Optima Giving Foundation concentrates its support on evangelical Christian ministries—particularly national and local youth ministries—and complements that faith-based giving with targeted poverty-relief and family/children services. The foundation funds national parachurch organizations and local churches, while also making isolated gifts to health and veteran/family support causes. Recipients tend to be familiar, mission-driven nonprofits with an emphasis on youth evangelism and direct-service programs.
Optima Giving Foundation’s largest recent grant went to Young Life, with a $1,000,000 award in 2023 tied to growth. That scale sits alongside a pattern of recurring support for evangelical youth ministry, local church work, and faith-based service organizations. The foundation has also backed youth evangelism through Youth for Christ, accessibility ministry through Joni & Friends, and direct-service nonprofits such as Midwest Food Bank and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Across the recent grants list, the same mission-driven nonprofits appear more than once, suggesting a sustained relationship model rather than isolated one-time awards. The grant sizes range from five-figure gifts to seven-figure support, with awards landing at both national ministries and community-based churches. In addition to Christian ministry and evangelism, Optima Giving Foundation has made targeted gifts connected to poverty relief, family support, and children’s needs. The result is a profile centered on faith-aligned grantmaking with practical support for organizations that combine religious mission and direct service.
Youth ministry is the clearest throughline. Optima Giving Foundation gave $100,000 to Young Life in Colorado Springs in 2025 and $75,000 to Youth for Christ in Englewood in 2025, extending a pattern that also includes earlier support for both groups. Church support is another visible theme: the foundation awarded $100,000 to Sun Valley Community Church in Gilbert in 2025 and $15,000 to Tseee House of Joy Navajo Nation in Kayenta in 2025. The foundation also supports evangelism and disability-focused ministry, including a $50,000 grant to Joni & Friends in Agoura Hills in 2025 and $25,000 to Spread Truth Ministries in Bloomington in 2025. Beyond explicitly religious work, it has funded poverty relief and logistics, including Midwest Food Bank and transportation-related support.
Typical grants cluster around a mid-five-figure range, with a p25 of $25,000, a median of $50,000, and a p75 of $100,000. The recent record shows repeat funding to several recipients across multiple years, including Young Life, Youth for Christ, Midwest Food Bank, Sun Valley Community Church, and National Christian Charitable Foundation Inc., indicating ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its recent awards are structured as grants to nonprofit organizations, often faith-based ministries and service providers.
$1M
$3.5M
$447K
$1M
Most grants fall between $25K and $100K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$25K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$100K
About 17% of grants go to recipients in AZ.
KAREN J JONAS
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Concentrated giving with a few large, repeat grantees and multiple smaller community or church grants; mixes multi-installment support for core evangelical partners with one-off grants to service-oriented charities.
Notable grantees: Young Life, Youth for Christ, Midwest Food Bank, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Sun Valley Community Church
Grantmaking is national, and every recent grant in the dataset went to a U.S. recipient. Illinois is the top state by grant count, helped by repeated awards to Normal and Bloomington, while Georgia accounts for 14% of grants. Recipient cities show a broad spread, including Colorado Springs, Englewood, Gilbert, Memphis, Phoenix, and Staten Island. The pattern includes both the foundation’s home state and out-of-state ministry and service hubs, with strong clustering around church, youth, and poverty-relief organizations.
Its recent grants center on evangelical Christian ministries, especially youth-focused organizations such as Young Life and Youth for Christ, plus local churches and church plants. The foundation also funds faith-based service groups and selected nonprofits connected to poverty relief, children’s needs, and accessibility ministry.
The typical award sits in the five-figure range: the grant-size distribution shows a p25 of $25,000, a median of $50,000, and a p75 of $100,000. Recent grants include both smaller $10,000–$25,000 awards and larger six- and seven-figure commitments.
Yes. Several recipients appear more than once in the recent grants list, including Young Life, Youth for Christ, Midwest Food Bank, Sun Valley Community Church, and National Christian Charitable Foundation Inc. That pattern points to ongoing support across multiple years.
Illinois is the top state by grant count. Recent recipients there include Midwest Food Bank in Normal and Spread Truth Ministries in Bloomington. Georgia also appears in the recipient list, with 14% of grants going to organizations in the home state.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WE TAKE IT FOR CHARITY INC | BLUFFTON, SC | $1,000,000 | 2026 | SUPPORT |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC | ALPHARETTA, GA | $38,993 | 2026 | SUPPORT |
| LIFE PATH U | CHANDLER, AZ | $8,391 | 2026 | SUPPORT |
| ST JUDES CHILDRENS HOSPITAL | MEMPHIS, TN | $300,000 | 2025 | GROWTH |
| MIDWEST FOOD BANK | NORMAL, IL | $200,000 | 2025 | POVERTY |
| SUN VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH | GILBERT, AZ | $100,000 | 2025 | CHURCH |
| YOUNG LIFE | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $100,000 | 2025 | GROWTH |
| YOUTH FOR CHRIST | ENGLEWOOD, CO | $75,000 | 2025 | GROWTH |
| JONI & FRIENDS | AGOURA HILLS, CA | $50,000 | 2025 | EVANGELISM |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC | ALPHARETTA, GA | $40,311 | 2025 | SUPPORT |
| SPREAD TRUTH MINISTRIES | BLOOMINGTON, IN | $25,000 | 2025 | EVANGELISM |
| TUNNELS TO TOWERS | STATEN ISLAND, NY | $25,000 | 2025 | GROWTH |
| PARENTING SPECIAL KIDS NETWORK | PHOENIX, AZ | $20,000 | 2025 | GROWTH |
| INSTITUTE OF AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $20,000 | 2025 | POVERTY |
| TSEEE HOUSE OF JOY NAVAJO NATION | KAYENTA, AZ | $15,000 | 2025 | CHURCH |
| EAST VALLEY ATHLETES FOR CHRIST | CHANDLER, AZ | $10,000 | 2025 | GROWTH |
| MIDWEST FOOD BANK | NORMAL, IL | $150,000 | 2024 | POVERTY |
| YOUNG LIFE | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO | $94,000 | 2024 | GROWTH |
| YOUTH FOR CHRIST | ENGLEWOOD, CO | $50,000 | 2024 | GROWTH |
| SUN VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH | GILBERT, AZ | $50,000 | 2024 | CHURCHES |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC | ALPHARETTA, GA | $47,744 | 2024 | SUPPORT |
| YOUNG LIFE | HARLAN, IA | $1,000,000 | 2023 | GROWTH |
| NATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION INC | ALPHARETTA, GA | $61,891 | 2023 | SUPPORT |
| YOUTH FOR CHRIST | ENGLEWOOD, CO | $50,000 | 2023 | GROWTH |
WE TAKE IT FOR CHARITY INC
$1,000,000SUPPORT
LIFE PATH U
$8,391SUPPORT
SUN VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH
$100,000CHURCH
JONI & FRIENDS
$50,000EVANGELISM
PARENTING SPECIAL KIDS NETWORK
$20,000GROWTH
INSTITUTE OF AFFORDABLE TRANSPORTATION
$20,000POVERTY
TSEEE HOUSE OF JOY NAVAJO NATION
$15,000CHURCH
EAST VALLEY ATHLETES FOR CHRIST
$10,000GROWTH
SUN VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH
$50,000CHURCHES