Stand in the Gap Ministries

What Stand in the Gap Ministries does

Stand in the Gap Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1997 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that delivers faith-based small-group mentorship programs to three underserved populations: young adults aging out of foster care (Life Launch), widows (Stand in the Gap for Widows), and formerly incarcerated women (Women in Transition). The Women in Transition model is a three-stage program pairing in-prison curriculum — taught by formerly incarcerated staff — with post-release small-group mentoring, reporting a less than 3% recidivism rate against a 67% national baseline and a 97% rate of graduates staying out of prison. The widows program operates as a toolkit-and-training methodology that 55 domestic church partners across 23 states and 10 international partners across 5 countries deploy locally, supplemented by 8 YouVersion Bible reading plans that have reached 23,687 people in 151 countries. Programmatic outcomes are validated through a Hope Survey instrument co-developed with the University of Oklahoma Hope Research Center since 2014, tracking hope, agency, and codependency metrics.

Revenue is derived from individual donations (including the Bridge Builders monthly giving program), corporate sponsorships (ArcLight Group, Bama Companies, White Wolf Creative, Gillespie Investment Strategies, WatersEdge, Dr Presley and Associates), and foundation grants from at least 13 named funders including Mervin Bovaird Foundation, The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, EL and Thelma Gaylord Foundation, NFL Grant, Kate Kraft Mowry Foundation, Stephenson Family Foundation, Temple Foundation, OCCF Access to Healthcare, Helmerich Trust, Potts Family Foundation, ONEOK, and Bernson Foundation. Programs are delivered free to participants; the only paid consumer offering is the new Held in Hope conference ($20 per ticket). Operations are run by a paid staff of 1–10 employees split between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, supported by 129 volunteers, and the organization is governed by a board chaired by Jessica Moffatt (CEO/Founder of the Tulsa Center for Reconciliation and Renewal) under recently appointed Executive Director Dree Hogue (October 2025).

Distribution is primarily direct-to-beneficiary in Oklahoma plus a partner-mediated national and international channel: in-person mentorship in Tulsa and OKC metros, a church-partner licensing model for the widows toolkit, a digital channel via YouVersion, an events channel (Rise Together dinners, Held in Hope conference), and an upcoming e-commerce merchandise store. A new headquarters at 6964 S 69th E Ave, Tulsa is being opened in July 2026, coinciding with the launch of the Held in Hope conference in October 2026 — both signaling an organizational scaling phase.

Name

Stand in the Gap Ministries

Legal name

Stand in the Gap Ministries

Website

https://standinthegap.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stand in the Gap Ministries is a Tulsa-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit running faith-based small-group mentorship programs for foster-care youth, widows, and formerly incarcerated women, delivered across Oklahoma and through 65+ church partners nationally and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Nonprofit Mentorship Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), Student Mentoring & Peer Support Programs (EDAJALAL)

Keywords

• Faith-based mentorship
• Prison reentry support
• Widow ministry services
• Foster care transition
• Small group mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulsa, Oklahoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Stand in the Gap depends on the generosity of individual donors who support the mission of connecting people in need with people who care. The organization offers monthly giving program called Bridge Builders.
2. Church and Business Partnerships: Partnerships with churches and businesses provide programmatic and financial support. Includes corporate sponsors like ArcLight Group, Bama Companies, White Wolf Creative, Gillespie Investment Strategies LLC, WatersEdge, and Dr Presley and associates.
3. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations including Mervin Bovaird Foundation, The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, EL and Thelma Gaylord Foundation, NFL Grant, Kate Kraft Mowry Foundation, Stephenson Family Foundation, Temple Foundation, OCCF Access to Healthcare, Helmerich Trust, Potts Family Foundation, ONEOK, Bernson Foundation, and others.
4. Conference Revenue: Revenue from the Held in Hope conference tickets ($20 per attendee), with registration open for the October 2026 event at First Baptist Jenks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Stand in the Gap Ministries operates small-group mentorship programs delivered free of charge to three underserved populations: young adults aging out of foster care (Life Launch), widows (Stand in the Gap for Widows), and formerly incarcerated women (Women in Transition). The organization recruits and trains volunteer mentor teams through church partnerships and equips churches nationwide with toolkits and training to serve widows in their congregations. Programs are biblically grounded and outcomes-measured, with research partnership through the University of Oklahoma Hope Research Center.

Product overview

Stand in the Gap Ministries operates as a single integrated mission—connecting people in need with people who care—delivered through three core programs serving distinct populations: Life Launch (young adults aging out of foster care), Stand in the Gap for Widows (equipping churches to serve widows), and Women in Transition (women post-incarceration). The organization supplements these programs with a monthly giving initiative (Bridge Builders), an annual conference for widows (Held in Hope), an outcome measurement tool (Hope Survey developed with Hope Research Center), and a volunteer training portal. A store is under development. All programs center on small-group mentorship and relational support as the primary mechanism for transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life Launch Faith-based mentorship program empowering young adults aging out of foster care through trained volunteer mentor teams. Teams meet at least twice monthly for a minimum of one year, providing patterns of safety, trust, and respect to help participants achieve independence, stability, and self-reliance. 90% of graduates accomplish a GED or high school diploma and 74% show increased hope levels.
• Stand in the Gap for Widows Nationwide faith-based movement equipping and empowering the local church to leave no widow alone. Provides a Tool Kit (step-by-step guide), relational support, training, and a network of churches and organizations for widow ministry. Served 8,000+ widows in 2025 across small groups.
• Women in Transition Three-stage faith-based program confronting incarceration: (1) teaching curriculum inside prisons/jails by formerly incarcerated staff, (2) remaining in relationship post-release, and (3) recruiting volunteer small groups for long-term mentorship. Achieves less than 3% recidivism versus 67% nationally; 97% of graduates stay out of prison.
• Bridge Builders Monthly Giving Monthly recurring giving program where donors provide ongoing financial support to Stand in the Gap's mission of connecting people in need with people who care across its three core programs.
• Held in Hope Conference Faith-based gathering designed to strengthen widows, equip ministry leaders, and mobilize churches to reflect God's compassion. Held October 8-9, 2026 at First Baptist Jenks in Jenks, Oklahoma; general admission $20 per attendee.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of Women in Transition participants scored as having 'high hope' after program completion
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• YouVersioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide spiritual support to widows anywhere through Bible reading plans. Stand in the Gap publishes new plans written and facilitated by widows every two months. Plans have reached over 23,000 people in 151 countries.
• Phoenix Rising Alternative SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLife Launch partnership where Phoenix Rising Alternative School Administrator Scott Ferris collaborates with Stand in the Gap to serve young adults from hard places.
• First Baptist JenksminorOthersHost venue for the Held in Hope Widows Conference on October 8-9, 2026. Located at 11701 S Elm St, Jenks, Oklahoma.
• Camp ShilohminorOthersVenue for OKC Rise Together: Denim and Diamonds event on September 15, 2026. Located at 448 NE 70th St, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• Camp LoughridgeminorOthersVenue for Tulsa Rise Together: Denim and Diamonds event on September 17, 2026. Located at 4900 W Oak Leaf Dr, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• University of Oklahoma Hope Research CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership since 2014 with Dr. Chan Hellman's team to measure hope outcomes for Stand in the Gap clients. Dr. Evie Muilenburg-Trevino helped create the Hope Survey specifically for Stand in the Gap.
• 55 Domestic Church Partners (23 states)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChurch partners access Stand in the Gap for Widows toolkit, training, and support to serve widows in their congregations. Includes partners like Balcony Women at Asbury United Methodist Church.
• 10 International Church Partners (5 countries)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational church partners serving widows through Stand in the Gap methodology.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Samaritas: Faith-rooted nonprofit offering foster care, refugee resettlement, and family services - directly comparable to Life Launch's wraparound support for foster-care alumni.
• Buckner International: Faith-based family services organization operating programs for orphans, widows, and vulnerable children - directly comparable to two of Stand in the Gap's three core programs through a similar faith-based service model.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: Large-scale youth mentoring nonprofit using volunteer mentor relationships, directly comparable to Stand in the Gap's Life Launch mentor-team model for at-risk young adults.
• Prison Fellowship: Faith-based prison ministry serving incarcerated individuals and their families with reentry support, directly comparable to Stand in the Gap's Women in Transition program.
• National Council of Jewish Women: Faith-rooted national nonprofit running support programs for widows and vulnerable women, comparable to Stand in the Gap's widow-care ministry model and church-partner distribution approach.
• Bethany Christian Services: Faith-based nonprofit providing foster care, adoption, and family services - directly comparable to Stand in the Gap's Life Launch program for young adults aging out of foster care.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army: Large faith-based nonprofit delivering programs for at-risk youth, formerly incarcerated individuals, and vulnerable women; incumbent with comparable beneficiary populations but a broader service portfolio.
• Catholic Charities USA: Large national network of faith-based social service agencies delivering youth, family, and prisoner reentry programs; broader incumbent serving overlapping populations through a similar faith-rooted service model.
• World Vision: Global faith-based humanitarian organization running orphan care, widow support, and community programs internationally; comparable international church-partner and content-distribution model.

Emerging players

• Mary's Mantle: Faith-based nonprofit providing residential reentry housing for women leaving incarceration, closely comparable to the post-release mentorship layer of Women in Transition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/standinthegap
• Facebookfacebook.com/StandintheGapMinistries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/standinthegapministries
• Instagraminstagram.com/standinthegapministries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Stand in the Gap Ministries