Faith in Place (c3)
Organization Description
Faith in Place cultivates a powerful multifaith movement for environmental and climate justice across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin through connection, education, and advocacy. We organize people of diverse faiths to advance clean energy, healthier homes, resilient communities, and civic engagement. Our work includes community-based environmental health campaigns, energy efficiency and renewable energy programs for Houses of Worship, advocacy for equitable climate policy, leadership development, and grassroots organizing. We believe the environmental crisis is not only technical, but also moral and spiritual, and that faith communities have a critical role to play in building a more just and livable future.
2026 Programs
In 2026, Faith in Place is expanding multifaith environmental justice organizing across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. Core programs include indoor air quality and public health organizing through AirAware; clean energy and energy efficiency support for Houses of Worship; climate resilience and urban forestry initiatives; civic engagement and advocacy campaigns; and leadership development for clergy, congregations, and community partners. We are also deepening volunteer engagement, storytelling, and issue advocacy around clean energy, environmental health, and climate accountability. Across all programs, we connect education and direct community support to long-term systems change and public policy advocacy.
2025 Programs
In 2025, Faith in Place expanded its multifaith environmental justice work across Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. We supported more than 300 active Green Teams, hosted hundreds of workshops and community events, invested over $900,000 in community partnerships, and distributed nearly $886,000 to local organizations for tree planting and climate resilience work. Our AirAware indoor air quality campaign partnered with faith communities and seven Houses of Worship to conduct testing in 101 homes near gas-burning appliances. We also advanced advocacy campaigns focused on clean energy, environmental health, climate accountability, and civic engagement while continuing leadership development for clergy and grassroots organizers.
Budget Size: Large: Previous year budget > $3M
States Engaged: IL, IN, WI
Geographic Coverage by Congressional District:
IL-01, IL-02, IL-03, IL-04, IL-05, IL-06, IL-07, IL-08, IL-09, IL-10, IL-11, IL-13, IL-14, IL-17, IN-01, IN-05, WI-01, WI-02, WI-03, WI-04, WI-08 Geographic Density Focus: Rural / Suburban / Small city (<100k), Urban – Large city or suburb of large city (>100k)
Core Constituencies: Faith-based, Federal Legislators, State Legislators
Leadership Diversity: BIPOC-led, Queer-led, Trans/non-binary/gender nonconforming-led
Staff and Volunteer Balance: Volunteer boosted - <50% of the programmatic activities are executed by volunteers
Top Priority Issues: Clean energy, Climate change, Environment
Lead Contact:
Rev. Brian Sauder, President and CEO, he/him, brian@faithinplace.org
Last Updated: May 19, 2026
