St. Augustine Indian Mission

What St. Augustine Indian Mission does

St. Augustine Indian Mission is a private nonprofit Catholic religious organization founded in 1909 by St. Katharine Drexel in Winnebago, Nebraska, operating a K-8 school, parish, and community outreach programs primarily serving children and families of the Omaha and Winnebago tribes. The Mission serves approximately 125 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, of whom roughly 95% are Native American, with instruction that integrates Catholic faith formation, Native American cultural heritage, and Winnebago and Omaha language instruction (including a dedicated Ho-Chunk Language Teacher). The school is fully accredited under the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools System and operates under Rule 10 accreditation from the State of Nebraska, with a 1:1 device program (iPads and Chromebooks) supporting reading and math instruction.

The Mission's product surface spans St. Augustine Indian Mission School (core K-8 education), St. Augustine Parish (weekly and daily Mass, faith formation), and community services including a food pantry in partnership with Catholic Charities of Omaha and The Nook Thrift Store in Macy, Nebraska. Sub-brands include Kateri Circle and the Thurston County Ministerial Association Food Pantry. The Mission joined the 11-parish Holy Apostles Parish Family in 2023 under Director Fr. Mark Beran, and is a founding member of the American Indian Catholic Schools Network. Programmatic partners include the Omaha Conservatory of Music (weekly music instruction), Boys Town (school support specialist using the Well Managed School Model), and Catholic Charities of Omaha (mobile food pantry).

The Mission funds itself entirely through private donations from more than 10,000 contributors nationwide and explicit non-receipt of tribal or federal government funding. Revenue streams include recurring child-sponsorship subscriptions ($5,000/$2,500/$1,250 per school year per tier), annual registration fees ($50 per student, $500 family maximum), a Nebraska state-funded school lunch program, and event-driven fundraising through the annual Circle of Dreams dinner. Distribution is via direct school enrollment (registration packet), reintroduced bus routes to Macy and Walthill on the Omaha Reservation, and online donation/sponsorship platforms (Greater Giving). The Mission has 30–40 staff, 12 national and regional awards since 2005, and is currently operating its 117th school year.

Name

St. Augustine Indian Mission

Legal name

St. Augustine Indian Mission

Website

https://staugustinemission.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Augustine Indian Mission is a nonprofit Catholic K-8 school and parish in Winnebago, Nebraska, founded in 1909 by St. Katharine Drexel, serving approximately 125 students — 95% Native American from the Omaha and Winnebago tribes — through tuition-free education that integrates Catholic faith, Native American culture, and tribal language instruction, funded entirely by private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary & Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Religious Organizations (81311)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Catholic K-8 education
• Native American education
• Tribal language instruction
• Catholic parish services
• Community food pantry

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnebago, Nebraska

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Private donations from more than 10,000 contributors of all levels from across the nation fund St. Augustine's Mission School. The school does not receive any funding from the tribes or from the federal government.
2. Sponsorship Programs: Full sponsorship at $5,000 per school year, half sponsorship at $2,500, and quarter sponsorship at $1,250 per child. Monthly giving programs available for each level.
3. Registration Fees: Non-refundable registration fee of $50 per student with a family maximum of $500.
4. State-Funded School Lunch Program: School Lunch Program including breakfast is a State of Nebraska funded program. All students are eligible for free school lunches and breakfasts as a provisional II School lunch program participant.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

St. Augustine Indian Mission operates a K-8 Catholic school serving approximately 125 students (95% Native American) from the Omaha and Winnebago tribes, integrating Catholic formation with Native American cultural heritage and tribal language instruction (Winnebago, Omaha, Ho-Chunk). It also runs St. Augustine Parish worship services, a community food pantry, a thrift store, and donor sponsorship programs (Sponsor a Child and Sponsor a Teacher), all funded by private donations.

Product overview

St. Augustine Indian Mission operates as a unified mission organization combining K-8 Catholic education with parish services and community outreach. The core offerings include St. Augustine Indian Mission School (K-8 education with Catholic identity and Native American culture), St. Augustine Parish (Catholic worship services), and community programs including the Food Pantry and The Nook Thrift Store. Fundraising initiatives include the Sponsor a Child and Sponsor a Teacher programs, and the annual Circle of Dreams Dinner.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kateri Circle: A group of faithful Catholics who desire to be in community through prayer, service, and worship, following the example of St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
• Thurston County Ministerial Association Food Pantry
• The Nook Thrift Store

Products and services

• St. Augustine Indian Mission School
• St. Augustine Parish
• Food Pantry
• The Nook Thrift Store
• Sponsor a Child Program
• Sponsor a Teacher Program Donor program allowing supporters to sponsor teachers at the Mission school.
• Circle of Dreams Annual Dinner Annual fundraising event celebrating the accomplishments of students, families, and ministry partners, featuring the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Award and St. Katharine Drexel Award.

Quantifiable outcome

• 125 students served annually (K-8)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and secondary.

• Siouxland Catholic RadiominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Executive Director Tim Swedean visited the school to read to second graders and donated books about St. Gabriel the Archangel to each student.
• Holy Apostles Parish FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration of 11 parishes under the leadership of St. Augustine Mission Director Fr. Mark Beran. St. Augustine's Parish joined the Holy Apostles Parish Family in 2023.
• American Indian Catholic Schools Network (AICSN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011St. Augustine became a founding member of what eventually became the American Indian Catholic Schools Network. The network provides annual pilgrimage events to Notre Dame for 8th graders, teacher retreats, and community building among Native American Catholic schools across the United States.
• Omaha Conservatory of MusicsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Provides music instruction for all K-8 students. Cody Jorgensen from the conservatory travels to Winnebago weekly to share music education.
• Archdiocese of OmahacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mission is supervised under the auspices of the Archdiocese of Omaha. St. Augustine is part of the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools System.
• St. Katharine Drexel CircleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMembers from St. Vincent de Paul Church in Omaha visit the school annually, doing projects with students. They've been following the current 7th-grade class since third grade.
• Catholic Charities of OmahaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides mobile food pantry to Macy and Walthill on the first Tuesday of every month, serving the broader community beyond St. Augustine's direct services.
• Missionary Benedictine SisterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHave served at St. Augustine's since 1945. A new Good Shepherd Convent was built in 2012 to house the sisters.
• Boys TownsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides School Support Specialist Ariel Thompson who works with students using the Boys Town Well Managed School Model to develop social skills.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Red Cloud Indian School: Jesuit K-12 school on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota serving Lakota students. Closely comparable faith-based, reservation-centered school with a similar blend of Catholic identity, Native language and cultural preservation, and donor-funded operations.
• St. Francis Mission: Catholic mission on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota serving the Lakota people with a K-8 school, parish, and community programs. Highly comparable in mission, tribal context, Catholic-Native cultural integration, and nonprofit funding model.
• St. Labre Indian School: Catholic K-12 school in Ashland, Montana serving Northern Cheyenne and other Native American students. Operates a similar donor-driven mission school model with cultural preservation and Catholic education at its core.
• St. Joseph's Indian School: Catholic K-8 school in Chamberlain, South Dakota serving Native American students from multiple tribes. Closely comparable in grade span, faith-based mission, child sponsorship program, and reliance on private donors across the country.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau of Indian Education (BIE): Federal agency that operates and funds K-12 schools on reservations across the U.S. Provides a public-sector alternative for Native American families and represents the broader institutional backdrop against which St. Augustine's private Catholic mission operates.
• Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools: The diocesan school system that supervises St. Augustine. Operates many other K-12 Catholic schools in eastern Nebraska; provides accreditation, curriculum framework, and educator recognition that St. Augustine depends on, while competing indirectly for Catholic families.

Others

• American Indian Catholic Schools Network (AICSN): Network of Native American Catholic schools housed at the University of Notre Dame, of which St. Augustine is a founding member. Not a competitor but an enabling ecosystem that supports shared programming, pilgrimages, and teacher development.
• Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament: Religious order founded by St. Katharine Drexel, which originally staffed and financed the mission from 1909 to 1944. Historically and spiritually adjacent to St. Augustine, sharing the same founder and mission to Native American and minority communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/staugustinemission
• Facebookfacebook.com/staugustinemission
• Pinterestpinterest.com/staugustinemission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-augustine-indian-mission

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 St. Augustine Indian Mission