School Sisters of Notre Dame

What School Sisters of Notre Dame does

School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) is an international Catholic religious congregation of women religious founded on October 24, 1833 by Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger in Neunburg vorm Wald, Bavaria. The congregation spans 27 countries across five continents, organized through 10 provinces, with the international Generalate in Rome and the North American Collaborative Communications office in St. Louis, Missouri. Headcount is reported as 1,700+ women religious (with one source citing nearly 2,000), plus a broader Shalom Network of more than 2,500 sisters, associates, and lay partners. Core ministry areas are education (Catholic schools and parishes), social services, pastoral ministry, healthcare, missionary service, and social-justice advocacy targeting women, youth, and those living in poverty.

SSND has no commercial technology product; its platform is informational and relational. Operational assets include three North American-affiliated provinces (Province of Africa covering Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia; Atlantic-Midwest covering 10 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and England; Central Pacific covering 25 U.S. states plus Japan, Nepal, and Guam), the North American Archives at Mount Mary University holding 2,000+ linear feet of records, and the Nun Study, a National Institute on Aging longitudinal Alzheimer's research program launched in 1990 with 678 SSND participants and 600+ brain tissue contributions, now hosted at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio. Annual publications include Trust & Dare magazine and the In Mission congregational newsletter.

The revenue model is donations and charitable contributions rather than commercial pricing; ministries and services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries. Funding flows through province-level development offices (Africa, Atlantic-Midwest, Central Pacific) and is supplemented by ancillary income such as the $100,000 Rising STARs Award for Nun Study research in 2024. Distribution occurs directly through sisters staffing schools, parishes, healthcare facilities, orphanages, and social service organizations, with strategic partnerships including UN NGO status, Catholic Climate Covenant, CLINIC, LCWR, and the Alliance to End Human Trafficking. The go-to-market motion is community-led: vocation recruitment and formation of new sisters, layered with an associates program for lay men and women who share the SSND mission.

Name

School Sisters of Notre Dame

Legal name

School Sisters of Notre Dame

Website

https://ssnd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1833

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

School Sisters of Notre Dame is an international Catholic religious congregation of 1,700+ women religious founded in 1833, operating across 27 countries through education, social services, pastoral ministry, and advocacy, funded by donations and serving women, youth, immigrants, and those in poverty.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Ministry and Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Religiously Affiliated Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Women’s Liberal Arts Colleges (EDAHACAB), Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Religious education services
• Congregational ministry
• Vocation formation
• Social justice advocacy
• Humanitarian charity

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The congregation relies on donations, gifts, and charitable contributions from benefactors to support their ministries, missions, and operations. Financial contributions are made to provinces in Africa, Atlantic-Midwest, and Central Pacific.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

School Sisters of Notre Dame is an international Catholic religious congregation of women religious that delivers education, pastoral ministry, social services, healthcare, and humanitarian aid across 27 countries. Its core activities include running and staffing Catholic schools and parishes, providing social justice advocacy and immigration support, sustaining the Shalom Network for justice and peace, operating the North American Archives for historical research, and contributing to Alzheimer's and dementia research through the Nun Study partnership. The community is supported by donations and is sustained by vocation recruitment and formation of new sisters, plus the engagement of lay associates.

Product overview

The School Sisters of Notre Dame website serves as an informational and engagement platform for an international religious congregation of women. The organization does not offer a technology product in the traditional sense, but provides: a portfolio of print and digital publications including Trust & Dare (annual magazine) and In Mission (congregational newsletter); the Nun Study, a research partnership on Alzheimer's disease; prayer resources such as cards, bookmarks and stickers; North American Archives services for historical research; and vocation/discernment resources. These offerings represent informational resources, publications, and community services rather than a software product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nun Study: A National Institute on Aging study on aging, Alzheimer's and related dementias that began in 1990 with 678 School Sisters of Notre Dame participants.
• Shalom
• Trust & Dare
• In Mission

Products and services

• Trust & Dare Magazine Annual print and digital magazine published by School Sisters of Notre Dame for family, friends, and benefactors, sharing news and ministry updates from Africa, Asia, and North America.
• In Mission Newsletter Annual newsletter from the SSND Generalate in Rome communicating congregation-wide mission and ministry news.
• Nun Study Research Program Longitudinal research program studying aging, Alzheimer's disease, and related dementias, conducted in partnership with the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (Biggs Institute) with brain tissue contributions from 600+ SSND participants.
• Prayer Resources Downloadable prayer cards, bookmarks, and stickers distributed by SSND for devotional use, including Blessed Theresa, parent/grandparent, and vocation materials in English and Spanish.
• SSND North American Archives Historical repository preserving SSND records in North America, including records from eight former province archives, headquartered at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• Archives Research Services Research support service offering on-site and distance research for SSND sister records, school and parish records, and orphanage records, handling an average of 1,000 reference requests per year.
• Search for a Sister Online service connecting individuals with living SSND sisters or providing information about deceased sisters, averaging 1,000 reference requests handled per year.
• Prayer Request Submission Online submission form allowing individuals to submit prayer intentions so SSND sisters may join them in prayer.
• Vocation Resources Discernment materials for women exploring religious life with SSND, including brochures, the Vocation Reflections newsletter, links to discernment resources, and vocation minister contacts.
• SSND Coloring Pages Downloadable printable coloring pages featuring Blessed Theresa, Foundation Day, God's Cause, and Catholic Schools Week themes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 678 SSND participants contributed to over 30 years of Alzheimer's research

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Catholic Climate CovenantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND maintains institutional membership supporting organizations aligned with their values and mission for justice and environmental stewardship.
• CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND supports immigration services and advocacy through this Catholic legal immigration organization.
• NETWORK AdvocatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic social justice advocacy organization supported by SSND.
• Pax Christi USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic peace and nonviolence organization affiliated with SSND.
• Alliance to End Human Trafficking (AEHT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND is a founding member and sponsor. Sister Ann Scholz is a founding board member. SSND actively participates in annual conferences and advocacy.
• Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND Atlantic-Midwest Province and Central Pacific Province signed the LCWR Declaration of Commitment delivered to Congress in June 2026.
• University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio (UTHSCSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNun Study samples and archives relocated to UTHSCSA Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases in 2023. Dr. Margaret Flanagan serves as Nun Study Director.
• RUSH University Religious Orders StudyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND participates in this additional Alzheimer's research study enrolling currently living sisters.
• Investor Advocates for Social JusticeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND participates in investor advocacy for social justice causes.
• Just Faith MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFaith-based social justice education supported by SSND.
• Justice Coalition of ReligiousminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of religious organizations advocating for justice supported by SSND.
• Nuns Against Gun ViolenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND supports gun violence prevention efforts.
• Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology (ORCIE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND participates in this organization supporting integral ecology as outlined in Laudato Si'.
• S.O.A.P. ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman trafficking prevention initiative supported by SSND.
• United Nations (NGO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND holds NGO status at the United Nations and participates in UN Commission on the Status of Women and other activities.
• Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Sister Alice Zachmann in 1982 to document human rights violations during Guatemalan civil war and support survivors.
• Torture Abolition and Survivors Support CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSND collaborated with this coalition supporting torture survivors, where Sister Alice Zachmann worked after leaving GHRC.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur: Catholic women's religious congregation founded by St. Julie Billiart with a mission explicitly focused on the education of the poor, particularly girls. Highly comparable to SSND given the parallel 'Sisters of Notre Dame' identity, education-centered charism, and multi-country footprint.
• Sisters of Mercy: Large Catholic women's religious congregation with substantial ministries in education (colleges, K-12 schools) and healthcare, organized across multiple regions including the Americas. Comparable to SSND in scope of educational and social service ministries and congregational structure.
• Sisters of St. Joseph: Catholic women's religious congregation with longstanding commitments to education, social justice, and serving those who are poor. Comparable to SSND through parallel mission focus on education and advocacy, organized through multiple provinces.
• Religious of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ): Catholic women's religious congregation founded for the education of girls and young people, operating a global network of schools including Network of Sacred Heart Schools. Comparable to SSND in mission (girls' education), international footprint, and school-sponsorship model.
• Dominican Sisters (Multiple Congregations): Catholic women's religious congregations historically centered on preaching, teaching, and education; many congregations (e.g., Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, Sinsinawa, Sparkill, etc.) operate schools, colleges, and parish ministries. Comparable to SSND in educational charism and presence across K-12 and higher education.
• Sisters of the Holy Cross: Catholic women's religious congregation with explicit ministries in education and healthcare, including international mission work in countries like Bangladesh and Peru. Comparable to SSND through parallel combination of education and healthcare apostolates and international reach.
• Ursuline Sisters: Oldest Catholic women's religious order, founded by St. Angela Merici, with an explicit founding charism for the education of girls. Operates schools and educational ministries globally. Highly comparable to SSND's focus on girls' and women's education within a Catholic framework.
• Sisters of Charity: Catholic women's religious congregations (multiple federations) with core missions in education, healthcare, and social services, including sponsorship of hospitals and schools. Comparable to SSND in operating sponsored institutions and providing social services.
• Benedictine Sisters: Catholic women's monastic order with longstanding commitments to education, hospitality, and social service. Many Benedictine communities sponsor colleges (e.g., College of Saint Benedict) and schools. Comparable to SSND through educational sponsorship and parish/school ministry.
• Maryknoll Sisters: Catholic women's religious congregation specifically focused on foreign mission work across education, healthcare, and social justice in countries across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Comparable to SSND in international mission footprint and explicit focus on serving in developing-country contexts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/School_Sisters
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL90xG9TBqR8eAUWOFibYIufthFEag_vPy
• Facebookfacebook.com/ssnd.northamerica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/school-sisters-of-notre-dame
• Instagraminstagram.com/ssndsisters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries4 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 School Sisters of Notre Dame