The Word of Life Foundation is an evangelical Christian grantmaker that overwhelmingly supports ministry-focused organizations, with a heavy emphasis on church operations, Bible colleges, church planting, and international missionary work. Its portfolio includes both very large institutional gifts (notably to its affiliated Word of Life Fellowship) and numerous smaller, recurring grants to parachurch ministries, youth/athletic ministries, and Bible translation/teaching organizations. Grants appear mission-driven rather than geographic, funding local outreach programs as well as global missions and training institutions.
Word of Life Foundation Inc gives at a scale that is unusual for a ministry-focused public charity, with annual grants of $50,623,903 and a recent record dominated by large gifts to Word of Life Fellowship Inc. That affiliated organization received three of the biggest grants in the file: $16,915,121 in 2023, $9,976,373 in 2024, and $11,616,893 in 2025, all tied to ministry or ministry outreach. Beyond its own network, the foundation supports a wide Christian ministry ecosystem that includes church planting, Bible colleges, evangelistic outreach, and missionary work. Recent grants also show support for Rock City Church in Hilliard, Ohio, and for Finish Line Ministries International in Columbus, Ohio, indicating that the foundation funds both institutional ministry operations and specific outreach efforts. The pattern is mission-centered rather than programmatically broad, and the largest awards sit alongside many smaller grants in the same ministry orbit. The result is a portfolio built around religious instruction, church work, and evangelistic service, with recurring backing for organizations that train leaders, plant churches, and extend faith-based outreach in the United States.
Church planting is one of the clearest threads in the recent grants list. Word of Life Foundation Inc gave $5,000,000 to Rock City Church in Hilliard, Ohio, and $66,600 to Vision USA Church Planting in West Alexandria, Ohio. The foundation also supports ministry training and theological education: Appalachian Bible College in Mount Hope, West Virginia received $155,000 in 2023, $152,000 in 2024, and $100,000 in 2025, while Malone University in Canton, Ohio received $200,000 in 2025 and $100,000 in 2023 and 2024. Evangelistic and outreach work appears in gifts such as $65,450 to Campus Crusade for Christ in Orlando, Florida and $120,000 to HOPE International Inc in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Faith-based service organizations also appear, including $100,000 to Grief Care Fellowship Inc in Hudson, Florida.
Typical grant size sits at $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $15,000 at the median, and $50,500 at the 75th percentile, which shows a long tail of large ministry awards. The list also includes repeated support for the same recipients across multiple years: Word of Life Fellowship Inc, Appalachian Bible College, Malone University, Serve Syracuse, and Finish Line Ministries International each appear more than once. This is a public charity, not a private foundation, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. The grant record reads as recurring institutional support rather than one-off project funding, with many awards connected to ongoing ministry or outreach work.
$28.9M
$12.2M
$16M
$29.4M
Most grants fall between $10K and $51K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$51K
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Highly concentrated, mission-focused giving: a single dominant beneficiary (Word of Life Fellowship) receives the largest share, while many other grants are modest, recurring awards to a stable set of evangelical/parachurch organizations across education, church planting, missions, and youth ministry.
Notable grantees: Word of Life Fellowship Inc, Rock City Church, Finish Line Ministries International, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Wycliffe
Grantmaking is national, with 100% of grants going to U.S. recipients. Pennsylvania is the top state by grant count, and New York recipients account for 21% of grants. Recent recipients include organizations in Syracuse and Cicero, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Mount Hope, West Virginia. The recipient map also reaches beyond the Northeast and Midwest to places such as Orlando, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, and Denver, Colorado.
The recent grants point to ministry-centered support: church planting, Bible colleges, evangelistic outreach, missionary work, and faith-based service organizations. Examples in the grant list include church operations, theological training, campus ministry, and grief care work.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Word of Life Fellowship Inc, Appalachian Bible College, Malone University, Serve Syracuse, and Finish Line Ministries International. That pattern suggests ongoing support rather than isolated gifts.
The grant-size distribution is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $15,000 at the median, and $50,500 at the 75th percentile. The file also includes much larger institutional gifts, showing a wide range between routine support and major awards.
The foundation gives nationally, but Pennsylvania has the highest grant count. New York recipients make up 21% of grants, and the recent list includes recipients in Syracuse, Cicero, Columbus, Mount Hope, Orlando, Phoenix, and Denver.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word of Life Fellowship Inc | Schroon Lake, NY | $27,324,004 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Finish Line Ministries International | Columbus, OH | $330,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Appalachian Bible College | Mount Hope, WV | $138,600 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Serve Syracuse | Syracuse, NY | $100,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Vision USA Church Planting | West Alexandria, OH | $62,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Abide International | Miami Gardens, FL | $60,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Local Church Evangelism Inc | Hudson, FL | $52,100 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Keep Believing Ministries | Elmhurst, IL | $50,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| This Is My Story Inc | Orlando, FL | $47,900 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Pioneers Inc | Orlando, FL | $43,300 | 2026 | Ministry |
| SCORE International Inc | Chattanooga, TN | $39,465 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Columbus Crusaders | Columbus, OH | $38,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Mesa Global | Charlotte, NC | $36,800 | 2026 | Ministry |
| By The Hand | Chicago, IL | $35,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Davis College | Bible School Park, NY | $33,300 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Campus Crusade for Christ | Orlando, FL | $32,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Wycliffe | Orlando, FL | $28,600 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Faith Heritage School | Syracuse, NY | $27,600 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Kim's Open Door | Jacksonville, FL | $27,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Truth Encounter | Midlothian, TX | $25,300 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Ecuadorian Harvest Ministries | Everett, WA | $25,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Belhaven University | Jackson, MS | $21,636 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Discover the Book Ministries | Owasso, OK | $20,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Liberty University Inc | Lynchburg, VA | $20,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| SIM | Charlotte, NC | $20,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Cedarville University | Cedarville, OH | $20,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes | Syracuse, NY | $19,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes | Syracuse, NY | $19,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes | Syracuse, NY | $19,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes | Kansas City, MO | $19,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Encompass World Partners | Atlanta, GA | $15,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| InterVarsity Christian Fellowship | Madison, WI | $12,600 | 2026 | Ministry |
| International Friendship Evangelism | Jamesville, NY | $12,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Mars Hill Network | Syracuse, NY | $12,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| New Hope Family Services | Syracuse, NY | $12,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Links Players International | Clovis, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Moody Church Media | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Crisis Pregnancy of Tidewater | Norfolk, VA | $10,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| DNA Global Network | Tyrone, GA | $10,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Discipleship Network of America | Signal Mountain, TN | $10,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Ethnos 360 | Sanford, FL | $9,600 | 2026 | Ministry |
| 20schemes | Bardstown, KY | $9,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| One Challenge International | Colorado Springs, CO | $9,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Trans World Radio | Cary, NC | $8,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| High Braes Refuge Inc | Redfield, NY | $7,400 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Mission Scranton | Chinchilla, PA | $7,200 | 2026 | Ministry |
| World Indigenous Missions | New Braunfels, TX | $7,200 | 2026 | Ministry |
| North Syracuse Baptist Church | North Syracuse, NY | $6,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| ABWE | Harrisburg, PA | $6,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
| Avant Ministries | Kansas City, MO | $6,000 | 2026 | Ministry |
Finish Line Ministries International
$330,000Ministry
Serve Syracuse
$100,000Ministry
Vision USA Church Planting
$62,000Ministry
Abide International
$60,000Ministry
Local Church Evangelism Inc
$52,100Ministry
Keep Believing Ministries
$50,000Ministry
This Is My Story Inc
$47,900Ministry
Pioneers Inc
$43,300Ministry
Columbus Crusaders
$38,000Ministry
Mesa Global
$36,800Ministry
Davis College
$33,300Ministry
Campus Crusade for Christ
$32,000Ministry
Wycliffe
$28,600Ministry
Faith Heritage School
$27,600Ministry
Kim's Open Door
$27,000Ministry
Truth Encounter
$25,300Ministry
Ecuadorian Harvest Ministries
$25,000Ministry
Belhaven University
$21,636Ministry
Discover the Book Ministries
$20,000Ministry
SIM
$20,000Ministry
Cedarville University
$20,000Ministry
Encompass World Partners
$15,000Ministry
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
$12,600Ministry
International Friendship Evangelism
$12,000Ministry
Mars Hill Network
$12,000Ministry
New Hope Family Services
$12,000Ministry
Moody Church Media
$10,000Ministry
Crisis Pregnancy of Tidewater
$10,000Ministry
DNA Global Network
$10,000Ministry
Discipleship Network of America
$10,000Ministry
Ethnos 360
$9,600Ministry
20schemes
$9,000Ministry
One Challenge International
$9,000Ministry
Trans World Radio
$8,000Ministry
High Braes Refuge Inc
$7,400Ministry
Mission Scranton
$7,200Ministry
World Indigenous Missions
$7,200Ministry
North Syracuse Baptist Church
$6,000Ministry
ABWE
$6,000Ministry
Avant Ministries
$6,000Ministry