As previously announced, the Praxis Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator program—developed in conjunction with Q—was created to help Christ-following social entrepreneurs create high-impact organizations. Each year, the program provides world-class mentorship, peer community, and $100,000 in total cash awards to the leaders of up-and-coming organizations that are addressing a social issue. More details about the program can be found here.

On July 15, the application process for the 2012 program closed. Over 80 applications had come in from an impressive variety of entrepreneurs across the globe who use both non-profit and for-profit structures to restore broken situations across a multitude of industries and channels of culture. In the end, just twelve organizations could be selected for the program, represented by the seventeen Praxis Fellows announced below.

Please join us in congratulating and supporting these Fellows in their work, and consider making plans to meet the Fellows by attending Q Washington, D.C., where they will each present and you’ll have the chance to vote for the winner of the cash awards.

Kohl Crecelius, Krochet Kids
Krochet Kids intl. is a non-profit organization that exists to empower people to rise above poverty. Through an innovative program, they offer women the assets, skills, and knowledge to pull themselves out of poverty. The byproduct of their programs is a collection of fashion headwear and accessories made by the Krochet Kids intl. beneficiaries. Read more.

Matthew Emerzian, Every Monday Matters
EMM started with a book titled Every Monday Matters—52 Ways to Make a Difference. The idea was simple: show people how they can change the world by doing something every Monday to make a difference and reminding them that people matter. EMM has since become a national movement of ordinary people doing extraordinary good. Read more.

Sajan George, Matchbook Learning
Matchbook Learning’s vision is to completely turnaround America’s most underperforming public schools. They design and implement a unique teacher-centric hybrid model of school that coaches teachers to personalize instruction via content delivered through technology but enhanced by a teacher’s own experience of autonomy, mastery and purpose over their instruction. Read more.

Joe Hansbauer, UGIVE.org
Ugive.org is a non-profit organization on a mission to catalyze, excite, and empower the next generation of volunteers. They make philanthropy relevant to students, guiding them to give their time and talents to build communities. Their goal is to create life-long givers. Read more.

Chris & Will Haughey, Tegu
Tegu is a socially-motivated for-profit toy company with operations in Honduras and the USA. Tegu blocks—magnetic wooden blocks—have won awards for their innovative and green design and are sold throughout the USA at Tegu.com and approximately 500 retail stores. Tegu's vision is to build the world's most innovative, premium toy company. Read more.
 
Jimmy Lin & Scott Taing, Rare Genomics Institute
Rare Genomics Institute empowers patient communities to accelerate research by helping fund and create personalized research projects based on individuals with rare diseases. Their first initiative is to sequence the genomes of these patients. Read more.
 
Samuel Melvin, World Wide Open
World Wide Open is a fast growing online network of action oriented Christians, churches and non-profits. WWO is currently available in 8 languages and is used by over 12,000 leaders in more than 100 countries. Read more.

Courtney Rountree, Sinapis Group
The Sinapis Group’s mission is to empower early stage entrepreneurs in the developing world who have innovative, scalable business ideas by providing them with a rigorous, Christ-centered business education, world-class consulting and mentoring services, and access to seed capital. Read more.

Tara Russell, Create Common Good
Create Common Good provides training and employment to refugees and others in need. CCG operates small farms, product creation, and high-end foodservice to provide further on-the-job training opportunities while uniquely meeting community needs. Read more.

Kevon Saber & Bart Munro, Stealth Startup
Kevon & Bart have started a not just “for-profit” company with a mission to make wellness reachable by bringing down the barriers to healthy living. More details about this Silicon Valley-based startup will be publicly available later in the year. Read more.
 
Jedd & Janelle Schroy, Paradigm Shift
Paradigm Shift is a non-profit that works alongside churches and community organizations to develop a more effective, sustainable way to reach the poor in their communities, empowering microentrepreneurs through business training, discipleship, microcredit, and mentorship. Read more.
 
Mike Timmer & Samuel Frank, International Orphanage Union
International Orphanage Union provides homes for orphans in Bolivia. They build small homes for 10 children and partner with the local church to find a Christian couple to lead each home. Uniquely, IOU Bolivia has established multiple business enterprises for the sole purpose of providing a sustainable model for the ongoing financial needs of each child within the house. Read more.

Discover more about the program at PraxisLabs.org and follow Praxis on twitter.

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