Godfrey Riddle wins National LGBT Biz Pitch with Civic Saint’s affordable and eco-friendly tiny homes

Civic Saint wins National LGBT Biz Pitch // photo courtesy of Godfrey Riddle

Kansas City entrepreneur and philanthropist Godfrey Riddle’s latest venture with Civic Saint is just getting started, but it’s already winning prizes and making strides. 

Riddle’s business pitch won both the Inaugural Communities of Color Initiative (CoCi) Biz Pitch and the overall Biz Pitch competitions from the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce at their 2023 International Business & Leadership Conference.

Riddle began Civic Saint as a clothing brand, with apparel and accessories that included uplifting and affirming messages relating to Black Lives Matter, voting rights, and equal rights movements. Now, Riddle plans to bring affordable housing to historically redlined communities and narrow the racial wealth gap. 

“This model is informed by my life as a gay black man and cancer survivor whose family struggled with homeownership,” says Riddle in his business pitch. “As a homeowner today and a graduate from the number one program in the nation for city and county management, I have a profound understanding of the difference quality housing makes on individuals, families, and communities.”

He’s come up with the idea to use compressed earthen blocks (CEBs) to create tiny, “artful” homes, with the goals of lowering the cost of homeownership and creating jobs during the building of the homes. CEBs are basically bricks that are composed of 90% soil and 10% water and cement.

“It’s first and foremost sustainable and non-toxic,” says Riddle. “But it’s also bulletproof, fireproof, insect resistant, structurally sound—meaning that when it gets wet, it still holds its shape just like a ‘normal’ or traditional brick.”

One of Civic Saint’s tiny home designs // photo courtesy of Godfrey Riddle

Riddle’s decision to use CEBs was partially informed by his experience on Amy Poehler’s Peacock show “The Gentle Art of Swedish Cleaning,” where he learned to reduce his ecological footprint.

Now that Riddle’s pitched his business idea, he’s moving into the prototyping phase. Using his background architectural knowledge, Riddle himself came up with the designs that can be found on Civic Saint’s website, working with several local designers (credited in the final slide of Riddle’s pitch) to bring them to life.

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Riddle has raised $55,000 so far by participating in the pitch competitions and plans to deliver Civic Saint’s first demo build in April 2024, during AIA Kansas City’s annual Design Week at 18th & Vine. He hopes to start taking public orders around September 2024, with an ultimate goal of producing 500 to 800 homes per year, potentially outside the Kansas City market as well.

“Our ultimate vision is for Civic Saint communities to become the most beautiful, family-friendly neighborhoods where people and communities grow to their full potential,” Riddle says.

To support Civic Saint, visit Civic Saint’s website for more information, to donate to their case, and to shop their apparel.