One City Ministries

What One City Ministries does

One City Ministries is a US-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by Mike and Deb Gilbert to address systemic poverty in developing countries, with operational headquarters at Light Village—a 23-acre campus located approximately 45 minutes outside Mbale in Eastern Uganda. The organization operates an integrated portfolio of 13 programs spanning healthcare (Sean Gilbert Memorial Medical Center, weekly clinics serving 90-150 patients), water access (custom-designed WaterCarts and rainwater harvesting systems with 32,000-liter capacity), agricultural training (230 women graduated), economic development (Light Fuel biofuel, Africa TrAID fair-trade crafts), theological education (accredited seminary with Nation 2 Nation University), emergency response (C.E.R.F. train-the-trainer model), and child welfare (Little Lights sponsorship at $40/month).

The organization's underlying technology centers on physically engineered solutions rather than software platforms: custom WaterCarts designed for African terrain to reduce the burden of women carrying up to 50 pounds over 4 miles daily, Light Fuel biofuel technology produced without electricity or petroleum, and the Seek and Destroy mosquito eradication system targeting malaria at the embryonic stage. Operations run on a hybrid model combining donations (one-time and recurring), child sponsorship subscriptions, retail sales of handmade crafts via Shopify and US retail partners, and nominal medical clinic fees.

The go-to-market approach is donor-direct and community-led: website donation portal (Stripe-powered), social media engagement (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletters, an ambassador program, mission trips to Light Village, and event-driven fundraising (Africa TrAID parties, Facebook birthday fundraisers, AmazonSmile). The Train-the-Trainer model (42 Emergency First Responders and 27 Trainers graduated in Manafwa district) creates self-perpetuating field capacity in remote areas. The organization holds GuideStar Platinum 2020 transparency status and serves beneficiary populations across Eastern Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and US-based teen outreach through Save Our Sons.

Name

One City Ministries

Legal name

One City Ministries, Inc.

Website

https://onecityministries.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

One City Ministries is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that operates Light Village, a 23-acre campus in Eastern Uganda, delivering integrated poverty-alleviation programs including healthcare, clean water, agricultural training, theological education, and fair-trade economic development across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH), Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB), International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

Keywords

• Poverty alleviation programs
• Nonprofit humanitarian aid
• Child sponsorship programs
• Community development services
• Clean water initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Wesley Chapel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters for general operations or specific programs (WaterCarts, Medical Center, General fund). Donors can set up monthly giving.
2. Child Sponsorship (Little Lights): $40/month per child partnership through Little Lights program. Contributions fund community-led, self-sustainable projects addressing critical needs in partnered child's community.
3. Africa TrAID Retail Sales: Sale of handmade items from Ugandan artisans through One City's website and retail locations in the US. Paying fair rates to artists across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
4. Medical Clinic Fees: Weekly medical clinics treating 90-150 patients weekly. Revenue from nominal patient fees supports clinic operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

One City Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates Light Village, a 23-acre integrated campus in Uganda, delivering holistic programs addressing clean water access, primary healthcare, sustainable agriculture, theological education, child sponsorship, and fair-trade artisan enterprise to alleviate multi-dimensional poverty. The organization runs sponsorship, fair-trade, and biofuel programs that channel US-based donor support into on-the-ground Ugandan services.

Product overview

One City Ministries operates as a holistic poverty-fighting organization offering an integrated portfolio of programs centered around Light Village, a 23-acre campus in Uganda. The organization provides 13 distinct programs including community development (Light Village, Outreach Ministries), healthcare (Sean Gilbert Memorial Medical Center, Medical Clinics), economic empowerment (Light Fuel, WaterCarts and Agricultural Training, Africa TrAID), emergency response (C.E.R.F.), spiritual development (Theological Training), addiction recovery (Save Our Sons), and child welfare (Little Lights sponsorship program). The comprehensive approach addresses root causes of poverty through practical economic development, healthcare access, education, and spiritual empowerment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Light Village: A 23-acre campus serving as the hub of all programs for One City, functioning as a prototype exemplifying self-sustaining economic independence while maintaining essential community services.
• C.E.R.F.
• Africa TrAID
• Little Lights
• Seek and Destroy
• Save Our Sons (S.O.S.)

Products and services

• Light Sowers Child Sponsorship
• Africa TrAID Fair-Trade Shop
• Light Fuel Biofuel Distribution
• WaterCarts Clean Water Program
• Light Village Healthcare Clinic
• Theological Training Program
• Kisarana Women's Cooperative

Quantifiable outcome

• 0 deaths from Malaria in 6 years (down from 2/week in 2008)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nation 2 Nation UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018U.S.-based university providing accreditation for One City's Theological Seminary and Bible College at Light Village. Enables devout church leaders to obtain 2-year Associate or 4-year Bachelor's degrees in Biblical Studies.
• AmazonSmileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazonSmile donates a portion of eligible purchases to One City Ministries when shoppers select them as their charity.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WaterAid: International nonprofit working on clean water access, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries with significant Sub-Saharan Africa operations. Comparable clean-water and WASH mission with rural-Africa operational presence.
• Heifer International: Nonprofit focused on ending hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture and livestock programs in developing countries. Comparable agricultural training, women-empowerment, and community-led development model.
• Compassion International: Large faith-based child sponsorship and holistic child development NGO operating across the developing world. Closely comparable to One City's Little Lights child sponsorship model combined with integrated community development.
• charity: water: Nonprofit focused exclusively on bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. Directly comparable to One City's WaterCarts, rainwater harvesting, and water security programs.
• African Mission Healthcare: Faith-based medical mission organization supporting hospitals and clinics across sub-Saharan Africa. Directly comparable to One City's Sean Gilbert Memorial Medical Center and weekly clinic operations in Eastern Uganda.
• Food for the Hungry: Christian nonprofit focused on ending poverty in developing countries through community development, water, agriculture, healthcare, and child sponsorship. Strong programmatic overlap with One City's holistic poverty-alleviation model.

Broad incumbents

• World Vision: One of the largest Christian humanitarian organizations globally, focused on child sponsorship, clean water, healthcare, and economic development in developing countries. Highly comparable programmatic portfolio and donor model.
• Samaritan's Purse: Evangelical Christian humanitarian organization running World Medical Mission, Operation Christmas Child, and clean water programs in developing countries. Comparable faith-based holistic approach and medical missions focus.

Emerging players

• Plant With Purpose: Faith-based environmental and poverty alleviation nonprofit operating in developing countries through reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and economic empowerment. Comparable focus on Light Fuel biofuel and community-driven environmental solutions.
• Tenwek Hospital / World Medical Mission: Faith-based medical mission organization supporting rural Kenyan hospitals with physician placement and infrastructure funding. Comparable rural-East-Africa faith-based healthcare delivery footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/1cityministries
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtY-aXuE1EKFGQIbUqhstPw
• Facebookfacebook.com/onecityministries
• Instagraminstagram.com/onecityuganda

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 One City Ministries