We Raise Foundation Awards Three Emerging Leader Grants

Itasca, IL – We Raise Foundation recently awarded three Emerging Leader Grants totaling $45,000. Emerging Leader Grants are an investment in the development of rising nonprofit professionals at Christian organizations who are leading new programs at the intersection of poverty, violence, and inequality.

Each Emerging Leader grantee receives $15,000 over two years, with $10,000 supporting the program and $5,000 supporting leadership development. This leadership development includes attending a Leadership Fundamentals conference through The Center for Creative Leadership, attending the Global Leadership Summit through satellite locations, and receiving individualized leadership coaching.

Proposals for the Emerging Leader Grant Program are accepted year-round, and grants are awarded quarterly. The next deadline is February 15, 2025, with grants awarded in April. For more information regarding grant requests, please visit the website at weraise.org/emergingleadergrants.

The newest Emerging Leader Grant recipients are:

Ben Gipson
CAP Trade Skills Program
Mount Tabor School of the Liberal Arts, Kansas City, Mo.

Leader Profile:
Ben Gipson has been an educator and program coordinator at Mount Tabor School in Kansas City, Mo., for three years and has been working with youth programming for 10+ years. With a background in many fields, Gipson seeks to help students find their path spiritually and vocationally just as others did for him. Over the past two years, he has been developing a Common Arts program for the school to grow well-rounded students through faith, trade skills, and community participation. Gipson holds degrees from Central Baptist College, Conway, Ark., and University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, Fort Smith, Ark.

Project Summary:
One of the most challenging aspects of finding a first job for anyone is a lack of experience. For students from low-income communities, this is even harder. In 2023, Mt. Tabor School of the Liberal Arts enriched its classical Christian education programming by initiating a Common Arts Program (CAP). This program provides school credits for courses that equip students with life skills (finance, computer use, arts and crafts, home economics, health and wellness) and trade skills (urban farming, coffee roasting business, auto mechanics, woodworking, and stone masonry). Through CAP, students gain hands-on experience and develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills, making securing a job or starting their own business easier. Trained volunteers from the community teach courses twice a week.

Andre Klass
Elevating Our Community Through Technology
Christian Tech Center Ministries, Longwood, Fla.

Leader Profile:
Andre Klass is a lifelong resident of Seminole County, Florida, who overcame the obstacles of Asperger’s syndrome to develop a thriving career in the tech industry. After getting his A+ certification at Crooms Academy of Information Technology in Sanford, Fla., Klass landed his first job at a local flight simulator company at 17 and has been working full-time with computers ever since. After nearly a decade at Refresh Computers, he left his job to pursue his calling and use his skills to help those in need. He launched Christian Tech Center Ministries, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to community stewardship by helping people in need with computers and technology. Since launching in 2022, Klass’s organization has given away over 2,000 free computers to families in need and other nonprofits across Central Florida.

Project Summary:
Christian Tech Center Ministries assists those in need with personal computers and technology, restoring balance, independence, and autonomy in Central Florida households by providing essential technological resources for work, school, and more. They offer free computer repairs and tech literacy workshops and give away computers to individuals and other nonprofit and ministry-based organizations. Christian Tech Center’s services benefit over 1,000 people annually.

Sierhah Price
Reviving the 360 Experience
Marian Middle School, St. Louis, Mo.

Leader Profile:
Sierhah Price serves as the principal of Marian Middle School after beginning her career at Marian in 2015 as a 5th-grade math, science, and STEM teacher. She departed Marian in 2018 to earn dual master’s degrees in Business Administration and Educational Leadership from Saint Louis University. Price returned in 2021 as assistant principal and director of career success, where she expanded Marian’s Graduate Support Program by establishing internships with local business leaders. Named interim principal in December 2022 and officially appointed in 2023, Price helped the school recover from the pandemic by enhancing academic programs, strengthening faculty, and integrating enrichment and wellness initiatives to support student success.

Project Summary:
Marian Middle School, the only private all-girls middle school in St. Louis serving urban youth in a faith-based setting, faced challenges in December 2022, including achievement gaps, low attendance, and staff shortages. Principal Price launched the “Reviving the 360 Experience” plan to address these issues, targeting academic, physical, and socio-emotional needs. Academically, staff, students, and families were trained on a new standardized testing platform, while curricula were updated to meet student learning needs better. Physically, an athletic/activities director was hired to lead a formal program. Socio-emotionally, Marian implemented the CARE TRIO model, comprising a counselor, therapist, and family resource advocate.

About We Raise Foundation
Motivated by the belief that freedom is grace in action (Galatians 5:1a), We Raise Foundation partners with Christian nonprofit organizations and emerging leaders working at the intersection of poverty, violence, and inequality. We have a preference for funding solutions within the areas of education, workforce development, and criminal justice and employ a unique approach to our investing by coupling program funding with a variety of robust value-added services that empower our grantees to grow their solutions. As a result of these value-added services, every $1 that donors invest through We Raise multiplies into more than double the benefit to the organizations we support. To learn more, please visit weraise.org. You can also find We Raise on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.