UrbanPromise International

The mission of UrbanPromise International is to prepare emerging leaders to initiate, develop, and sustain Christian-based youth development organizations and seed their new ministries while serving vulnerable children and teens in our world’s most under-resourced communities.

UrbanPromise was founded by Dr. Tony Campolo and Dr. Bruce Main in Camden, New Jersey, in 1988 and has been running since that time. Since its first years in Camden, the UrbanPromise model has been replicated throughout the United States and around the globe. In the 1990s, sites were launched in Vancouver, Toronto, and Wilmington, Delaware. In 2003, UrbanPromise’s first location in Malawi opened. UrbanPromise International was then established to formalize the replication process and provide the support necessary for the model to be used in other communities worldwide.

In 2008, additional Malawian interns began three more affiliate sites. Just a year later, UrbanPromise Honduras began in the historic city of Copán, located in the western region of the South American country. A fifth Malawi model began later in 2009.

Two more U.S. replications were established thereafter: UrbanPromise Miami in the summer of 2010 and UrbanPromise Trenton in the summer of 2011.

All of UrbanPromise’s locations and affiliate ministries strive to achieve the same goal: to provide children and youth with the support needed to succeed academically, grow spiritually, and develop into leaders who can bring positive change to their communities.