Beloved In Christ Foundation

The Beloved In Christ Foundation is a private family foundation anchored in Christian faith, founded in 2015 and primarily supported by Kirsten Vliet (President/Secretary) and Lewis Cirne (Chairman/Treasurer). Cirne is best known as co-founder of New Relic, the technology observability company, and the foundation's $135.6 million in assets reflects technology-sector wealth intentionally deployed for faith-driven philanthropy. All officer and director positions are uncompensated, with zero staff — a hallmark of lean family foundations making decisions at the principals' discretion.

This is an invitation-only grantmaker. Public records list application instructions as "none," and the foundation carries a preselected-only designation. Organizations should not cold-apply through any channel expecting a meaningful response; the relationship must exist before any formal ask. The path to funding runs through personal connections to Vliet or Cirne — through church networks in the Austin/Marble Falls, TX Hill Country area, through the Texas Christian philanthropic community, or through Cirne's Bay Area technology sector relationships.

The foundation's giving theology is relational and long-term. Recurring grantees such as Iglesia Libre Por Cristo (multiple grants over successive years), Bright City Ministries (2 grants), and Inspiring Philosophy (2 grants) demonstrate that the foundation builds ongoing partnerships rather than one-time awards. Once in the portfolio, organizations can expect continued support if they steward the relationship well.

The primary giving structure has two tiers: (1) large institutional transfers of $2M-$16.4M to the foundation's Donor Advised Fund at National Philanthropic Trust, which are internal capital movements; and (2) direct programmatic grants of $7,500-$100,000 to external Christian ministry organizations. Grant seekers should focus on the direct-grant tier. First-time applicants should target the $25,000-$50,000 range for an initial ask — consistent with the median direct grant of $34,000 — and build toward larger asks in subsequent years.

Total documented giving from Beloved In Christ Foundation spans FY2015-FY2024, with annual giving ranging from a low of $707,428 (FY2015) to a high of $17.2 million (FY2021). However, these headline figures are heavily distorted by large institutional transfers: a $16.4 million transfer to National Philanthropic Trust in FY2021 and another $16.4 million in FY2024 represent DAF consolidation, not direct program grants. Stripping those out, direct programmatic giving has been modest: approximately $2.6M (FY2020), $1.2M (FY2022), $2.4M (FY2023).

Grant size for direct recipients: Minimum $7,500 (Burnet County FFA & 4-H), maximum $100,000 (Bright City Ministries), median approximately $25,000-$34,000. The vast majority of grants fall in the $10,000-$50,000 range. The average of $724,742 across all 26 tracked grantee entries is inflated by the large DAF transfers.

By focus area (direct grants): Christian ministry and religious activities dominate at approximately 70% of direct giving — including local churches, international evangelism, apologetics media, and leadership development. Human services (disaster relief, food, shelter) account for roughly 15%, with the Del Mar Family Relief Fund ($25,000) and Austin Disaster Relief Network ($7,500) as representative examples. International ministry (Ukraine, Romania, Kenya, Canada) represents approximately 10%. Youth and agricultural programs (Burnet County FFA/4-H: $7,500-$9,500 cumulative) make up the remaining 5%.

Geography: Texas-based organizations receive 54% of direct grants (14 of 26 identified grantees), with particular concentration in Austin and central Texas. Pennsylvania (2 grantees), California (2), Arizona (2), and Illinois (2) follow. International giving has extended to Ukraine, Romania, Kenya, and Canada.

Grant frequency trend: Peak activity was FY2017-2018 (37-41 grants/year). By FY2024, only 2 grants were recorded, confirming a fundamental strategic shift toward fewer, larger DAF-mediated transactions rather than broad community grantmaking.

The following foundations are matched to Beloved In Christ on total assets ($135-136M range) within the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category:

Among this asset-matched peer set, Beloved In Christ stands out for its explicit Christian faith mandate — no peer in this group carries the same sectarian identity, making it effectively incomparable to secular family foundations of similar size. The Sam Shine Foundation (Indiana, samshinefoundation.org) is the closest structural analog as a private family foundation of comparable scale, though without the overt religious focus. Balay Ko Foundation (California, balayko.org) is the only peer with a public-facing website indicating some degree of open engagement, whereas Beloved In Christ and most peers maintain minimal public profiles consistent with invitation-only grantmaking. Grant seekers should not use this peer group as a model for application strategy — the Christian identity requirement is the defining filter that separates Beloved In Christ from its asset peers.

The most significant recent activity is the FY2024 Form 990 filed November 13, 2025, which revealed a near-doubling of total assets — from $72.5 million in FY2023 to $135.6 million in FY2024 — suggesting a major new contribution or asset appreciation event during the fiscal year. Total charitable disbursements reached $20.1 million in FY2024, but $19.3 million of that was the single transfer to National Philanthropic Trust, with a $2 million grant to Beloved In Christ DAF representing the other large line item.

The last wave of direct programmatic grants to external ministry organizations appears concentrated in FY2021-FY2023. Bright City Ministries received $100,000 (2 grants) for Ukraine Young Life Ministry, reflecting the foundation's humanitarian response to the Russia-Ukraine war. M3 Romania NFP received approximately $3,072 (2 grants) for donation of Ukraine hats — a small but symbolically meaningful gift. These crisis-driven grants suggest the founders are responsive to international Christian humanitarian needs.

No leadership changes, press releases, or public announcements were identified in 2025 or early 2026 searches. The foundation maintains a deliberately low public profile. Kirsten Vliet remains President/Secretary and Lewis Cirne remains Chairman/Treasurer, with Brett Rodgers as Director and Donna Wilcox as Officer, all without compensation. The foundation's Wix-based website (belovedinchristfoundation.org) is operational but does not surface grant program details or application guidelines.

Because Beloved In Christ Foundation is invitation-only, the following tips are specific to navigating a relationship-first, faith-centered private foundation rather than generic grant-writing advice.

Lead with Christian mission, not impact metrics. Every direct grantee is an explicitly faith-based Christian organization. Your LOI or introductory letter should open with your Christian mission and biblical foundation — not a program logic model. Language like "Christ-centered," "Gospel-focused," and references to specific scripture alignment are appropriate and expected.

Map your network first. Before any outreach, identify connections to Kirsten Vliet, Lewis Cirne (New Relic/tech sector, Austin TX, Christian giving circles), Brett Rodgers, or Donna Wilcox. A warm introduction from a current grantee or shared church community is worth more than any written proposal.

Target your ask at $25,000-$50,000. The documented direct grant median is approximately $34,000. Do not open with requests above $100,000 (reserved for established relationships like Bright City Ministries) or below $10,000 (too small to be worth the relationship investment for either party).

Texas presence strengthens your case. With 54% of grantees Texas-based, an Austin-metro, Hill Country, or central Texas address is a concrete advantage. If your organization has Texas programs, board members, or community ties, lead with those in any outreach.

International Christian ministry opens doors. The foundation has funded Ukraine (Bright City Ministries), Romania (M3 Romania NFP), Kenya, and Canada. Organizations doing international evangelical or relief work should feature that work prominently.

Call before you write. The database lists Kim Schoknecht as the contact person at (512) 328-1184. A brief, respectful phone call to introduce your organization and ask if the foundation has any interest in learning more is more appropriate than a cold email blast. Keep it to 3-4 minutes; ask to schedule a follow-up conversation.

Avoid disaster-relief framing unless it is your primary mission. The Del Mar Family Relief Fund and Austin Disaster Relief Network grants are small ($25,000 and $7,500) — the foundation's passion is ministry, not pure disaster relief. Anchor your pitch in long-term ministry impact.