name

Franciscan Sisters of Mary

Website

https://fsmonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FSM is a 150-year-old Catholic religious congregation based in Bridgeton, Missouri, that deploys its endowed assets through mission-aligned impact investing and philanthropy, excluding harmful industries and financing climate and community development solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investing

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Religious Radio Broadcasting (MPAIAEAF)

Keywords

• Impact investing
• Faith-based philanthropy
• Mission-aligned investment
• Religious congregation services
• Charitable grantmaking

Headquarters

HQ city

Bridgeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Franciscan Sisters of Mary is a Catholic religious congregation that manages its endowment through mission-aligned impact investing and deploys capital via philanthropic grantmaking. Investments are executed through separately managed accounts applying negative screens against harmful industries, faith-based proxy voting, and positive mission-alignment criteria consistent with Catholic Social Teaching and Franciscan values. The congregation also engages in ministry activities including prayer requests and the production of radio messages and a quarterly magazine.

Product overview

Franciscan Sisters of Mary is a religious congregation focused on mission-aligned impact investing and philanthropy rather than commercial product offerings. The organization extends its presence through impact investing, divested from fossil fuels, and philanthropic grantmaking. Resources include FSM Magazine archives (PDF publications from 2004-2021), radio broadcast messages on St. Louis classical music stations, and collaborative prayer videos. The congregation does not offer a software product, SaaS platform, or commercial technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced CO2 emissions by 1,230 metric tonnes, produced 11,000+ kilowatts of clean energy, reduced energy costs for low-income households in East Africa by $36,300 in the past year

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Catholic Impact Investing Collaborative (CIIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Co-founded by FSM in 2014 as a collaborative of Catholic institutions advancing mission-aligned investing. FSM has played a formative role in the Catholic impact investing movement.
• Imprint CapitalcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Impact investment advisory firm hired in 2012 to guide FSM's mission-aligned investing strategy. Assisted with development of FSM's investment framework and allocation of 15% to private impact investments.
• Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS)coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party screening firm retained to conduct ongoing evaluation of corporate activity against FSM's ethical investment guidelines. Provides regularly updated exclusion list for portfolio managers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mercy Investment Services (Sisters of Mercy): Investment arm of the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic religious institute running mission-aligned investing and shareholder advocacy. Directly comparable as a Catholic sisterhood executing faith-consistent capital stewardship and impact investing.
• Adrian Dominican Sisters: Catholic religious sisters with a well-known mission-aligned investment portfolio and active sustainability/impact program. Comparable as a Catholic sisterhood practicing values-aligned investing and philanthropy.
• Christian Brothers Investment Services (CBIS): Faith-based investment management firm originally founded for the Christian Brothers and now serving faith-aligned institutional investors. Comparable as a Catholic/faith-rooted organization providing mission-aligned portfolio management.
• Maryknoll Sisters: Catholic mission-oriented sisterhood engaged in global justice, mission, and stewardship activities. Comparable to FSM as a Catholic congregation of women religious combining mission work with stewardship of assets.
• Sisters of the Holy Cross: Catholic congregation of religious sisters with international missions and ongoing asset stewardship. Comparable to FSM as another Catholic women's religious institute pursuing mission-aligned work and investing.
• Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill: Catholic sisterhood with an active mission-aligned investment and grantmaking program. Comparable to FSM as a Catholic congregation undertaking faith-consistent investing aligned with Catholic Social Teaching.
• Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph: Catholic Ursuline congregation with a longstanding mission-aligned investment portfolio and sustainability focus. Comparable to FSM as a Catholic sisterhood embedding social/environmental objectives in investing and philanthropy.

Broad incumbents

• CommonSpirit Health: One of the largest Catholic health systems in the US, born from the merger of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. Comparable to FSM because it descends from the same Catholic healthcare heritage FSM helped pioneer and operates mission-aligned stewardship at very large scale.
• Bon Secours Mercy Health: Large Catholic health system created from the merger of Bon Secours Health System and Mercy Health. Comparable to FSM as a Catholic-sponsored institution rooted in the same Catholic-charism tradition of compassionate service and stewardship.

Others

• Imprint Capital: Impact investment advisory firm retained by FSM since 2012 to build and operate its mission-aligned investment program. Comparable as an enabler/peer in the Catholic impact-investing ecosystem where FSM is a participant-client and Imprint is the operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Franciscan_Srs
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/franciscan-sisters-of-mary

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Franciscan Sisters of Mary