February 2026 News: Invested Faith Welcomes 18th Class of Fellows
Dear friends of Invested Faith,
There are moments in these trying days when it would be easy to grow weary. The challenges are real. The needs are urgent. The headlines are heavy. And yet—again and again—we are reminded that courageous, faith-rooted leaders are rising up in communities across this country, building practical, hopeful responses to injustice right where they live.
In that spirit, it is my deep joy to introduce our 18th class of Invested Faith Fellows.
With this new class, Invested Faith has now awarded more than 85 Fellowships to visionary leaders across 27 states and the District of Columbia. Since our first class in July 2021, we have worked as a national network took shape—entrepreneurs, pastors, organizers, artists, educators, and builders—each responding to a specific need in their community with creativity, courage, and conviction.
Our Fellows are addressing economic inequality, racial injustice, environmental disparities, food insecurity, educational gaps, and barriers to opportunity. They are starting businesses, launching nonprofits, forming cooperatives, building gardens, creating schools, restoring neighborhoods, and reimagining systems that have too often left people behind. They are not waiting for change. They are living it.
Each Invested Faith Fellowship includes an unrestricted grant—because we trust leaders closest to the work to know how resources are best deployed. Fellows also receive national storytelling support, amplifying their impact through the Invested Faith network, and they join RESOURCED, our peer-learning community that fosters collaboration, mentorship, and strategic growth. We are not simply funding projects; we are cultivating relationships and strengthening a movement.
As I reflect on this new class, I am so deeply grateful for the hope they embody. Now is the moment to dig deeper, love harder, and work braver.
In the stories that follow, you will meet the newest members of the Invested Faith family. I hope their courage inspires you. I hope their innovation challenges you. And I hope you will join us in celebrating—and supporting—the work of this remarkable 18th class of Invested Faith Fellows.
P.S. Your gifts make all of this possible, and I am grateful.
Meet our 18th Class of Fellows!
Debbie Almontaser
Bridging Cultures Group
Brooklyn, New York
Through Bridging Cultures Group (BCG), Dr. Almontaser advances equity and inclusion by designing training programs and initiatives that build understanding across communities and workplaces. BCG’s offerings include customized Train-the-Trainer programs, the Courageous Conversations series for educators, and culturally responsive food access programs. Her approach blends restorative practices, cultural competency, and hands-on learning to help people and communities see themselves a part of a diverse interdependent world across racial, ethnic, and religious lines.
Cristin Cooper
Coop’s Soups
Oliney, Maryland
Coop’s Soups, founded by Cristin Cooper, is a community-centered social enterprise that addresses loneliness and food insecurity through shared food and relationship building. What began in 2018 as a dinner church in Cristin’s Maryland apartment has grown into a farmer’s-market–based soup business rooted in ministry, hospitality, and mutual care. Coop’s Soups offers vegan, gluten-free soups made with locally sourced vegetables, using a “soup to share” model in which every batch is intentionally prepared with donation in mind—so that sales sustain the enterprise and soup is specifically made to be donated. Through intentional labeling, monthly communal cooking gatherings, and the revival of a neighborhood garden, the project uses food as a catalyst for connection, dignity, and community resilience.
Kaitlin D’Antignac
Life of Abundance
Augusta, GA
LIfe of Abundance (SWP—Success, Wealth, Prosperity) is a faith-rooted financial empowerment business led by credit specialist Kaitlin D’Antignac. The project supports individuals and families who have been excluded from or harmed by the financial system by combining practical credit-building support with financial literacy education and mindset coaching. Kaitlin’s work centers on helping people understand how credit functions (including consumer laws and credit profiles—not just scores), reduce harmful debt patterns, and use credit strategically to access opportunities like housing, transportation, and business growth.
DeJuana Golden
The Healing Garden Project
Lakewood, California
The Healing Garden Project is a faith-rooted nonprofit dedicated to creating therapeutic garden spaces in under-resourced communities. Partnering with churches, schools, and community centers, the project transforms underutilized land into places of respite, nourishment, and healing. Through its Plant to Heal initiative, gardens become bridges between church and community— offering fresh food, wellness-centered green space, and opportunities for connection that support physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Founder DeJuana Golden and her team of gardeners design and install gardens which are then hosted and maintained by the church and community.
Ebonie Farlow-Edwards
Compassion Design
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Compassion Design is a faith-centered digital infrastructure and creative strategy firm that helps purpose-driven organizations and entrepreneurs clarify their message and build sustainable digital infrastructure. Grounded in the belief that creativity is stewardship, the company integrates branding, digital strategy, and systems thinking to help underestimated leaders communicate with clarity and confidence. Founder Ebonie Farlow-Edwards developed the Ebb Effect Methodology to bridge vision and execution—turning purpose into practical, repeatable strategy and strengthening brand positioning for greater impact. She is developing an eight-week program to introduce Black and Brown teens to social entrepreneurship.
