Project Flourish Funds Social Ventures in Houston
Austin Hermann is the Director for the Center for Faith, Work & Innovation at First Presbyterian Church (FPC) in Houston. After attending the Faith & Work Summer Ministry Intensive in 2016, Austin began a Gotham Fellowship in 2017 at FPC and participates in the GFWI Gotham Leader’s Network. Last year FPC, awarded $240,000 to advance the work of social entrepreneurs through Project Flourish which funds gospel-minded startups. Here is the story of Project Flourish.
Imagine the church creating its own version of “Shark Tank” with the purpose of cultivating social entrepreneurship with no strings attached. First Presbyterian Houston has done just that. In March of 2018, a panel of expert judges, all members of the First Presbyterian congregation who have distinguished themselves as successful business and community leaders. selected five Houston-area social entrepreneurship ventures to receive funding totaling $240,000 in First Presbyterian Church of Houston’s first ever Project Flourish. The award recipients address complex social challenges faced by the Houston community as well as at-risk communities in other parts of the world.
They included:
Good Works Studio: Emergency Floor – Helps refugee communities around the world through designing and deploying high-impact, low-cost shelter products.
ArtPark Moving Studios – A mashup between a "Food Truck" and an "Art Studio" that hosts free arts enrichment events for children in need as well as a retail art truck rental service.
Rescue Houston – Empowers victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation to exit the sex trade via a 24/7 hotline and exit program.
Renew All Ministries: Coffee and Cake Café – This café will help formerly incarcerated adults with reentry support by providing part-time and transition employment opportunities.
Ananias House: Bread of Life – This bakery in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo, Syria will provide employment opportunities, bread for citizens and opportunities for the church to engage.
“Through the selection of these five organizations, the judges seek to create a representative portfolio of ventures that move the needle in addressing social challenges while also meeting the criteria of innovation, impact, gospel-minded inspiration, learning and capacity.”
-Rev. Dr. Jim Birchfield, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church.
“For four years we have been responding to the needs of our clients, but the financial backing of Project Flourish has made it possible for Rescue Houston to develop an emergency assessment program, and fill the greatest need in Houston’s anti-sex trafficking landscape.” -Alison Meier Madrigal, founder and president of Rescue Houston.
“The funding will put floors beneath 250 refugee families and make it possible to start hiring people in areas such as Lebanon where the needs of refugee populations are greatest and our products can have the greatest positive impact.”
-Sam Brisendine, cofounder and chief product officer at Good Works Studio.
To learn more please visit www.projectflourish.org.