In addition to providing Saint Philip’s with a grant of $150,000, being part of the National Fund for Sacred Places 2026 cohort opened the door to technical support to determine the parish’s economic impact.

This proprietary research approach was developed by Partners for Sacred Places with funding from the William Penn Foundation and in collaboration with Dr. Cnaan and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice.

It is called the “Economic Halo Effect of Sacred Places,” and it determined that Saint Philip’s has an overall economic impact of $6.6 million.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Today’s story is about the impact Saint Philip’s makes as an employer.

Employment (from the Halo Effect report)

Partners found that on average, a historic sacred place employs a total of 11.76 staff. Saint Philip’s mirrors this average, employing 10 full-time and 3 part-time staff. For years, slightly over half of the budget has been spent on personnel (salary and benefits). The personnel budget for 2026 is $1.1M. This is considered to have a “direct impact” on the economy because Saint Philip’s staff all live in the community and so spend much of their disposable income in the community.

The next time you think of it, share a thank you with a staff person who works on behalf of the church while contributing to the community.