Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL)

What Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) does

Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, faith-rooted community-organizing non-profit (EIN 82-1777262) headquartered in Chicago and serving the city's western suburbs including Proviso Township, Maywood, and Melrose Park. Its mission is to equip Catholic and Christian member-leaders with liberation-theology formation and community-organizing skills to advance racial, economic, social, and environmental justice through direct action. Programs are organized around four pillars: Community Organizing, Liberative Formation, Coalition Building, and Organizational Capacity. The organization also runs issue-specific campaigns (Pastoral Care for immigrant detainees at the Broadview ICE facility, Lead Pipes for environmental justice), an annual Congress convening, and a digital Resource Library including the downloadable "13 Faces of Jesus" book.

CSPL's core "products" are programmatic and relational rather than technological: leadership formation curricula, coalition convenings, direct-action campaigns, and theological content. The technology footprint is limited to a Squarespace-hosted website (csplaction.org), a gated resource library, and standard social-media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn). There is no proprietary software, AI/ML capability, or API surface disclosed in the source material. Operational scale indicators include 7 paid staff, 52 institutional members, 300+ active community members, 2,000+ trained leaders, and 10,000 priests, sisters, and lay people participating in public non-violent actions over the past year.

The revenue model is donation-based: CSPL sustains operations through individual donations (with a monthly contribution pathway), membership dues/contributions from institutional members, and likely foundation grants (none disclosed). There is no programmatic pricing or commercial product. The organization is member-led and governed by its 52 member institutions, has no parent company or venture backing, and is operationally lean relative to the scale of its coalition and public footprint.

Name

Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL)

Legal name

Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership

Website

https://csplaction.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CSPL is a 501(c)(3) faith-rooted community-organizing non-profit in Chicago that equips Catholic and Christian member-leaders with liberation-theology formation and organizing skills across parishes, universities, cooperatives, and grassroots groups to advance racial, economic, social, and environmental justice through direct action.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Community Organizing Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations (BPAGAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Faith-based community organizing
• Community organizing services
• Leadership formation programs
• Social justice coalition
• Nonprofit member coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: CSPL is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (EIN: 82-1777262) that operates primarily through donations. The website features a donate button and mentions sustaining work through monthly contributions.
2. Membership Contributions: Coalition membership includes parishes, congregations, worker cooperatives, universities, and community-based organizations that contribute to the organization's operational capacity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CSPL brings together Catholic and Christian people across Chicago and western suburbs to build collective power through faith-rooted community organizing. Its work is delivered through four pillars—Community Organizing, Liberative Formation, Coalition Building, and Organizational Capacity—and operationalized through named campaigns (Pastoral Care Campaign, Lead Pipes Campaign) and an annual Congress.

Product overview

CSPL is a faith-rooted community organization operating as a coalition-based model with four interconnected programmatic pillars: Community Organizing (direct action for social change), Liberative Formation (faith education through liberation theology), Coalition Building (power building through partnerships), and Organizational Capacity (resource development). The organization runs thematic campaigns (Pastoral Care for immigrants, Lead Pipes for environmental justice), hosts an annual Congress event, and maintains a Resource Library of educational materials. The organization also offers leadership training, theological formation, and campaign strategy workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pastoral Care Campaign Named organizing campaign engaging CSPL's member parishes, congregations, and faith leaders to address pastoral and community care issues across Chicago and western suburbs; participants receive organizing training and join collective action.
• Lead Pipes Campaign Named environmental justice campaign mobilizing CSPL's coalition of parishes, universities, worker cooperatives, and community-based organizations around lead pipe replacement and related infrastructure issues in Chicago and western suburbs.
• CSPL Congress Annual multi-day convening of CSPL members, member institutions, and partners for formation, campaign planning, and coalition-wide decision-making across Chicago and western suburbs.
• Community Organizing (Pillar 1) Core organizing service offering member institutions and individual faith leaders relational 1:1 meetings, house meetings, campaign development, and public action training to build collective power across the coalition.
• Liberative Formation (Pillar 2) Faith-rooted formation program grounded in Latin American liberation theology and Catholic social teaching, offered to member leaders for spiritual grounding, leadership development, and the integration of discipleship with public action.
• Coalition Building (Pillar 3) Coalition-building service that convenes and aligns parishes, congregations, universities, worker cooperatives, community-based organizations, and individual faith leaders into a unified base for shared campaigns across Chicago and western suburbs.
• Organizational Capacity (Pillar 4) Capacity-building service supporting member institutions and the coalition itself with internal governance, leadership pipelines, fundraising support, and organizational development needed to sustain long-term organizing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2000+ leaders trained in liberative formation and community organizing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSPL works in coordination with ICIRR's Family Support Network to report ICE activity and provide support to immigrant communities. This partnership provides a hotline (855-HELP-MY-FAMILY) for immigrant families and enables CSPL to connect their members to broader immigrant rights networks.
• Brazilian Landless Workers Movement (MST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSPL adopted mística, a spiritual practice developed by the MST, which is a core spiritual practice of their organization. This represents a cross-border movement-building partnership rooted in liberation theology traditions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice: NETWORK is a Catholic social justice lobby rooted in Catholic social teaching and community-driven advocacy. It is highly comparable to CSPL in faith identity, advocacy orientation, and justice focus.
• Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF): IAF is the oldest and largest faith-based community organizing network in the U.S., training congregations in direct action and relational organizing. It is highly comparable to CSPL's broad-based community organizing approach.
• Interfaith Worker Justice: Interfaith Worker Justice organizes faith communities around worker rights and economic justice. Its use of coalitions of faith institutions for systemic change closely aligns with CSPL's coalition-building pillar.
• Gamaliel Foundation: Gamaliel is a national network of faith-led community organizations using broad-based organizing for justice. It directly mirrors CSPL's coalition-building model and faith-rooted organizing methodology.
• Sojourners: Sojourners is a faith-rooted social justice organization mobilizing Christians for racial, economic, and environmental justice. Its advocacy and formation model parallel CSPL's liberation theology-based approach.
• Faith in Action: Faith in Action (formerly PICO National Network) is a national faith-based community organizing network that builds power in congregations for racial and economic justice. It is the most direct peer to CSPL in mission, methodology, and constituency.

Regional players

• PICO California: PICO California (now part of Faith in Action) is a regional faith-based organizing network in California. It is comparable to CSPL in methodology but operates in a different geographic market.

Others

• Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States: The Jesuit Conference coordinates Jesuit works in social justice, education, and faith formation. While not a direct peer, its faith-formation and justice advocacy work informs CSPL's theological framework.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Charities USA: Catholic Charities USA is the largest Catholic social services network in the U.S., providing services across immigration, poverty, and community needs. It operates in CSPL's space but as a much larger, broader service delivery organization rather than a justice-focused organizer.

Emerging players

• Central American Solidarity / Centro de los Derechos del Migrante: CDMigrant and similar immigrant rights faith-aligned advocacy groups share CSPL's immigration justice focus through faith-community mobilization. Comparable in mission scope and constituency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@csplaction
• Facebookfacebook.com/CSPLAction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coalition-for-spiritual-and-public-leadership-cspl
• Instagraminstagram.com/csplaction

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL)