National Benevolent Association

What National Benevolent Association does

The National Benevolent Association (NBA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1886/1887 in St. Louis, Missouri, serving as the official health and social services general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The organization accompanies Disciples-affiliated leaders, congregations, regions, and health and social service organizations across the U.S. and Canada, delivering support in three stated pillars: Organizational Development, Leadership Development, and Community Engagement. Programmatic offerings include Peer Learning & Wellness Groups, Prison & Jail Ministry (over 400 members), Justice Initiatives, Mental Health & Wellness programming (including a Mental Health Equity Cohort), Older Adult Ministry, an A/PI Initiative, the Black Women's Leadership Experience (a 24-month residential program), and a Social Entrepreneurship Program comprising the SENT Cohort, imPACT Fellows Initiative, and Incubate Partners. NBA also administers three grant streams: Mission & Ministry Grants ($1,000–$20,000), Young Adult Leadership Development Grants (up to $1,000), and Health & Social Services Leadership Development Grants (up to $1,000), all restricted to Disciples-affiliated applicants.

NBA operates as a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a unified technology platform. The technology profile is explicitly characterized as "Not applicable" — there is no proprietary software, no API, no mobile app, no disclosed integrations, and no AI/ML components. Programs are delivered through a mix of in-person retreats, virtual seminars (e.g., SENT Summer), monthly online peer meetings, and bi-annual grant cycles, supported by a website (nbacares.org), a monthly e-newsletter, webinars, social media channels, and an extensive categorized resource library.

The revenue model is entirely donation-based. Primary ongoing support flows from the Disciples Mission Fund (DMF) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which aggregates contributions from individuals and local congregations. This is supplemented by foundation grants, endowments, and unrestricted individual donations. All programs and grants are provided free of charge; NBA does not sell products or services and does not disclose financial figures. With 11–50 employees and a headquarters at 733 Union Boulevard, Suite 300, St. Louis, NBA functions as a small-to-mid-sized denominational agency whose addressable reach is anchored to the approximately 700,000 Disciples members across 3,700 congregations in the U.S. and Canada.

Name

National Benevolent Association

Legal name

National Benevolent Association of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Website

https://nbacares.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1887

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Benevolent Association is the health and social services general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), supporting affiliated leaders and organizations across the U.S. and Canada through peer learning groups, grants, leadership development, and faith-rooted social entrepreneurship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Nonprofit Health & Social Service Ministry Support

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Faith-based social services
• Ministry leadership development
• Social entrepreneurship programs
• Health social service ministries
• Denominational grant programs

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Disciples Mission Fund (DMF): Primary ongoing support from the Disciples Mission Fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which receives contributions from individuals and local congregations within the denomination.
2. Foundation Grants & Endowments: Support from foundations and endowed funds designated for NBA's mission and programs.
3. Individual Donations: Unrestricted gifts from generous donors supporting NBA's work of providing grants, mental health resources, advocacy tools, and caregiver care.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Benevolent Association provides organizational development, leadership development, and community engagement programs — including peer learning and wellness groups, social entrepreneurship cohorts (SENT), grants (Mission & Ministry, Young Adult Leadership Development, Health & Social Services Leadership Development), the Black Women's Leadership Experience, Prison & Jail Ministry, Justice Initiatives, Mental Health & Wellness initiatives, Older Adult Ministry, and the A/PI Initiative — exclusively to Disciples-affiliated health and social service ministries, clergy, chaplains, social entrepreneurs, and young adults across the U.S. and Canada. All programs are delivered free of charge to participants, funded by donations from the Disciples Mission Fund, foundations, endowments, and individual donors.

Product overview

The National Benevolent Association (NBA) is a nonprofit religious organization serving as the health and social services general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Rather than a unified technology product, NBA operates as a portfolio of interconnected programs and grants supporting Disciples-affiliated health and social service ministries. The core offerings include Peer Learning & Wellness Groups that connect leaders across common ministry areas; a Social Entrepreneurship Program with the SENT Cohort, imPACT Fellows Initiative, and Incubate Partners for faith-rooted social enterprises; Grant Programs including Mission & Ministry Grants, Young Adult Leadership Development Grants, and Health & Social Services Leadership Development Grants; a Young Adult Leadership Development Program featuring the Black Women's Leadership Experience; an Innovation Institute for organizational development; and a Mental Health & Wellness Initiative including the Mental Health Equity Cohort. These programs work together to strengthen Disciples leaders, organizations, and communities through compassion, healing, and justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Peer Learning & Wellness Groups Cohort-based peer support groups connecting Disciples-affiliated health and social service leaders around common ministry areas (Prison & Jail Ministries, Executive Leaders, Chaplains, API Young Adults, Young Adults in Social Services) and professional roles, providing mutual dialogue, spiritual renewal, and peer-to-peer learning for clergy, chaplains, executives, and other ministry professionals.
• Prison & Jail Ministry Collaborative ministry program addressing justice issues within prisons, jails, and detention centers through inspiration, advocacy, and education, serving a network of over 400 members engaged in spiritual care and advocacy for incarcerated and detained individuals.
• Justice Initiatives Community engagement programming that addresses root causes of social injustice through education, advocacy, and collaborative partnerships supporting emerging justice leaders within and beyond the Disciples of Christ denomination.
• SENT Cohort (Social Entrepreneur Cohort) 12-month cohort program for new faith-rooted social entrepreneurs that delivers tailored curriculum, coaching, webinars, retreats, and networking opportunities; applications are accepted annually.
• imPACT Fellows Initiative Pilot program that provides full-time salary support to bi-vocational faith-rooted social entrepreneurs, enabling them to focus on driving significant social change without the burden of supplemental income.
• Incubate Partners Up to four years of structured support for Disciples-affiliated startups and nonprofit social enterprises incorporated for 10 years or less, including professional consultants, learning opportunities, peer support, and grant funding.
• NBA Grant Programs Suite of grant programs (Mission & Ministry Grants, Young Adult Leadership Development Grants, and Health & Social Services Leadership Development Grants) for Disciples-affiliated organizations and individual leaders, with online applications, review committees, and bi-annual application cycles.
• Mission & Ministry Grants Purpose-restricted grants of $1,000 to $20,000 for Disciples-affiliated ministries running projects that serve older adults (age 50+) or provide education for at-risk youth and young adults (ages 10-25).
• Young Adult Leadership Development Grants Grants of up to $1,000 awarded to Disciples-affiliated young adults ages 18-30 for leadership development, professional development, or exploration of social enterprise ideas.
• Health & Social Services Leadership Development Grants

Quantifiable outcome

• Prison and Jail Ministries network serves over 400 members
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBA serves as the official health and social services general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a mainline Protestant denomination with approximately 700,000 members in 3,700 congregations in the U.S. and Canada. This denominational affiliation is foundational to NBA's identity and operations.
• Reconciliation MinistryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrison and Detention Advocacy Missional Partner collaborating with NBA on issues of justice related to prisons, jails, and detention centers.
• Disciples Center for Public WitnessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry partner collaborating with NBA on criminal justice advocacy and public witness initiatives.
• Disciples Justice Action NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJustice advocacy network partnering with NBA on criminal justice reform efforts.
• Disciples Home MissionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) partnering with NBA on prison and justice initiatives.
• UCC Justice and Witness MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcumenical partner collaborating with NBA on justice advocacy initiatives.
• National Religious Campaign Against TortureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcumenical partner working with NBA on issues related to solitary confinement and prison reform.
• Mission Behind Bars and BeyondminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry partner collaborating with NBA on prison and jail ministry programs.
• Oklahoma Family Empowerment CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization working with NBA on family empowerment and support initiatives.
• UrbanMissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization collaborating with NBA on urban ministry initiatives.
• Ecumenical Advocacy DaysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual ecumenical advocacy event where NBA participates and collaborates on justice issues.
• Interfaith Criminal Justice CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition bringing together faith-based organizations to address criminal justice reform where NBA actively participates.
• Rev. Teresa Hord OwenscoreOthersGeneral Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), providing denominational leadership and oversight that supports NBA's ministry role.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Presbyterian Mission Agency: The Compassion, Peace and Justice arm of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) runs ministries and grants comparable to NBA's Mission & Ministry Grants, with similar denominational anchor, peer learning communities, and faith-rooted social service focus.
• United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR): The global humanitarian aid and disaster relief ministry of the United Methodist Church; comparable as a denominational general ministry that distributes grants, supports social enterprises, and partners with faith-rooted community programs similar to NBA's portfolio.
• American Baptist Home Mission Societies: National mission agency of American Baptist Churches USA, focused on church planting, community development, and social justice ministries; directly comparable to NBA's role coordinating health and social service ministries through grant funding and leadership development.
• Lutheran Services in America: National network of Lutheran-affiliated health and social service organizations, comparable to NBA's Health & Social Service Ministry Partner Directory; supports 300+ member organizations through advocacy, leadership development, and shared services for faith-rooted nonprofits.
• Council of Health and Human Service Ministries (UCC): Health and social service ministry arm of the United Church of Christ, structurally analogous to NBA's role for the Disciples of Christ; both operate as denominational general ministries providing grants, leadership development, and partner support to faith-based nonprofits.

Broad incumbents

• Church World Service: Cooperative ministry of 37 Protestant denominations providing disaster relief, refugee resettlement, and sustainable development; comparable as a multi-denominational faith-based social service grantmaker and partner-support intermediary.
• American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee: Faith-rooted grantmaking and capacity-building organization supporting Jewish social service programs globally; comparable to NBA's role funding peer learning, leadership development, and organizational capacity for affiliated mission-driven organizations.
• Catholic Charities USA: One of the largest U.S. faith-based social service networks with direct services across health, housing, immigration and elder care; structurally analogous to NBA but operating at much greater scale through diocesan charities organizations.

Emerging players

• Indiana Youth Institute: Indiana-based nonprofit intermediary that convenes youth-serving organizations, provides grants and leadership training; comparable to NBA's role as a funder and capacity-builder for emerging community-focused ministries.

Regional players

• Disciples Home Missions: Another general ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) focused on new church starts, anti-racism and transformation initiatives; a peer organizational unit within the same denomination, sharing cohort and resource infrastructure with NBA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nbadisciples
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalBenevolentAssociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Benevolent Association