What Trellis International does

Trellis International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, that facilitates collaboration among pastors, churches, city governments, businesses, schools, and nonprofits to address spiritual, relational, and practical challenges in cities. The organization operates a network-of-networks model across 34 Orange County cities, with 22 cities hosting established prayer networks and four Partner-level cities — Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo, and Lake Forest — running full active city movements under the Love [City] brand. Core offerings include quarterly cohort-based coaching for city catalysts (donation-based with pay-it-forward contributions), 3/6/12-month coaching packages, management-support services covering 501(c)(3) structuring, accounting, databases, and volunteer management, consulting across focus areas (pastors networks, prayer strategy, neighboring, schools, practical challenges, fundraising), and the annual City on a Hill Leadership Roundtable conference held at Vanguard University.

Trellis does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its work is relationship-based and delivered through in-person convenings, events, and direct coaching. Supporting tools include the State of Our City demographic portal, the Better Together podcast (distributed on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts), city-specific microsites for each Love [City] movement, and a Kindful-based donation infrastructure. Revenue is generated entirely through tax-deductible donations across five designated funds (General, Prayer, Neighboring, Next Generation, Homelessness), donation-based coaching with suggested pay-it-forward contributions, and modest event fees ($45-50 per conference attendee). The organization has 13 employees and pursues out-of-state replication partnerships through 4Tucson (Arizona), COSILoveYou, and Amor Uvida (international), while expanding cause networks into Mental Health, Flourishing Families, and Disaster Response beyond its active base of Vulnerable Children, At Work on Purpose, Care Portal, and OC Campus Collective.

Name

Trellis International

Legal name

Trellis International

Website

https://wearetrellis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Trellis International is a Costa Mesa-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that facilitates collaboration among churches, city leaders, schools, and nonprofits to address spiritual, relational, and practical challenges across 34 Orange County cities. It operates as a network of networks through coaching cohorts, the Love [City] movement model, and the annual City on a Hill conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Nonprofit consulting
• City coalition building
• Faith-based organizing
• Leadership coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Costa Mesa

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Trellis operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded primarily through donations. They accept online giving (including recurring and one-time gifts), PayPal donations, and mailed checks. They offer specific fund designations: General Fund, Prayer Fund, Neighboring Fund, Next Generation Fund, and Homelessness Fund. Some coaching packages are donation-based with suggested pay-it-forward contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Trellis International facilitates collaboration among churches, city governments, nonprofits, businesses, and schools to address spiritual, relational, and practical challenges in cities. It delivers coaching, cohort programs, management support, and consulting services to city catalysts across 34 Orange County cities. Core revenue is generated through donations and donor-designated funds (General, Prayer, Neighboring, Next Generation, Homelessness).

Product overview

Trellis International is a non-profit organization that operates as a network-based facilitation platform rather than a traditional technology product company. Their offering consists of collaborative programs and services organized around four focus areas: prayer, neighboring, next generation/schools, and overcoming practical city challenges. The core offerings include: coaching and cohort programs for city leaders and catalysts; management support including 501 C3 structure setup and business systems; consulting services; the annual City on a Hill Leadership Roundtable conference; and initiative tools including Love Your City Serve Day, Prayer Collective, and School Connect. They also operate the Better Together Podcast and provide access to the State of Our City portal for demographic and challenge data. Trellis OC connects city-level networks across Orange County at three engagement levels (Connect, Associate, Partner). The organization does not offer a software product or SaaS platform but rather facilitates in-person collaboration, events, and leadership development programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Love Costa Mesa: City movement initiative for Costa Mesa, organizing annual Love Costa Mesa Day events
• Love Newport Beach
• Love Mission Viejo
• Love Lake Forest
• Love Irvine
• Love Orange
• Better Together Podcast
• City on a Hill Leaders Roundtable

Products and services

• Cohorts Program Quarterly cohort sessions for city leaders and catalysts designed to help them grow, develop, and sustain ongoing city movements. Cohorts are donation-based with pay-it-forward opportunities.
• Coaching Services Multi-area coaching for city catalysts in pastors network development, prayer strategy, neighboring movements, school engagement, practical challenge collaboration, fundraising planning, volunteer management, and business management. Offered in 3, 6, and 12 month packages.
• Management Support Back-office and operational support to establish and maintain systems for city movements, including development models, 501(c)(3) structure setup, accounting systems, databases, insurance, volunteer management, and catalyst growth assessments.
• Consulting Strategic consulting to help cities develop movements in key focus areas including prayer, neighboring, next generation, and practical challenges.
• City On A Hill Leaders Roundtable Annual conference connecting pastors and leaders across Orange County to collaborate and develop practical next steps for their cities, featuring worship, keynote speakers, skill-building sessions, and breakout groups.
• Better Together Podcast Podcast hosted by Kayton Garcia and Ian Stevenson exploring stories and principles behind building unity, connection, and collaboration. Available on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
• State of Our City Portal Portal providing data and insights about cities and Orange County to help leaders understand demographics, needs, and challenges in their communities.
• Trellis OC City Network Engagement Network-of-networks for Orange County connecting city-level networks for collaboration, offered at three engagement levels: Connect, Associate, and Partner.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 24 CarrotsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness partner supporting Trellis events and initiatives. Part of Trellis's network of business partners who support collaborative city movements.
• CalBathminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness partner (co-founded by Board Member Scott Davis). Supports Trellis initiatives and community events.
• WestHarbor Growth PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness partner providing support for Trellis events and initiatives.
• Friendship ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner collaborating in Trellis city movements. Part of the network of churches working together to address community challenges.
• The Crossing ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner where Executive Director Ian Stevenson previously served for 27 years. Key founding partner in Trellis movement.
• Lighthouse Community ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner collaborating in Trellis city movements.
• St. Andrews PresbyteriancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner collaborating in Trellis city movements.
• Redeemer PresbyteriancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner collaborating in Trellis city movements.
• Vanguard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for City on a Hill annual conferences. Board member Celina Canales serves as Director of University Engagement and Director of Jesse Miranda Center at Vanguard.
• Saddleback ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard Chairman Andrew Richards serves as Outreach Pastor at Saddleback Church. Strategic partnership for leadership and ministry development.
• 4TucsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner network in Tucson, Arizona. Part of Trellis's out-of-state network helping other cities develop similar movements.
• COSILoveYouminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner network in another state. Part of Trellis's expanding network of city movement organizations beyond Orange County.
• Amor UvidaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner organization. Part of Trellis's international network connections.
• Newport Mesa Unified School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partnership where Trellis serves as liaison for the school district, supporting schools, teachers, and administrators through the Education Initiative Director position.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: Large-scale nonprofit focused on volunteering and civic engagement across U.S. cities. Comparable as a higher-level incumbent in the city-mobilization space that Trellis engages with at a more local, faith-anchored layer.
• City Year: Established national nonprofit mobilizing young adults for a year of service in schools and communities. Comparable as a broader civic-engagement organization that operates city-level networks and youth/education initiatives similar to Trellis's Next Generation track.
• Christian Community Development Association (CCDA): National network of Christians working in community development across cities. Comparable in mission of mobilizing churches to address urban practical challenges such as homelessness, education, and vulnerable populations.
• Sojourners: Faith-based social-justice nonprofit with a national advocacy, convening, and mobilization footprint. Comparable as an established faith-rooted civic organization that engages churches and city leaders around social issues.
• Habitat for Humanity: Large faith-rooted nonprofit working on practical city challenges (housing) through local affiliates and volunteer mobilization. Comparable in mobilizing churches and volunteers around a specific practical city issue.

Others

• Saddleback Church: Strategic partner via Board Chairman Andrew Richards. A major church network with a civic outreach/PEACE Plan that operates at city-scale; comparable as a faith-rooted civic-mobilization organization that both partners with and dwarfs Trellis.

Emerging players

• Love Our Cities: A growing coalition that mobilizes city-wide serve days and faith-based civic engagement. Overlaps with Trellis's Love Costa Mesa / Love Newport Beach / Love Mission Viejo / Love Lake Forest events.

Direct peers

• For the Cities: National network that equips and connects city-wide movements of churches and leaders. Comparable as it explicitly focuses on replicating city movement playbooks across multiple U.S. cities.
• 4Tucson: Tucson-based faith-rooted city movement that convenes churches, schools, businesses, and nonprofits around city-wide service and prayer. Listed as an out-of-state Trellis partner and is highly comparable in mission and operating model.
• COSILoveYou: Colorado Springs city-wide collaboration movement of churches, nonprofits, businesses, and city leaders. Already a Trellis partner, it operates a near-identical Love-City facilitation model in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BetterTogetherPodcast.Trellis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trellis-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Trellis International