2025 marks a quarter century since MATTER’s founding. During the course of this year, we’ll highlight stories of impact and the people who were inspired to join this mission over the last 25 years. We’ll also take a peek into MATTER’s exciting future and invite you to join us as we continue our mission of helping people launch projects that improve communities. To kick off our year-long celebration, we asked MATTER’s President, Quenton Marty, to share his thoughts on this exciting milestone in MATTER’s history and MATTER’s bold vision for the future.
This year, we celebrate 25 incredible years since the founding of MATTER—a milestone that invites us to reflect on our journey, celebrate our impact, and dream boldly about the road ahead. From the spark that ignited our mission to the vibrant organization we are today, this quarter-century has been filled with amazing stories of transformation and hope. As I share with you a look back on how MATTER started, where we are today, and where we’re headed, I’m filled with confidence that, despite all we’ve accomplished, the most exciting chapters in MATTER’s story are yet to be written.
Faith-Inspired Roots
MATTER’s founders, Dennis and Megan Doyle, were motivated to start MATTER (then known as Hope for the City) as a direct outworking of their Christian faith. We refer to MATTER as “faith-inspired” because the Doyles were moved to action by these Scriptural commands: to “care for the least of these” from Matthew 25, to be good stewards of God’s creation and its abundant resources as described in Genesis 2, and to be obedient to these words from Malachi 3:10-12 which says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.”
Over the last 25 years, we’ve seen God pour out blessing upon blessing as we’ve been faithful to fill the storehouse with food, medical provisions, educational opportunities, and other necessities for “the least of these” next door and around the world. This same compassionate, action-oriented faith that inspired our founding will continue to guide MATTER’s mission and vision over the next 25 years.
The Times They Are A-Changing
As we look over the current economic and social landscape, we believe change is coming to the non-profit sector. Traditional fundraising methods will not sustain inflation trends. The world’s most pressing issues require more: more innovation, more talent and more sustainable funding mechanisms. Yet according to a recent survey of Minnesota non-profits, nearly 80% are reporting they have less than a year before facing serious financial distress due to declining donations and increasing costs.
This is why, three years ago, we made the decision to prioritize building a Social Enterprise engine—one that could drive our sustainability and ensure that we could continue to fund our mission in the future. The success of MATTER 360 and MATTERbox, revenue-generating enterprises that now fund most of our operations, has been a crucial milestone on this journey. By generating our own revenue, we have made it possible for the majority of donor dollars to go directly to projects, creating a truly sustainable model for MATTER’s work.
Improving Communities
MATTER’S mission is to help people launch projects that improve communities. Since our founding, MATTER has impacted more than 51 million people in 73 countries around the world. During that time, we’ve come to better understand the kinds of projects that create the most sustainable, long-term impact in communities. As we move forward into the next quarter-century, we will continue to launch projects that are:
- Expandable (scale) – can scale to reach a lot of people. Projects such as the MATTER Education Program provide an opportunity to create jobs for thousands of young people that have limited to no access to employment. It is our goal to develop a playbook and launch projects that can be exported to multiple communities.
- Economic (jobs) – job creation and financial benefit. Projects such as the Tradition Loan program provide an opportunity to unleash the entrepreneurial talent in under resourced communities. Small businesses provide local employment and valuable products and services through their businesses. It is our goal to encourage these businesses to be generous and give back to their local communities.
- Empowering (handshake) – not a handout or hand up, but a handshake. A notable leader from the UN stated that the future of community development will rely on empowered leaders to make lucrative business deals that will be fair and equitable for all involved. Projects such as the Chaya Project, below, provide an opportunity for rural communities to form co-ops that can pool resources to empower the least privileged. It is our goal to increase the household income of these families by empowering them to do business while providing a valuable product to the community.
A Bright Future Ahead
As we look ahead, our path is clear: MATTER will continue to invest in and scale our Social Enterprise engine while focusing on projects that hold the potential for transformative, scalable impact. Over the next three years, we will deepen our work in Zimbabwe, using the country as an incubator for testing new ideas and refining our approaches. Our projects in Zimbabwe will serve as proof of concept for larger, global solutions. From there, we will scale successful models into other countries through partnerships, creating playbooks and frameworks that allow us to replicate success while maintaining a lean and efficient team.
Our vision is one of partnership and collaboration. We will continue to build relationships with project donor champions, leveraging their expertise and networks to raise the funds needed to bring our initiatives to life. A key part of our fundraising strategy will be Insight Trips, where potential donors can witness firsthand the impact of our work, helping to create a deeper connection and understanding of the change we’re making.
Ultimately, MATTER’s future is about unleashing the power of ideas, empowering individuals, and creating scalable solutions that make a real difference in the world. We will continue to invest in the infrastructure and talent required to turn dreams into reality, and in doing so, we will continue to prove that you matter—and your ideas can change the world. Believe it. We do.
This is MATTER. The best is yet to come.
