Press Release: Invested Faith Awards 16th Class of Fellows
For immediate release: 8-18-2025
Invested Faith Grants 16th Class of Fellows
Washington, DC: Invested Faith announces a 16th class of Fellows and has now awarded 77 Fellowships to faith rooted social entrepreneurs. These social innovators are working to address systemic issues of injustice in their communities while building sustainable financial models. The Fellowship includes an unrestricted grant, an invitation to tell their story through the Invested Faith community, and the opportunity to join the Invested Faith RESOURCED program, a peer support network of Fellows across the U.S.
Invested Faith founder Rev. Dr. Amy K. Butler notes ““Invested Faith is actively working to seek out community changemakers and this 16th class of Fellows is a stellar example of the incredible people whose work we have the honor of identifying, resourcing, and connecting. In these critical moments, supporting the work of faith rooted entrepreneurs becomes deeply essential. Celebrate the work of these impressive Invested Faith Fellows with us!”
Invested Faith Fellows are working in 26 states and the District of Columbia. The first class of Fellows was awarded in July of 2021.
The following individuals were selected as Invested Faith Fellows in July of 2025:
Emmanuel Brown and Day Edwards
ChurchSpace
Detroit, Michigan
ChurchSpace is a platform unlocking America’s largest underutilized real estate network: excess church space. The platform enables churches to transform unused rooms, kitchens, gyms, and sanctuaries into high-value community infrastructure that fuels productivity, economic growth, and local impact. From licensed kitchens to storage as micro-fulfillment hubs, ChurchSpace converts the idle square footage into assets that serve communities and generate sustainable revenue. Its platform streamlines scheduling, safeguards usage through built-in oversight processes, and expands community capacity, ensuring these institutions remain active, relevant, and financially resilient.
Starlet Luczon Joao
Simply Local
Kahului, Maui, Hawai’i
Founded by Starlet Luzon Joao and her husband Clint, Simply Local is a centrally located cafe and gift shop that offers 20+ local business, artisans, and musicians the opportunity to display their crafts and merchandise, along with food items that represent the cultural heritage of the Hawaiian Islands while generating income to support and raise multigenerational families on Maui.
Amy Hall
Shalom Creatives
Madison Heights, Virginia
Shalom Creatives cultivates spaces where healing, creativity and belonging intersect. Through pop-up art studios in underserved communities and with survivors of sexual assault and religious trauma, a leadership network for women whose voices are marginalized in faith settings, and creative workshops that foster reflection, founder Amy Hall guides individuals and communities on a path toward healing and restoration.
Annalise Hume
Embodied Faith
Ewing, New Jersey
Weaving together resources from Dance Movement Therapy, neuroscience, theology, and transformative learning theories, spiritual director Annalise Hume invites people to dance with the Divine. Embodied Faith offers Spiritual Direction and facilitates movement workshops to help others recognize the movement of God in their life.
Tony Gapastione
BraveMaker
Redwood City, California
BraveMaker is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that hosts an annual film festival each July, bringing filmmakers and storytellers from around the world to the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout the year, Bravemaker provides community-art building experiences in the form of classes, film screenings and workshops. Founded by Tony Gapastione, Bravemaker aspires to fund and produce new projects that amplify the voices of historically excluded artists, ensuring their stories are seen, heard, and celebrated. that provides community-art building experiences all year long in the form of classes, film screenings and workshops.
About Invested Faith: Invested Faith is a fund for faith-rooted social innovators founded by Rev. Dr. Amy Butler in 2019 in response to declining church attendance and the need for a new model of philanthropy. Invested Faith is a bridge between traditional churches and social innovators who are creating new expressions of faith and community.
For additional information and photos, visit the Press Center at Invested Faith.
Media Contact: Anita Flowers, Coordinator
investedfaith.org/press-center
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