Alia Group

Alia Group is a private trust founded in Dallas, Texas in 2017, managed exclusively by trustee James J Jensen, who devotes approximately 30 hours per week to its administration with no compensation. The foundation operates with a lean, trustee-directed model — no staff, no grants portal, no public website — which signals that grantmaking decisions flow entirely through Jensen's personal discretion and existing relationships.

Despite its IRS-stated focus on social justice, social entrepreneurship, workforce development, mentoring, and recovery, nearly every documented grantee is a Christian faith-based organization. The top three recipients — Unite Life (digital evangelism platform), Kingdom Giving Fund (Christian donor-advised fund), and Global Heart Ministries (international Christian missions) — account for over 90% of $7.2M in total documented giving. This gap between stated and actual priorities is the most important strategic insight for prospective applicants: secular social service organizations are unlikely to succeed without clear faith integration in their mission or programming.

The foundation received $8M in initial contributions in 2017 and an additional $10.5M in 2018, establishing a substantial endowment that has been managed through investment income and asset sales. Giving peaked at $3.42M in both 2020 and 2021, then contracted sharply to $728K in 2023 and roughly $239K in 2024 — a pattern that suggests deliberate capital preservation ahead of a potential renewed distribution cycle, now that assets have grown to $29.5M.

First-time applicants should not expect a formal RFP or open grants cycle. The foundation's application process, as described in IRS filings, is a written submission naming the organization, confirming exempt status, stating the requested amount, and describing the purpose. In practice, the foundation's demonstrated preference for long-term, repeat relationships with a tight network of faith-aligned organizations means initial outreach should focus on cultivating a personal connection with Jensen or seeking an introduction through an existing grantee organization such as Mission Increase (a Christian nonprofit capacity-builder that has itself received Alia funding).

Across 23 documented grants totaling $7,187,338, Alia Group's median grant is $123,828 with an average of $312,493. The range is wide: from a minimum of $5,000 (Health & Bloom Corporation) to a maximum of approximately $1,851,754 (single Unite Life grant). However, these aggregate figures mask a highly skewed distribution driven by the foundation's three anchor relationships.

Concentration by grantee: Unite Life alone has received $4,101,754 across 3 grants — 57% of all documented giving — with individual grants averaging $1.37M. Kingdom Giving Fund received $1,345,032 across 5 grants (average $269K). Global Heart Ministries received $1,016,063 across 3 grants (average $339K). Together these three organizations account for $6.46M, or 90% of all giving. The remaining 20 grants average just $36,387 each, suggesting the foundation uses small exploratory grants to vet new relationships before scaling up.

Giving trend: Total giving by year — FY2019: $951,707; FY2020: $3,417,500; FY2021: $3,417,896; FY2022: $2,295,009; FY2023: $728,328; FY2024: ~$238,959. The 2020–2021 peak coincides with large Unite Life disbursements. The post-2022 decline reflects both fewer grants and smaller individual awards.

By focus area: All grants are for general support. No program-restricted or project-specific grants have been documented. Faith-based evangelism and discipleship organizations receive the majority of funding. Recovery, mentoring, and social entrepreneurship organizations represent smaller tranches.

Geography: Texas organizations account for 12 of 23 grants (52% by count). Oregon and California each receive 2–3 grants tied to national faith networks headquartered or operating in those states. Tennessee and Florida round out the geographic footprint. No international grants have been documented, though Global Heart Ministries and Global Advance Inc operate globally.

Grant support type: Every single documented grant is for general operating support — no capital campaigns, no restricted project grants. This preference for unrestricted support is a significant advantage for organizations seeking flexible funding.

The following table compares Alia Group to its four closest asset-peer foundations, all clustered around $29.4–29.5M in total assets and all classified under Philanthropy & Grantmaking (NTEE T):

Among this peer cohort, Alia Group is notable for three reasons. First, it has the most transparent grantmaking record: 23 grants totaling $7.2M are visible in IRS filings, while most peers have limited or no publicly indexed grant data. Second, Alia's FY2024 giving-to-assets ratio of 0.8% is well below the typical 5% minimum distribution requirement for private foundations — a pattern common during capital-building phases but worth monitoring, as the IRS requires foundations to meet the 5% minimum distribution test annually. Third, unlike the Agena Foundation (which maintains a public website), Alia Group has no operational grants-facing web presence, making relationship-based outreach the only viable entry point.

The most recent publicly available filing for Alia Group covers FY2024 and was submitted to the IRS on October 30, 2025. That filing records a single charitable grant of $10,000 to Life Model Works, a Dallas-area nonprofit applying neuroscience research to Christian discipleship and emotional healing — a new grantee relationship not visible in prior filings. Total qualifying distributions for FY2024 were $238,959, representing a 67% decline from 2023's $728,328 and a 93% decline from the 2020–2021 peak of $3.4M annually.

Despite reduced grantmaking, assets grew substantially: from $22.1M in FY2023 to $29.5M in FY2024, a 33.2% increase driven by $3.6M in net investment income and significant realized gains from asset sales (which accounted for 62.8% of the $4.44M in total FY2024 revenue). This pattern — simultaneous asset growth and giving contraction — is consistent with a trust in an accumulation phase.

No leadership changes have been announced. James J Jensen has served as the sole trustee since the foundation's IRS ruling in January 2017 and remains the only officer listed across all available filings. No press releases, media coverage, or public announcements from or about Alia Group were found for 2025 or 2026. The website listed in foundation records (aliagroup.org) resolves to an unrelated Egyptian medical device company and should not be used for contact purposes. The foundation's Dallas address (3899 Maple Ave, Suite 400) and phone number ((972) 999-4554) remain the only verified contact points.

Confirm faith alignment before applying. Every substantive grant Alia Group has made goes to a Christian organization — digital evangelism, missions, faith-based recovery, Christian mental health, or Christian capacity-building. While the IRS filing describes focus areas as social justice, social entrepreneurship, workforce development, mentoring, and recovery, these descriptors function as frameworks within a faith context, not as secular program categories. Applicants whose mission lacks explicit Christian or broadly faith-based grounding are unlikely to succeed.

Use the four-element written format. The foundation's documented application process requires a written submission covering: (1) organization name, (2) 501(c)(3) exempt status confirmation, (3) specific dollar amount requested, and (4) precise purpose of the grant. Keep the initial inquiry concise — one to two pages — and ensure the purpose statement clearly connects to the foundation's documented priorities: evangelism/outreach, recovery, mentoring, workforce development, or social entrepreneurship.

Request general operating support. Every single documented Alia Group grant is unrestricted general support. Do not submit project-restricted or capital grant requests. Frame your ask as core operating funding that enables your overall mission.

Start with a small exploratory ask. The foundation's giving pattern shows a clear two-tier structure: small exploratory grants ($5K–$57K) to new relationships, and large recurring grants ($169K–$4.1M) to proven long-term partners. A first-time ask in the $10,000–$50,000 range positions your organization as a new relationship worth testing, rather than competing directly with anchor grantees.

Leverage grantee network connections. Mission Increase — a national Christian nonprofit capacity-building organization that has itself received Alia funding — has relationships with hundreds of faith-based nonprofits and could provide a warm introduction to Jensen. Similarly, organizations connected to Unite Life or the National Christian Foundation ecosystem are well-positioned to request introductions.

Timing caution. The 2023–2024 giving contraction suggests the foundation may not be in an active deployment phase. Contact by phone at (972) 999-4554 to gauge current receptivity before investing significant proposal development time. Do not send unsolicited full proposals without first confirming interest.