The Summit Foundation is overwhelmingly focused on supporting Christian ministry and evangelical mission activity, channeling nearly all of its giving to faith-based organizations. Its giving is dominated by a single very large transfer to another charitable trust, with the remaining grants going to mission agencies and faith-linked sports and youth outreach groups. The foundation favors ministry support (operational and program) rather than secular service delivery or arts/culture funding.
Highly concentrated: one very large grant (≈99.9% of total) to a single charitable trust, plus a handful of much smaller, mission-focused grants; funding is operational/ministry support rather than diversified programmatic grants.
Summit Foundation’s 2024 giving was dominated by a $436.3 million transfer to NCF Charitable Trust for ministry support, a grant that dwarfed its other recent awards and reflects how central partner-trust support is to this funder’s profile. The remaining recent grants continue that same pattern of Christian ministry funding, with awards to Sim USA Inc. in Charlotte, Global Action, Sports Catalyst, Horizons Expeditions Inc., and CEDE Sports. Across those recipients, the foundation backs evangelical mission activity, church planting, faith-based sports outreach, and youth expedition programs rather than secular service fields. The grant list also shows that the foundation’s support is structured around ministry support rather than project-specific program grants, with funding directed to organizations working in faith-based nonprofit, congregational, and pastoral contexts. Its recent pattern is not broad by issue area; instead, it is concentrated in mission-oriented organizations that serve through ministry operations, athlete outreach, and experiential faith programming. That mix makes the foundation identifiable as a religiously focused grantmaker with one very large trust-level transfer and a small set of operating grants to aligned ministries.
Within evangelical missions, Summit Foundation gave $340,000 to Sim USA Inc. for ministry support, and $56,250 to Global Action for ministry support. Those two grants point to a clear emphasis on mission agencies rather than one-off event funding. The foundation also supports faith-based sports ministry: Sports Catalyst received $50,000 for ministry support, and CEDE Sports received $15,000 for ministry support. Another area is youth-focused experiential ministry, shown by a $22,500 grant to Horizons Expeditions Inc. for ministry support. The recurring language across these awards is “ministry support,” which appears to be the main grant purpose in the recent record. Taken together, the grants show support for church planting, athlete outreach, and expedition-style faith formation.
The recent grant sizes are highly skewed. The median grant is $53,125, with a lower quartile of $29,375 and an upper quartile of $269,062, reflecting the impact of one very large transfer at the top of the distribution. The grant list shows repeated support for faith-based organizations in multiple years, including 2023 and 2024, so the pattern is not limited to a single year. Summit Foundation is also identifiable as a foundation that makes ministry-oriented grants rather than program-related investments, and it does not fund individuals. The recent record suggests ongoing support to aligned organizations rather than transactional, one-time-only giving.
$436.8M
$4.9M
$447.1M
$446.7M
Most grants fall between $29K and $269K, with a median of $53K.
25th Percentile
$29K
Median
$53K
75th Percentile
$269K
About 17% of grants go to recipients in VA.
RENE PALACIO
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Notable grantees: NCF Charitable Trust, SIM USA Inc, Global Action, Sports Catalyst, Horizons Expeditions Inc
All recent grants in the data went to U.S. recipients. Virginia appears as a notable recipient location through Horizons Expeditions Inc. in Richmond, while North Carolina appears through Sim USA Inc. in Charlotte and the foundation’s 17% share of grants to recipients in its HQ state. Florida appears through NCF Charitable Trust in Clearwater, Illinois through Global Action and CEDE Sports in Wheaton, and Texas through Sports Catalyst in Spring. The top state by grant count is Virginia.
The recent grants point to Christian ministry and evangelical mission activity. Recipients include a charitable trust, a mission agency, a sports ministry organization, and a youth expedition ministry, all funded for ministry support rather than secular program areas.
The grant-size distribution is p25 $29,375, median $53,125, and p75 $269,062. The distribution is pulled upward by one very large $436.3 million transfer in 2024.
In the recent grant list provided, all 6 grants went to U.S. recipients, representing 100% of the sample.
Virginia is the top state by grant count. North Carolina is also a recurring recipient state, accounting for 17% of grants given to recipients in the HQ state.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals, and the recent record shows grants to organizations such as charitable trusts, mission agencies, and faith-based nonprofits.
2024
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2024.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCF Charitable Trust | Clearwater, FL | $436,300,000 | 2024 | Ministry support |
| SIM USA INC | Charlotte, NC | $340,000 | 2024 | Ministry Support |
| HORIZONS EXPEDITIONS INC | Richmond, VA | $22,500 | 2024 | Ministry Support |
| CEDE Sports | Wheaton, IL | $15,000 | 2024 | Ministry Support |
| Global Action | Wheaton, IL | $56,250 | 2023 | Ministry Support |
| Sports Catalyst | Spring, TX | $50,000 | 2023 | Ministry Support |
NCF Charitable Trust
$436,300,000Ministry support
SIM USA INC
$340,000Ministry Support
HORIZONS EXPEDITIONS INC
$22,500Ministry Support
CEDE Sports
$15,000Ministry Support
Global Action
$56,250Ministry Support
Sports Catalyst
$50,000Ministry Support