What Episcopal Church Foundation does

The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) is an independent, lay-led nonprofit organization founded in 1949 to advance the mission of The Episcopal Church through resource creation, endowment management, and leadership development. Headquartered at 475 Riverside Drive in New York with approximately 20 staff, ECF serves Episcopal churches, dioceses, schools, and related organizations across most U.S. states, as well as individual Episcopalians seeking formation resources, fellowship funding, and planned giving services. Its core programs include Endowment Management (managing over $500 million in assets for hundreds of Episcopal entities through a partnership with State Street Investment Management established in 1998), the Fellowship Partners Program (nearly 250 fellows supported since 1964), the Diocesan Vitality Initiative launched in 2023 to help dioceses navigate adaptive change, and a Planned Giving, Stewardship & Donor-Advised Fund practice that has distributed over $25 million in planned gifts and manages more than $40 million in charitable gifts.

ECF's revenue model is a hybrid nonprofit construct combining four streams: charitable contributions from individuals and foundations; fee-based endowment management services via the State Street partnership; one-time publication sales distributed through Forward Movement (including the Finance Resource Guide, Vestry Resource Guide, and Funding Future Ministry, available in English and Spanish); and planned giving administration including charitable gift annuities, pooled income funds, and charitable remainder trusts. Distribution runs through direct diocesan engagement, the Vital Practices digital platform (ecfvp.org), Episcopal Parish Network and Gatherings of Leaders conferences, social media, and bilingual (English/Spanish) resources targeting Latino/Hispanic congregations. ECF also functions as an incubator for Episcopal programs such as CREDO (now administered by the Church Pension Group) and the Clergy Leadership Project (now at Trinity Church Wall Street).

The technology layer is intentionally lean: ECF is not a technology company, and its digital footprint consists of the ecf.org website, the Vital Practices content hub, an online endowment management portal, and the CVA assessment tool co-developed with FaithX Project. There is no disclosed API, SDK, AI/ML capability, or proprietary software product. Governance is exercised by a Board of Directors chaired by Annette Buchanan, with The Most Rev. Sean W. Rowe (Presiding Bishop) serving as Honorary Chair, and the organization is led by President and CEO Dail St. Claire, appointed December 2024, succeeding Donald V. Romanik after 19 years of service.

Name

Episcopal Church Foundation

Legal name

Episcopal Church Foundation

Website

https://ecf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Episcopal Church Foundation is an independent, lay-led nonprofit founded in 1949 that provides endowment management ($500M+ AUM), leadership fellowships, planned giving, and digital ministry resources to Episcopal churches, dioceses, schools, and related organizations across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Endowment Management Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious Organizations (81311), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Endowment management services
• Planned giving administration
• Faith-based leadership development
• Religious nonprofit stewardship
• Diocesan consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: ECF depends on generous contributions from individuals, foundations, and others who care about building vital Episcopal faith communities. The organization runs donation campaigns including employer matching programs.
2. Endowment Management Services: ECF provides comprehensive endowment management for Episcopal churches, dioceses, schools, and organizations. The program offers structure, investment, and growth services through partnership with State Street Investment Management. Manages over $500 million for hundreds of Episcopal entities.
3. Publications Sales: ECF publishes and distributes guides for vestries, congregations, and leaders including the Finance Resource Guide, Vestry Resource Guide, Funding Future Ministry, and Planned Giving on Demand. Publications available in print and e-book formats through Forward Movement.
4. Planned Giving Administration: ECF assists individuals in supporting Episcopal organizations through planned gifts including charitable gift annuities, pooled income funds, and charitable remainder trusts. Has distributed over $25 million in planned gifts and manages over $40 million in charitable gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Episcopal Church Foundation is an independent, lay-led nonprofit foundation that provides endowment management, planned giving, leadership development fellowships, digital ministry resources, and diocesan vitality consulting for Episcopal churches, dioceses, schools, and related organizations. Its Endowment Management program partners with State Street Investment Management to manage over $500 million for hundreds of Episcopal entities, while its Fellowship Partners Program has awarded nearly 250 fellowships since 1964.

Product overview

The Episcopal Church Foundation offers a portfolio of programs and resources focused on building, vitalizing, and transforming Episcopal faith communities. The core offerings include Endowment Management (providing structure, investment through State Street, and growth services), Digital Resources (including the Vital Practices platform with toolkits and online learning), the Fellowship Partners Program (with Academic, Ministry, and Lay Leader Development tracks), the Diocesan Vitality Initiative (a revitalization program using adaptive change frameworks), and Planned Giving/Stewardship services (including donor-advised funds and Planned Giving on Demand). These are supplemented by published resources including the Finance Resource Guide, Vestry Resource Guide, Funding Future Ministry, and books like Beyond the Baptismal Covenant and Money Legacies. The programs serve Episcopal churches, dioceses, schools, and related organizations nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vital Practices: A comprehensive digital resource website that helps vitalize Episcopal faith communities with toolkits for ministry, case studies, blogs, and online learning materials.
• Diocesan Vitality Initiative (DVI)
• Endowment Management Program

Products and services

• Endowment Management Comprehensive endowment management program covering structure development, institutional investment through State Street, and growth strategies through planned giving and endowment campaigns for Episcopal churches, dioceses, schools, and organizations.
• Digital Resources Transformational ministry resources including the Vital Practices website with toolkits, case studies, blogs, online learning materials, and resource hubs for church leaders.
• Fellowship Partners Program Leadership development program with three tracks (Academic, Ministry, and Pilot Lay Leader Development) supporting emerging Episcopal leaders with financial support up to $15,000 for academic and ministry fellows.
• Diocesan Vitality Initiative (DVI) Pilot program partnering with dioceses to identify adaptive challenges and create processes for renewal, redevelopment, and revitalization using a Define-Disrupt-Develop framework and coaching-cohort approach.
• Planned Giving, Stewardship & DAFs Comprehensive services including planned giving programs, stewardship resources, donor-advised funds, and tools for encouraging year-round offerings for Episcopal congregations.
• Donor-Advised Fund Charitable giving vehicle offering immediate tax advantages, simplified record-keeping, and flexibility in choosing beneficiaries and investment options with online management tools.
• Planned Giving on Demand Web-based toolkit providing step-by-step resources to launch and sustain planned giving programs, including program guide, Funding Future Ministry manual, brochure samples, and online resources.
• Finance Resource Guide Handbook for congregations providing in-depth financial management practices and principles, promoting year-round theologically driven stewardship; available in English and Spanish.
• Vestry Resource Guide Essential guide for vestry members and clergy covering vestry ministry, leading faith communities, stewardship, and navigating clergy transitions; available in English and Spanish.
• Funding Future Ministry Comprehensive manual on planned giving ensuring clergy and lay leaders know effective ways to encourage legacy gifts set within a theological framework.
• Beyond the Baptismal Covenant Book on raising up fully committed lay leaders, explaining historical and biblical roots of lay involvement and promoting lay leadership to change and grow the church.
• Money Legacies Book exploring the relationship between money and values in church contexts, explaining how spending habits reflect priorities and community values.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $500 million in endowment assets managed for hundreds of Episcopal organizations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• State Street Investment ManagementcoreTechnology or Integration · 31 August 1998State Street Investment Management provides institutional investment management services for ECF's Endowment Management program. This partnership enables ECF to offer investment management through one of the world's largest managers of institutional assets, combining State Street's investment expertise with ECF's Episcopal insight. The partnership has been in place for 25 years.
• Forward MovementcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForward Movement distributes ECF publications including the Finance Resource Guide, Vestry Resource Guide, Funding Future Ministry, and Planned Giving on Demand. Publications are available in both English and Spanish through Forward Movement's distribution network.
• The Episcopal Church Building FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECF transferred its church building loan fund responsibilities to The Episcopal Church Building Fund in the late 1980s, allowing ECF to focus on new programmatic areas while maintaining the legacy of supporting Episcopal church construction.
• Church Pension Group (CPG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CREDO wellness program, which originated from ECF's work on clergy health and wellness, was later administered and funded by Church Pension Group. ECF helped develop and nurture this initiative before transition.
• The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECF helped support and sponsor TENS, an organization dedicated to stewardship education and resources throughout The Episcopal Church.
• Episcopal Parish Network (EPN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECF helped support the creation and development of EPN (formerly CEEP), a network for Episcopal parishes providing leadership development and resources. ECF has maintained a leading presence at EPN conferences for over 25 years.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lilly Endowment Inc. One of the largest private foundations in the U.S., historically a major funder of religion and theological education initiatives including the 'From Economic Challenges to Transformational Opportunities' project ECF led. Comparable as a funder and strategic partner in faith-based capacity building.
• Commonfund: Investment management firm specializing in endowments and foundations for nonprofit and institutional clients. Comparable as both a partner-talent source (Kate Adams, Michael Strauss) and a competitive endowment management alternative that Episcopal institutions could use instead of ECF.
• Trinity Church Wall Street: A major Episcopal parish and grantmaker with significant endowment and grantmaking activity, including providing leadership grants to ECF. Comparable as a large Episcopal-aligned funder and the recipient of ECF's Clergy Leadership Project.
• Church Pension Group (CPG): The Episcopal Church's pension and benefits organization, serving clergy and lay employees with retirement, health, and insurance products. Most comparable to ECF as a fellow denomination-affiliated financial services institution for The Episcopal Church, and the recipient of CREDO which ECF incubated.

Direct peers

• United Methodist Foundation (various): A network of United Methodist-affiliated foundations providing endowment management, planned giving, and stewardship education to Methodist congregations. Closely analogous in service portfolio, target customer (mainline denominational entities), and structural challenges tied to denominational decline.
• Forward Movement: Episcopal publishing and distribution ministry that distributes ECF's publications (Finance Resource Guide, Vestry Resource Guide, Funding Future Ministry). Comparable as a fellow Episcopal-focused mission organization and a channel partner for ECF content distribution.
• Presbyterian Foundation: Faith-affiliated foundation offering endowment management, planned giving services, and grants to Presbyterian congregations and institutions. Closely analogous to ECF in mission, service mix (endowment, planned giving, leadership grants), and denomination-specific go-to-market.
• Episcopal Parish Network (EPN): Network for Episcopal parishes providing leadership development and resources, formerly CEEP. Comparable as a peer Episcopal leadership development organization, where ECF has maintained a leading conference presence for over 25 years.
• ELCA Foundation: Foundation arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America providing endowment management, gift planning, and ministry support to Lutheran congregations and institutions. Directly comparable to ECF in operating model, denomination focus, and Yvonne Jones Lembo's prior affiliation.
• The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS): Episcopal-specific organization dedicated to stewardship education and resources throughout The Episcopal Church. Closely comparable as a fellow Episcopal-focused stewardship body that ECF has historically helped support and sponsor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EpisChFdtn
• Facebookfacebook.com/EpiscopalFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/epischfdtn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/episcopal-church-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Episcopal Church Foundation