The Oikos Institute for Social Impact

What The Oikos Institute for Social Impact does

The Oikos Institute for Social Impact is a private nonprofit organization founded in 2020 and headquartered at 5113 S. Harper St., Suite 2C, Chicago, Illinois, with a team of approximately 8 employees. It helps faith communities and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) anchor institutions harness the power of their existing assets to catalyze communal transformation and economic renewal in under-resourced communities, using an asset-based community development model that strengthens what the organization describes as the Faith, Intellectual, Social, and Human Capital of its partner institutions.

Its core offerings include the asset-based community development framework itself, the Oikos Cohorts program that convenes collaborative working groups in under-resourced communities, and the registered Fishing Differently® annual conference, now in its fourth year as a formal program and its sixth year overall, which connects faith-inspired leaders with place-based investors, funders, and anchor institutions. The organization distributes its work through strategic partnerships with seminaries, universities, foundations, government agencies, and denominational judicatories, and supports these efforts with documented case studies such as "Feeding the 5,000" and annual impact reports.

The institute operates an event-driven go-to-market model funded by two disclosed revenue streams: individual and institutional donations, and tiered annual sponsorships for the Fishing Differently Conference (formalized in the 2026 Oikos Sponsorship Deck). Conference registration runs on the Whova platform, marketing and donor cultivation occur through a WordPress website, a Constant Contact newsletter, and owned social channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), and the organization maintains a dedicated Press Release Center to publicize grants, awards, partnerships, and new cohort launches.

Name

The Oikos Institute for Social Impact

Legal name

The Oikos Institute for Social Impact

Website

https://oikosinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Oikos Institute for Social Impact is a Chicago-based nonprofit that helps faith communities and BIPOC anchor institutions leverage their existing assets for communal transformation and economic renewal through its asset-based community development model, Oikos Cohorts, and the annual Fishing Differently Conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based & Mission Service Programs (EDAIAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Impact Investment & Social Finance Programs (BPADAOAJ), Education Partnerships for Equity, Inclusion & Gender (EDADALAF)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Faith-based nonprofit programs
• Asset-based development
• Community impact consulting
• Congregational capacity building

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: The institute accepts donations from individuals and organizations supporting their mission of communal transformation and economic renewal in under-resourced communities.
2. Conference Sponsorships: Sponsorship levels are offered for the Fishing Differently Conference, providing visibility, strategic alignment, and shared impact at various tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Oikos Institute for Social Impact delivers asset-based community development programming for faith communities and BIPOC anchor institutions. Its primary offerings are the annual Fishing Differently® Conference, Oikos Cohorts (collaborative community programs in under-resourced neighborhoods), and strategic collaborative partnerships with seminaries, universities, foundations, government agencies, and denominational judicatories. The institute also publishes case studies and impact reports documenting outcomes such as the "Feeding the 5,000" small-church impact study.

Product overview

The Oikos Institute for Social Impact operates as a single unified offering centered on its asset-based community development model. The core program consists of strategic collaborative partnerships with seminaries, universities, foundations, government agencies, and denominational judicatories that support Oikos Cohorts in under-resourced communities. The annual Fishing Differently® Conference serves as the primary convening vehicle, connecting faith-inspired leaders with investors and anchor institutions. The Institute provides case studies, impact reports, and resources documenting outcomes. The organization is in its sixth year of empowering faith communities and anchor institutions to drive communal transformation and economic renewal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fishing Differently®: An annual conference organized by the Oikos Institute that connects faith-inspired leaders and place-based investors/funders with anchor institutions including faith communities and organizations for people of color to leverage their assets for positive change.

Products and services

• Fishing Differently® Conference Annual conference connecting faith-inspired leaders and place-based investors/funders with anchor institutions (faith communities and organizations for people of color) to leverage assets for communal transformation. Includes pre-conference activities (e.g., The Clearing in partnership with Freedom Road, LLC for 2026) and the FD2025 Social Impact Awards. Registration via Whova platform; sponsorship tiers available.
• Asset-Based Community Development Model Strategic framework that helps faith communities and BIPOC anchor institutions harness existing assets to drive communal transformation, economic renewal, and revitalization of distressed communities. The model strengthens Faith, Intellectual, Social, and Human Capital of the communities served and serves as the institute's foundational methodology.
• Oikos Cohorts Collaborative cohort-based programs launched in under-resourced communities where faith communities and BIPOC anchor institutions work together on social impact and transformational initiatives, supported by strategic partnerships with seminaries, universities, foundations, government agencies, and denominational judicatories.
• Strategic Collaborative Partnership Engagements Formal partnership engagements with seminaries, universities, foundations, government agencies, and denominational judicatories designed to strengthen community institutions' capacity for social impact and transformational work, including co-developed program cohorts and convenings.

Named customers2 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Freedom Road, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Freedom Road, LLC partnered with The Oikos Institute for the 2026 Fishing Differently Conference Pre-Conference activity. The Clearing, offered in partnership with Freedom Road, is included in Conference 2026 registration to equip participants with resources for economic, mental, and spiritual resilience.
• Seminaries and UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Oikos Institute develops strategic collaborative partnerships with seminaries and universities to strengthen the Faith, Intellectual, Social and Human Capital of faith communities as they engage in social impact work.
• Government AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with government agencies to strengthen community development efforts in under-resourced communities served by faith communities and BIPOC anchor institutions.
• Denominational JudicatoriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with denominational judicatories to strengthen the capacity of faith communities to engage in transformational social impact work.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CrossingCapitalGroupInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/fish.differently.7
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-oikos-institute-for-social-impact
• Instagraminstagram.com/oikos4socialimpact

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 The Oikos Institute for Social Impact