Sisters of Divine Providence

What Sisters of Divine Providence does

Sisters of Divine Providence (CDP) is a Catholic religious congregation founded in 1851 in Germany by Bishop Ketteler and Mother Marie de la Roche, with six Sisters immigrating to the United States in 1876 to minister to immigrants. The organization is headquartered at Providence Heights, 9000 Babcock Boulevard, Allison Park, Pennsylvania, and operates as an international nonprofit with provinces in the United States/Caribbean (Marie de la Roche Province), Germany (Emmanuel von Ketteler Province), and Korea (St. Joseph Province), plus missions in Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.

The congregation delivers its mission through a portfolio of wholly-owned sponsored ministries spanning four service categories: education (La Roche University, Sacred Heart School, Providence Heights Alpha School, Providence Connections), social services (Room at the Inn homeless shelter in St. Louis County, La Posada Providencia immigrant shelter in Texas, Bridges of Providence women's entrepreneurship micro-grants in Latin America), spiritual services (Kearns Spirituality Center), and residential healthcare (The Commons at Providence Heights, opened 2022). Headcount is reported at 251-500, and the organization reports 200+ homeless individuals served annually, 350+ families through Providence Connections, and 8,000+ immigrants assisted since 1989.

The business model is donation-driven: the congregation is funded almost entirely through charitable contributions from individual supporters, end-of-year appeals, sweepstakes, and one-time grants (notably a $3.3 million Conrad N. Hilton Foundation award for National Catholic Sisters Week). No fee-for-service pricing is applied to ministry offerings; tuition at sponsored schools and La Roche University flows through those entities, but the parent congregation itself does not charge for spiritual, shelter, or pastoral services. Technology infrastructure is limited to a donation portal, website, email newsletter (Providence Alive!), livestreamed liturgy, and standard social media channels; there is no disclosed AI, software product, or proprietary technology stack.

Name

Sisters of Divine Providence

Legal name

Sisters of Divine Providence

Website

https://cdpsisters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1851

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Sisters of Divine Providence is a 174-year-old Catholic religious congregation operating from Allison Park, Pennsylvania, that delivers education (La Roche University, K-8 schools), emergency shelter (Room at the Inn, La Posada Providencia), spiritual retreats, and social services through wholly-owned sponsored ministries across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Latin America, funded by charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Charitable Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious Organizations (813110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

Keywords

• Religious congregation
• Catholic education services
• Emergency shelter programs
• Social justice ministries
• Spiritual retreat services

Headquarters

HQ city

Allison Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The congregation relies primarily on donations from supporters to fund their ministries and mission. They conduct fundraising campaigns including end-of-year appeals, sweepstakes, and general donation drives.

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Sisters of Divine Providence operate a portfolio of sponsored ministries delivering Catholic education from preschool through university, emergency shelter and social services for homeless women and families, immigrants and asylum seekers, micro-enterprise support for women in underdeveloped countries, spiritual retreat and formation programs, and residential healthcare for the Sisters themselves. All ministries are operated on a non-commercial basis and funded primarily through donations and charitable contributions from supporters.

Product overview

Sisters of Divine Providence operates a diverse portfolio of ministry programs spanning education (Sacred Heart School, Providence Heights Alpha School), higher education (La Roche University), social services (Room at the Inn homeless shelter, La Posada Providencia emergency shelter, Bridges of Providence entrepreneurship program), and spiritual services (Kearns Spirituality Center). The organization also provides residential healthcare through The Commons at Providence Heights. These ministries are interconnected through the congregation's mission of making God's Providence visible through compassion, justice, and peace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• La Roche University An independent, private, Catholic college on a 40-acre campus in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, founded in 1963. Originally established for religious Sisters, it now serves students from the United States and other nations with undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
• Sacred Heart School A private, Catholic, co-educational learning community for students in preschool through grade 8 in Kingston, Massachusetts. Operates as a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence, with a curriculum that prepares students to pursue knowledge throughout their lives.
• Providence Heights Alpha School A K-12 school located at Providence Heights in Allison Park, Pennsylvania that has been helping students achieve excellence since 1926. Operates alongside the provincial motherhouse and La Roche University campus.
• Room at the Inn An emergency shelter for homeless women and families in St. Louis County, Missouri. Operates with a day site and nearly 60 night sites, providing phone, shower, laundry, computer facilities, classes, and visiting nurse services. Helps more than 200 people each year.
• Providence Connections A nonprofit organization established in 1994 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that strengthens families and enriches lives through comprehensive education and developmental opportunities for parents and children. Serves more than 350 Pittsburgh-area families and 400 children annually.
• La Posada Providencia A 24/7 emergency shelter in San Benito, Texas that has assisted more than 8,000 people from over 70 countries since 1989. Serves immigrants, asylum seekers, and asylees seeking legal refuge in the United States.
• Bridges of Providence A ministry developed to financially support entrepreneurship projects of poor women in underdeveloped countries, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru. Provides funding to women seeking to improve quality of life for themselves and their families by generating income through small businesses.
• Kearns Spirituality Center An active retreat and conference center sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence that provides space for spiritual nourishment, retreats, spiritual direction, and programs. Includes the Visitation Chapel, which hosts livestream liturgy services, and collaborates with La Roche University's Adventures in Lifelong Learning program.
• The Commons at Providence Heights A three-story residential and healthcare facility at Providence Heights in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, opened in 2022. Offers up-to-date care with healthcare rooms, private independent rooms, and one- and two-bedroom apartments for the Sisters of Divine Providence.

Quantifiable outcome

• Assisted 25 women entrepreneurs in Central and South America with over $19,000 in funding
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Providence Spiritual Outreach (PROSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPROSO is a volunteer ministry offered by Sisters and Associates of the Congregation of Divine Providence of Texas in conjunction with the Sisters and Associates of the Marie de la Roche Province. They offer retreats, conversation groups, workshops and spiritual direction at Kearns Spirituality Center.
• La Roche University - Adventures in Lifelong LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with La Roche University's Adventures in Lifelong Learning program, a membership-based program for adults 50 and better who want to continue learning while expanding their social networks through shared intellectual experiences.
• Living in LibertyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnti-human trafficking organization that operates Repurposed, a thrift store staffed exclusively by volunteers to provide aftercare for women and children rescued from the commercial sex industry. Sisters and La Roche College students volunteer at Repurposed.
• St. Catherine UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for National Catholic Sisters Week inaugural event that brought together women religious from various congregations and college-age women for networking and conversations about religious life and social media vocations promotion.
• Interfaith Partners (Room at the Inn)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInterfaith partners in St. Louis County welcome Room at the Inn program participants to their congregations at night, providing transportation, meals, shelter and companionship.
• Boston Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssisted with digitizing Sacred Heart High School Yearbooks (1957-2019) which are now available online through archive.org.
• Warfel ConstructionminorOthersConstruction company for The Commons at Providence Heights project - a new three-story residential and healthcare facility for Sisters.
• Derck & EdsonminorOthersPlanning and design firm for The Commons at Providence Heights project - a new three-story residential and healthcare facility for Sisters.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods: A Catholic women's religious congregation founded in 1840 in Indiana, operating schools, social services, and spirituality ministries. Comparable as a long-established midwestern women's congregation with a diversified ministry portfolio and international mission presence.
• Sisters of the Holy Cross: A Catholic women's religious congregation with international missions in education, healthcare, and social services. Comparable in operating schools, hospitals, and ministries serving marginalized populations across multiple countries.
• Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: One of the largest US Catholic women's religious congregations, founded in 1831, operating schools, universities, hospitals, and social services across the Americas. Directly comparable broad ministry portfolio (education, healthcare, social justice, social services) though at significantly larger scale.
• Presentation Sisters of Dubuque: A Catholic women's religious congregation serving in education, social services, and pastoral ministry across the US and internationally. Comparable as a mid-size women's congregation with diversified ministries and a similar dependence on donations and grants.
• Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur: A Catholic women's religious congregation with an explicit focus on education of the poor and social justice, operating schools in multiple countries. Comparable international education-and-justice mission and similar governance structure across provinces.
• Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia: A Catholic women's religious congregation based in Philadelphia, PA, with ministries in education, social services, healthcare, and spirituality. Comparable as a Pennsylvania-rooted women's congregation with a diverse ministry portfolio serving urban and regional communities.
• School Sisters of Notre Dame: A Catholic women's religious congregation founded in Germany in 1833 with significant presence in education globally. Comparable international Catholic women's congregation of German origin with a strong education focus, multiple provinces, and global mission structure.
• Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill: A Catholic women's religious congregation based in Greensburg, PA, founded in 1870. Operates Seton Hill University, multiple K-12 schools, and social service ministries across Pennsylvania—directly comparable as a regional PA-rooted congregation with an education-and-social-services ministry portfolio.
• Sisters of the Humility of Mary: A Catholic women's religious congregation with ministries in healthcare, social services, and education in the US Midwest and international missions. Comparable in operating residential care, social service programs, and education ministries with a similar reliance on donated labor.
• Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM Scranton): A Catholic women's religious congregation headquartered in Scranton, PA, with a similar ministry mix including education, healthcare, and social services. Comparable as a Pennsylvania-based women's congregation of similar size and age, with international mission presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cdpsisters
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sistersofdivineprovidence635
• Facebookfacebook.com/cdpsisters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cdpsisters

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Sisters of Divine Providence