St Francis Mission

What St Francis Mission does

St. Francis Mission is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1886 in St. Francis, South Dakota, operating as a ministry of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. Its mission is to empower a positive community rooted in Lakota and Catholic values through faith, education, and healing for the approximately 20,000 Sicangu Lakota people it serves. The organization runs four parishes (St. Charles Borromeo, St. Agnes, St. Bridget's, St. Thomas), a Religious Education Program reaching over 300 students weekly, the Sapa Un Jesuit Academy K-8 dual-language school (one of 84 Jesuit Nativity-model schools in the U.S.), the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum with 2,000+ artifacts and 42,000+ photographs, and the Lakota Studies Program including New Testament translation work. The Mission previously operated a Dental Clinic from 2013 to September 30, 2024, which is being transitioned to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Health Administration for an expected 2026 reopening.

The Mission receives no government funding and depends entirely on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate donors organized into the Black Robe Society ($1,000+ annual accumulative giving tiers) and Drexel Society (planned giving) recognition programs. Revenue streams include individual donations (with common gifts of $25–$250), corporate matching gifts, planned gifts (bequests, charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities), and grants; the former Dental Clinic also billed private insurance and Medicaid when available. Services to beneficiaries are free at point of delivery — the museum offers free admission with a suggested $5 donation, religious education and parish services are free, and Sapa Un Academy charges low tuition with scholarships available. Operational infrastructure is standard non-profit tooling, including a Raiser's Edge donor database, with digital donor engagement via a quarterly eNewsletter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram channels. The organization holds an A- rating from CharityWatch, the only independent charity watchdog in the United States.

Name

St Francis Mission

Legal name

St. Francis Mission

Website

https://sfmission.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

St. Francis Mission is a Jesuit nonprofit founded in 1886 serving the 20,000 Sicangu Lakota people on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota through four parishes, a K-8 dual-language academy, religious education, a Lakota museum, and cultural preservation programs, funded entirely by charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Community Services and Nonprofit Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (81311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Religious education
• Faith-based education
• Community ministry
• Cultural preservation
• Parish services

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Francis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donations from supporters throughout the country and abroad. Gifts of $25, $50, $75, $100, and $250 keep operations running day by day. Larger gifts help expand services.
2. Planned Giving: Planned gifts including bequests in wills, charitable remainder trusts, retirement account lifetime gifts, beneficiary designation life insurance provisions, and charitable gift annuities.
3. Corporate Matching Gifts: Matching gift programs where employers match employee donations to the organization.
4. Insurance Payments: The Dental Clinic billed private insurance and Medicaid when patients had coverage, operating on gifts from donors, grants, and insurance payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Francis Mission is a nonprofit Jesuit ministry that provides faith-based dual-language K-8 education at Sapa Un Jesuit Academy, release-time religious education serving over 300 students weekly, pastoral services across four parishes, cultural preservation through the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum and Lakota Studies Program, and previously operated a free dental clinic. The mission is funded entirely through charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners, with no government funding.

Product overview

St. Francis Mission is a nonprofit ministry of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) serving the Sicangu Lakota people of the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. The organization operates a portfolio of programs organized in six levels: (1) Healing programs including family recovery and counseling; (2) Spiritual Growth through four parishes and religious education; (3) Educational Programs including Lakota Studies and the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum; (4) Academic Formation through Sapa Un Jesuit Academy (K-8); (5) Leadership development; and (6) Intercultural leaders for the Church and Reservation. The Mission's offerings include a faith-based dual-language school, religious education serving over 300 students weekly, cultural preservation through the Lakota Museum, four active parishes, and youth programs. The Dental Clinic operated from 2013-2024 and is transitioning to Rosebud Sioux Tribe administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sapa Un Jesuit Academy: Faith-based, dual-language K-8 school on the Rosebud Reservation operating under the Jesuit Nativity model
• Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum
• Drexel Society
• Black Robe Society

Products and services

• Sapa Un Jesuit Academy A faith-based, dual-language K-8 school on the Rosebud Reservation that integrates Lakota language and culture with Catholic education. The only Jesuit Nativity-model academy among the Lakota and one of 84 schools in the Jesuit School Network. Low tuition with scholarships available.
• Religious Education Program Release-time religious education in four communities and after-school programs in two communities on the Rosebud Reservation, serving over 300 students weekly with preparation for sacraments including Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation.
• Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum A museum housing over 2,000 Lakota ethnographic artifacts and 42,000+ photographic items from the Rosebud Reservation, serving as a resource for historians, ethnographers, anthropologists, and artists. Free admission with suggested $5 donation.
• Four Active Parishes (St. Charles Borromeo, St. Agnes, St. Bridget's, St. Thomas) Four active parishes serving the Rosebud Reservation: St. Charles Borromeo in St. Francis, St. Agnes in Parmelee, St. Bridget's in Rosebud, and St. Thomas in Mission. Led by Fr. Edmund Yainao SJ, Fr. Jim Lafontaine SJ, and Deacon Ben Black Bear Jr.
• Lakota Studies Program A program dedicated to preserving Lakota language and heritage, including translation of the New Testament into Lakota and collaboration on the 2008 Lakota dictionary. Directed by Deacon Ben Black Bear Jr.
• Body, Mind, and Soul Camp Summer religious education and recreation program for children in communities around the Rosebud Reservation, staffed by religious education teachers, young Jesuits in formation, and Jesuit Volunteers.
• St. Francis Mission Youth Group A youth organization providing fellowship and activities for youth ages 10-18 on the Rosebud Reservation. Led by Jenny Black Bear.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ students taught weekly in Religious Education Program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Rosebud Sioux Tribe Health AdministrationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024In collaboration with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe's Health Administration, efforts are underway for the Tribe to take over and fund the dental clinic, with hopes to reopen in 2026. The clinic building will be available for their use to ensure continued dental care for the community.
• Chicago's Loyola School of Dentistry / Dr. John BoarinicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. John Boarini, a 1955 graduate of Chicago's Loyola School of Dentistry, along with his dentist sons, solicited donations of equipment and supplies to establish the Dental Clinic.
• Creighton, Indiana, and AT Still UniversitiesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStaff and students from these universities provided dental services at the clinic.
• Universities of South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri-Kansas City, and ConnecticutmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity students and staff provided exams, x-rays, fillings, cleanings, bridges, extractions, dentures, follow-up checkups, and education in preventive care.
• Jesuit School Network (Nativity Model)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSapa Un Jesuit Academy is based on the Jesuit Nativity model of schools. This network has a proven track record among high-risk populations of producing students who graduate from colleges and universities. Sapa Un is one of 84 schools across the US in this network.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• St. Joseph's Indian School: Catholic K-8 school in Chamberlain, SD serving Lakota/Dakota/Nakota children from reservations across the country; closely matches St. Francis Mission's faith-based education and tribal-residential model.
• St. Labre Indian School: Catholic school on the Northern Cheyenne and Crow reservations in Montana; comparable as a faith-based K-12 institution serving American Indian youth with academic, spiritual, and cultural programming.
• NativityMiguel Network of Schools: National network of 84 middle schools serving low-income students including Sapa Un Jesuit Academy; directly comparable as the institutional framework St. Francis Mission accesses for its K-8 academy.
• Red Cloud Indian School: Jesuit-sponsored K-12 school serving the Lakota on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota; directly comparable as a Catholic, Lakota-serving, Jesuit-affiliated school with similar faith-based dual-language and cultural preservation programs.
• Holy Rosary Mission / Pine Ridge Reservation Ministry: Jesuit mission serving the Oglala Lakota on Pine Ridge Reservation; closely comparable as a fellow Lakota-serving Jesuit mission with parish, education, and cultural programs.

Emerging players

• Cristo Rey Network: Catholic college-prep high school network serving low-income students; relevant peer as another Catholic K-12 model producing college outcomes for underserved communities.

Others

• American Indian College Fund: National nonprofit providing scholarships and support for Native American students; comparable as a complementary education funder for the same Lakota student population served by St. Francis Mission.
• Diocese of Rapid City: Roman Catholic diocese covering western South Dakota including the Rosebud Reservation and a St. Ignatius-level donor to St. Francis Mission; serves as the regional ecclesiastical authority overseeing parish-level work.
• Rosebud Sioux Tribe: Sovereign tribal government of the Sicangu Lakota served by St. Francis Mission; key strategic partner now taking over the Dental Clinic and a financial supporter of Mission programs.

Broad incumbents

• Society of Jesus USA Midwest Province: The founding Jesuit order supporting St. Francis Mission and a major financial donor; broader incumbent operating Catholic parishes, schools, and ministries across the U.S. Midwest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheSFMission
• Facebookfacebook.com/sfmission
• Instagraminstagram.com/sfmission_
• Xx.com/thesfmission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-francis-mission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries5 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 St Francis Mission