Engineering Ministries International

What Engineering Ministries International does

Engineering Ministries International (EMI) is a Colorado Springs-based Christian nonprofit founded in 1982 that mobilizes volunteer and staff architects, civil and structural engineers, surveyors, and construction managers to deliver design and construction management services to approved Christian ministries and development NGOs worldwide. Operating through 12 offices across North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, EMI provides end-to-end project support spanning feasibility studies, land surveying, concept and detailed design, cost estimating, and on-site construction management for facilities such as schools, churches, orphanages, training centers, and community buildings. Its technical foundation rests on proprietary design guides (Civil, Structural, Electrical, Geotechnical, Discipleship) developed specifically for developing-world contexts, industry-standard CAD tools including Sketchup and Autodesk products, and internally developed hardware such as an Automated Percolation Tester produced by the EMI Uganda R&D team.

EMI's economic model is donation-driven: design services are provided at minimal or no monetary cost to ministry partners, subsidized by private donations accepted in CAD, GBP, EUR, UGX, USD, and ZAR across its national entities. The organization supplements donations with a WooCommerce-based EMI Store selling branded merchandise priced from $1.50 to $60. Customer concentration is diffuse across a long tail of NGO partners and individual donors, with one notable enterprise partnership (JHA Companies) framing EMI as a vehicle for corporate staff volunteer engagement. Strategic posture emphasizes workforce pipeline development through EMI Internship and Fellowship Programmes, alumni engagement via the EMI Network and Prayer Calendar, and incremental geographic expansion — most recently opening offices in Senegal (2016) and Cambodia (2017) — supported by a recent leadership transition with Brad Crawford assuming the CEO role in mid-2026 after serving as COO since 2014.

Name

Engineering Ministries International

Legal name

Engineering Ministries International

Website

https://emiworld.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Engineering Ministries International (EMI) is a Colorado Springs-based Christian nonprofit founded in 1982 that mobilizes volunteer architects, engineers, and construction managers across 12 global offices to deliver design and construction management services to Christian ministries and development NGOs, funded primarily by private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Engineering Services for Mission and Development Projects

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil, Construction & Infrastructure Engineering Staffing (BPACADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Engineering consulting services
• Construction management services
• Mission infrastructure design
• Nonprofit development services

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: EMI is a non-profit organization that operates primarily through private donations. Donors contribute financially to support the organization's mission of designing facilities for communities and churches worldwide. Donations are tax-deductible in applicable jurisdictions.
2. EMI Store Merchandise Sales: EMI operates an e-commerce store selling branded merchandise including clothing (polos, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets), accessories (hats, bags, mugs), books (40 Years of EMI commemorative book), and promotional items. Products are priced individually ranging from $1.50 to $60.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

EMI mobilizes teams of volunteer and staff architects, engineers, surveyors, and construction managers to deliver design, feasibility studies, land surveying, and construction management services to Christian ministries, missionaries, and NGOs operating primarily in developing regions. The organization also produces technical design guides and field-test equipment and operates an online merchandise store.

Product overview

EMI is a Christian nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of design, construction, and professional development services for development projects worldwide. Its core offerings include architecture and engineering design services (from feasibility studies through detailed design) and construction management services delivered through international offices in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and the Americas. Supporting these core services are professional development programmes—the EMI Internship Programme and Fellowship Programme—which cultivate the next generation of design professionals. EMI also operates the EMI Store for branded merchandise, the EMI Learn online learning platform, and EMI Tech resources including technical design guides. The organization mobilizes volunteers and project trips to engage professionals in its mission. Founded in 1982, EMI serves ministry partners through 12 offices worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Management Services Multidisciplinary design, feasibility studies, land surveying, and construction management delivered by staff and volunteer professionals for Christian ministry partners and NGOs in developing regions.
• EMI Design Guides (Civil, Structural, Architectural, Mechanical) Internally produced technical reference guides used by EMI professionals and partners for context-appropriate design in low-resource and developing-world settings.
• Automated Percolation Tester Field-tested tool used to assess soil percolation for sanitation and site development in low-resource project settings.
• EMI Store Merchandise Online store offering branded merchandise such as clothing and accessories, supporting EMI's nonprofit operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70-acre Amazima School project managed with 150+ workers demonstrating ability to scale complex construction projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JHA CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJHA Companies partners with EMI to extend their God-given talents to serve others beyond daily projects. Through this partnership, JHA staff participate in EMI project trips and initiatives, bringing hope to communities worldwide while enriching their team's professional experience and finding deeper purpose in their work.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC): Global umbrella body for consulting engineering firms; relevant as an ecosystem/administrative peer for engineering services standards, though FIDIC serves commercial members rather than operating development projects directly.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with a dedicated development practice; relevant as the type of commercial firm EMI alumni transition to and from, and which competes for large institutional development design contracts.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision International: Major faith-inspired humanitarian organization executing community infrastructure projects in developing regions; a much larger incumbent that operates in adjacent space to EMI's facility design services for NGOs.
• BuildOn: Nonprofit constructing schools in developing countries with community engagement; comparable mission-aligned construction focus, though BuildOn emphasizes school building and direct labor rather than multi-discipline design services.
• Samaritan's Purse: Large faith-based relief and development organization that employs engineering staff (e.g., EMI's President Emeritus John Dallmann previously served here); comparable faith-aligned operations in disaster response and WASH/infrastructure.
• Habitat for Humanity: Large, established faith-affiliated nonprofit delivering design and construction services for housing in developing regions; overlaps with EMI on volunteer-mobilized building projects but operates at significantly greater scale and with a narrower housing focus.

Direct peers

• Architecture Sans Frontières: International network of architecture and design professionals providing pro-bono services for development and humanitarian projects in underserved communities; closely comparable in volunteer-based architectural services for NGO partners.
• Article 25 (UK charity): UK-based charity providing pro-bono architectural and engineering design services for buildings in developing countries; directly comparable in mission, volunteer model, and developing-world project delivery.
• Engineers Without Borders: Mobilizes engineering professionals for development projects in partner countries; shares EMI's volunteer-driven model and developing-world project focus, though typically without EMI's faith-based ministry affiliation.
• Engineers Without Borders (Canada): Canadian affiliate mobilizing engineers for international development projects; shares EMI's engineering-services-for-development model with overlapping regional presence in Africa and Asia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/eMiDesigningHope
• Facebookfacebook.com/eMiDesignHope
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/engineering-ministries-international-emi-
• Instagraminstagram.com/emidesignhope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Engineering Ministries International