San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside

What San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside does

San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, Inc. (SAGE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 1998 and headquartered at 220 Chestnut Street, San Antonio, Texas, that promotes, renews, and empowers the economic and cultural vitality of San Antonio's Eastside neighborhoods. The organization's purpose is to support local small businesses, preserve Eastside cultural heritage, and guide development in a way that explicitly does not displace existing residents or business owners. SAGE serves three identified constituencies: Eastside small business owners and entrepreneurs (the primary segment), Eastside community residents, and funders, developers, and civic leaders seeking community-grounded development partnerships.

SAGE's core product surface consists of five programs rather than a unified technology platform: the Storefront Grant (up to $10,000 for business exterior improvements in the Eastside Promise Zone), the Small Business Support Program (10-week cohorts with technical assistance, mentorship, peer networks, and grant access), the Cultural and Historical Markers Program (commemorative installations honoring African American, Latino, and Indigenous heritage), the Reconnecting Communities Project (a $2M USDOT-funded planning study to cap and reconnect portions of IH-10, IH-35, and IH-37), and the Public Market Complex (a planning initiative for a community-serving mixed-use market addressing Eastside grocery and retail gaps). Technology is incidental rather than proprietary; operations rely on Mailchimp for newsletters, Monday.com for application intake, PayPal and DAF Direct for donations, and a WordPress-style CMS for the public site.

SAGE's revenue model is grant- and donation-funded, with no commercial pricing. The principal funding streams are federal grants (USDOT, HHS Office of Community Services), corporate and community sponsorships (22 sponsors at the 2025 State of the Eastside event), tax-deductible individual donations, and the facilitation of public and private investments for Eastside development projects. Grant inflows have totaled approximately $2.95M across three federal awards in 2024-2025 ($150K HHS in September 2024, $2M USDOT in January 2025, and $800K in November 2025), and the organization has historically secured over $3M in cumulative public and private investments. The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven: SAGE engages business owners through listening tours, community events such as HalloEast and the annual State of the Eastside convening, and direct partnerships with organizations including VelocityTX, LISC San Antonio, and Prosper West.

Name

San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside

Legal name

San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, Inc.

Website

https://sagesa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SAGE is a San Antonio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1998, that supports Eastside small businesses via grants, mentorship, and preservation programs, and guides federal-funded infrastructure and development planning to prevent resident and business displacement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Community economic development
• Nonprofit economic development
• Small business support
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Urban revitalization

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants: SAGE receives federal funding from agencies including the U.S. Department of Transportation (Reconnecting Communities Program) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Office of Community Services). Recent grants include $2 million USDOT planning grant, $150,000 economic development planning grant, and $800,000 grant for small business support.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: The organization accepts tax-deductible donations through PayPal and DAF Direct, and receives corporate sponsorships for events such as the State of the Eastside (22 corporate and community sponsors in 2025).
3. Public and Private Investment Partnerships: SAGE facilitates and secures public/private investments for Eastside development projects, with over $3M in investments attributed to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SAGE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic development organization that delivers grant programs, small business support cohorts, and cultural preservation initiatives to San Antonio's Eastside community. Its core offerings include the Storefront Grant (up to $10,000 for business exterior improvements), a 10-week Small Business Support Program with mentorship and peer networking, the Public Market Complex planning initiative, the Reconnecting Communities Project (highway capping feasibility study), and the Cultural and Historical Markers Program. All programs are provided at no cost to eligible Eastside businesses and residents.

Product overview

SAGE (San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside) is an economic development nonprofit offering a portfolio of community programs rather than a unified tech product. Its core offerings include the Storefront Grant (up to $10,000 for business exterior improvements), the Small Business Support Program (10-week cohorts with mentorship and grants), the Public Market Complex planning initiative, the Reconnecting Communities Project (highway capping feasibility study), and the Cultural and Historical Markers Program. These programs collectively support small businesses, preserve cultural heritage, and guide sustainable development without displacement on San Antonio's Eastside.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 local businesses supported through funding and mentorship
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supportive.

• Prosper WestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025SAGE and Prosper West (formerly Westside Development Corporation) launched a joint initiative 'Connecting East and West for a Better Future.' The collaboration brings together two San Antonio-based economic development nonprofits to advocate for policies benefiting both sides of the urban core. Both organizations lost regular city funding in 2025 and are seeking alternative revenue streams through grants, donations, and private partnerships. Staffs meet weekly to plan joint community forums and shared economic development strategies.
• VelocityTX (Texas Research & Technology Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025VelocityTX, SAGE, and LISC San Antonio formed a coalition to push for Eastside infrastructure improvements and formal district establishment. Partners are requesting $2.1 million in seed funding over three years (~$700,000/year) to create a formal Eastside District with community-led coordinating group. VelocityTX is developing the Merchants Ice industrial complex into a business campus. SAGE provides small business accelerator programs while VelocityTX focuses on research and technology economic activity.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation San Antonio (LISC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025LISC San Antonio, a local nonprofit focused on housing and homeownership issues, partnered with SAGE and VelocityTX to push for Eastside development that benefits residents without gentrification. LISC brings expertise in affordable housing and is helping scale up existing programs. The coalition is advocating for $2.1M in seed funding over three years.
• Board Member OrganizationssupportiveOthersSAGE's Board of Directors includes representatives from St. Philip's College, UT San Antonio, Broadway Bank, Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Britts & Associates LLP, H-E-B, Valero Energy, University Health, Frost Bank, Artz Development, VelocityTX, Via Metropolitan Transit, and YMCA. These organizations provide governance oversight and potentially strategic connections.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National community development financial institution that invests in housing, economic development, and community capacity-building in underserved neighborhoods. LISC San Antonio is an active coalition partner with SAGE on the Eastside District initiative, and the organizations share mission, target population, and grantmaking role.
• Prosper West (formerly Westside Development Corporation): San Antonio-based economic development nonprofit serving the city's Westside with a mission structurally identical to SAGE's Eastside work. Prosper West is a formal coalition partner under the 'Connecting East and West for a Better Future' initiative, and both organizations lost city funding in 2024.
• Main Street America: National network that supports district-level revitalization through preservation-based economic development, small business support, and community organizing. Closely mirrors SAGE's Storefront Grant, small business cohort, and cultural marker programming.
• Coastal Enterprises Inc. (CEI): Maine-based community development financial institution that invests in underserved rural and urban economies through small business lending, grantmaking, and place-based programs. Comparable in operating model to SAGE's small business support and storefront grant work.
• National Development Council: National nonprofit economic development organization providing financing, real estate development, and small business support in distressed communities. Comparable as a community development intermediary that blends grants, loans, and technical assistance.
• IFF (formerly Illinois Facilities Fund): Regional CDFI that provides capital, real estate, and child development consulting to nonprofits and mission-driven organizations in the Midwest. Comparable in role as a place-based capital and capacity-building intermediary.
• VelocityTX (Texas Research & Technology Foundation): San Antonio-based nonprofit innovation and economic development organization actively partnering with SAGE on the Eastside District coalition. Comparable as a place-based nonprofit economic developer, though VelocityTX skews toward research/tech activity versus SAGE's small business and cultural focus.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit that combines development, capital, and policy advocacy to build and preserve affordable homes and community assets. Compares to SAGE as a larger, more diversified version of the place-based community development nonprofit model.

Others

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that creates parks and protects land in cities, often through federal partnerships and reconnecting-community-style infrastructure projects. Comparable to the Reconnecting Communities Project work and the green-space component of SAGE's highway capping planning.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: National nonprofit that preserves historic places and cultural heritage through grants, advocacy, and education. Comparable to SAGE's Cultural and Historical Markers Program and its broader commitment to heritage-driven economic development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sagesanantonio
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SAGEforGrowthonTheEastside
• Facebookfacebook.com/SAGESanAntonio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-antonio-for-growth-on-the-eastside

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside