Social Entrepreneurship
Incubate Partners
Strengthen Your Social Impact in Partnership with NBA
Incubate Partnerships are one way we seek to accompany and resource social entrepreneurs in launching their organizations, anywhere from the start-up phase to nonprofits that have been operating for some years (1-10 years). We seek to connect social entrepreneurs with peers through cohort groups or innovative conversations. Our groups provide an intergenerational, collaborative learning experience rooted in theological reflection social analysis (the act of doing something strategic through the work of the enterprise), with the branches of our work being the creation of sustainable social enterprises and healthy organizational structures.
Become An Incubate Partner
Applications to become an NBA Incubate Partner open every year in the spring. Our Partners receive up to four years of access to professional consultants, opportunities for learning, peer support, and grant funding. In a spirit of mutuality, Incubate Partners agree to share the story of their mission with the wider Disciples community and beyond. Together, we expand the church’s understanding of and capacity for health and social service ministry as part of Christ’s work in the world.
Requirements
- Incorporated for 10 years or less.
- Disciples-affiliated. This means: being founded in partnership with a Disciples congregation or the NBA; having a set percentage of Disciples board members; and/or having an Executive Director/CEO who is a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
- Health and/or social service-related.
- Aligned with the mission of the NBA.
- Tax-exempt nonprofit.
- Innovative: serving communities in creative and unique ways
- Diverse: this includes organizations with diverse staff and leadership teams, as well as projects that serve Black, Indigenous, and/or other communities of color.