Stephen And Laurel Brown Foundation, Inc.

What Stephen And Laurel Brown Foundation, Inc. does

Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation, Inc. is a Wisconsin-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Steve and Laurel Brown in 2015. Its flagship initiative, Upper House, is a 16,000 sq ft Christian study center located on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus at 365 East Campus Mall, offering free study space Monday through Friday, public events, lectures, reading groups, and a paid internship program ($16–$17/hour). The foundation's mission centers on spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation of students and faculty at a flagship public university.

The organization operates multiple interconnected programs beyond Upper House: the Upper House Fellows Program (themed tracks on Scripture, calling, spiritual formation, life of mind, and science/technology); Upper House Commons (public lectures and events); the Lumen Center (a 2024-launched community of Christian scholars producing research and public scholarship); New College Madison (academic study of Christianity); and SLBF Studio (podcast and recorded-event production including UpWords, American Evangelicals, and Walking with God). A secondary facility, Dottie's Ranch near Oregon, WI, is rented for group retreats at tiered rates ($50/guest overnight; $75–$250 day-use). The foundation also operates a mobile app (iOS, Android, Amazon Appstore) and is a member of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers (~40 global members).

Revenue is generated through individual donations, foundation grants, and facility rental fees. Major institutional grants include funding from the John Templeton Foundation for the Higher Pursuits Project (2020–22 and 2024 HPP 2.0) and a $999,990 Lilly Endowment grant for the five-year Awaken Dane congregational initiative. The foundation partners with more than ten campus ministries (Badger Cru, InterVarsity, Navigators, Blackhawk Church, etc.) and maintains strategic alliances with the Wisconsin Council of Churches, University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, and the Collaboration Project for the Awaken Dane program. It has no parent company and operates as an independent nonprofit with no venture capital or institutional investor ownership.

Name

Stephen And Laurel Brown Foundation, Inc.

Legal name

Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://slbf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates Upper House, a 16,000 sq ft Christian study center at UW-Madison, alongside the Lumen Center, New College Madison, and SLBF Studio, serving students, faculty, and Dane County congregations through formation programs, scholarly research, and content production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Christian Higher Education and Formation Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Campus Spiritual & Religious Life (EDALAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Guest, Visitor & Conference Housing Services (Summer/Break Housing) (EDAEAFAN)

Keywords

• Christian study center
• Faith-based higher education
• Spiritual formation programs
• Student campus ministry
• Christian scholarly research

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a nonprofit organization funded primarily through charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and grant-making organizations. The website features a donation form for Upper House donations.
2. Foundation Grants: Major grants from organizations like the John Templeton Foundation ($1.35M for HPP 2.0) and Lilly Endowment ($999,990 for Awaken Dane) provide significant funding for specific projects and initiatives.
3. Facility Rental - Dottie's Ranch: The foundation generates revenue through rental fees for Dottie's Ranch retreat facility near Oregon, WI, with overnight and day-use rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation operates Upper House, a 16,000 sq ft Christian study center on the UW-Madison campus providing free study space, public lectures, reading groups, formation programs, and community events. It runs the Upper House Fellows Program, paid Internship Program, the Lumen Center for Christian scholarship, SLBF Studio for podcast and media content, and Dottie's Ranch retreat facility near Oregon, WI.

Product overview

Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation operates Upper House as its primary initiative — a 16,000 square foot Christian study center at UW-Madison. The organization offers multiple interconnected programs: Upper House Fellows provides student formation through themed tracks; Upper House Commons hosts public lectures and events; the Internship Program offers paid positions across communications, hospitality, podcast production, and event management. The Lumen Center brings Christian scholars together for research and public scholarship. SLBF Studio produces podcasts (American Evangelicals, UpWords) and recorded event content. Additional offerings include New College Madison for academic Christianity studies, Dottie's Ranch for retreats, and the Spirit and Stone audio walking tour of UW's spiritual history. The organization is funded by grants including from the John Templeton Foundation and serves as a member of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Upper House
• Upper House Fellows Program
• Upper House Commons
• Upper House Internship Program
• Lumen Center
• SLBF Studio
• New College Madison
• Dottie's Ranch
• American Evangelicals Podcast
• UpWords Podcast
• Spirit and Stone Audio Walking Tour An audio tour of the UW-Madison campus highlighting the religious and spiritual heritage of the old campus, produced as part of the Higher Pursuits Project funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Awaken DanecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwaken Dane is a five-year initiative funded by a $999,990 grant from Lilly Endowment's Thriving Congregations Initiative. The foundation is one of four partner organizations working to strengthen Dane County Christian congregations. Led by Dr. John Terrill at SLBF.
• Wisconsin Council of ChurchescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaging partner for the Awaken Dane initiative, a statewide organization with long history of ecumenical engagement led by Rev. Kerri Parker.
• University of Dubuque Theological SeminaryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Awaken Dane initiative, represented by Rev. Dr. Christopher James.
• Collaboration ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in Awaken Dane initiative, led by Rev. Jon Anderson.
• Consortium of Christian Study CenterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpper House is a member of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers (CCSC), along with approximately 40 Christian Study Centers across the globe. The Consortium provides consulting, training, and resources to member centers.
• Blackhawk ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlackhawk Church Downtown is the Church in Residence at Upper House, providing multicultural, multigenerational community engagement with the UW campus. Blackhawk College Ministry holds Tuesday Night gatherings at Upper House and is a Registered Student Organization at UW-Madison.
• Campus Ministry PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with campus ministries including Badger Cru, Blackhawk College, Blackhawk Chinese College, InterVarsity, Asian American InterVarsity, ISG/Harbor College, Mount Zion Campus Ministry, Navigators, Salt Company, and Young Life College. These ministries hold regular gatherings and events at Upper House.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Anselm House: Anselm House is a Christian study center at the University of Minnesota; directly comparable to Upper House as a university-affiliated study center offering formation programs, lectures, and intellectual community. One of SLBF's team members previously interned at Anselm House.
• Veritas Forum: Veritas Forum curates intellectually rigorous conversations between Christian scholars and skeptics at elite universities. Overlaps with the lecture and scholarly engagement programming Upper House runs through the Lumen Center and Friday Night Lectures.
• Chesterton House: Chesterton House is a Christian study center at Cornell University and a fellow member of the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. It runs scholar-in-residence, lectures, and student formation programs parallel to Upper House.
• Christian Study Center of Gainesville: Christian Study Center of Gainesville is a fellow Consortium member providing Christian intellectual formation for university students near the University of Florida. Directly comparable mission and operating model to Upper House.
• Ratio Christi: Ratio Christi runs Christian apologetics chapters at public universities, offering faculty-mentored discussion of faith and reason. Comparable to Upper House's emphasis on scholarship and intellectual engagement with Christian thought.
• Henry Center (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School): Henry Center is a peer Christian study center associated with Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, focusing on theological scholarship and student engagement. Member of the same Consortium of Christian Study Centers as Upper House.
• Christian Study Center of Chicago: Christian Study Center of Chicago, a fellow Consortium member, offers students near the University of Chicago programs combining faith, scholarship, and community. Operates a similar on-campus engagement model to Upper House.
• Christian Union: Christian Union is a faith-based ministry focused on spiritual and intellectual formation at Ivy League and top universities. Comparable to Upper House's Fellows Program in targeting students at selective research universities.

Broad incumbents

• CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ): CRU is a large national evangelical campus ministry active at UW-Madison (Badger Cru) and many other universities. Overlaps with Upper House's student formation and community engagement but at a much larger scale and broader footprint.
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: InterVarsity is a large, established evangelical campus ministry operating at hundreds of U.S. universities including UW-Madison. It overlaps with Upper House's faith-formation mission but as a broader parachurch organization rather than a single-site study center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/upperhouseuw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCn5Zt9NbQc0X3VZ4VZRQqEA
• Instagraminstagram.com/upperhouseuw
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stephen-and-laurel-brown-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Stephen And Laurel Brown Foundation, Inc.