Find Us Faithful Foundation

Find Us Faithful Foundation is a private family foundation rooted in an explicitly Christian worldview, named after Steve Green's hymn "Find Us Faithful" — a song about leaving a legacy of faithfulness for future generations. The foundation was established in 2006 (EIN: 20-5632085, tax-exempt since December 2007) by David Clouse and is headquartered in Parker, Colorado. Its mission — "Investing in Lasting Solutions for Biblical Human Flourishing" — is not rhetorical: it functions as an active filter for every funding decision.

This is an invitation-only foundation. The 990 filings state explicitly that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds." There is no public RFP process, no online application portal, and no publicized grant cycle. The `application_instructions` in every database record reflects this reality without ambiguity.

The Clouse family controls all governance. David Clouse serves as Board Chairman; his son Matthew Clouse is President/Director; Elizabeth Lynn Clouse is VP/Director; McKenzie Clouse and Jenna Morrow-Clouse serve as Directors. The Friesen family (Patricia and Monty Friesen) rounds out the volunteer board. Paid staff is minimal: Treasurer Jeffrey Kahler ($90,120 compensation in FY2024), Secretary Stephen Laird ($89,772), and President Matthew Clouse ($81,900). This is a tightly held family foundation where personal relationships and shared faith values take precedence over formal processes.

Grant execution runs primarily through the National Christian Foundation's (NCF) donor-advised fund. NCF received $17.2 million across 3 recorded grants — far outpacing all other disbursements. This structure gives the Clouse family flexibility to recommend grants to end-beneficiary organizations through NCF's vetted network without those organizations appearing directly in FUFF's 990 filings.

First-time seekers must understand that traditional grant prospecting will not work here. The pathway to funding runs through: (1) personal connections to David or Matthew Clouse, (2) existing relationships within the NCF ecosystem, and (3) demonstrated alignment with Christian faith principles and a self-sustaining approach to poverty reduction or Christian education. Organizations active in Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, or North Carolina — the foundation's four documented geographic focus states — have the most natural relationship-development opportunities.

Find Us Faithful Foundation holds approximately $103.6 million in total assets (FY2024) but deploys a conservative fraction in annual grantmaking. Total giving has fluctuated over the foundation's history: $4.3M (FY2012), rising to $7.8M (FY2015), declining to $5.3M (FY2019), peaking at $9.3M (FY2022), then contracting to $6.8M (FY2023) and approximately $5.5M (FY2024). Grants paid track similarly: $3.7M (2012), $4.2M (2021), $6.5M (2022), $5.3M (2023).

At ~$5.5M annual giving on $103.6M in assets, the effective payout rate is approximately 5.3% — just above the IRS-mandated 5% minimum for private foundations. This is deliberately conservative and consistent with a foundation focused on long-term endowment preservation.

Award concentration is extreme. The dominant grantee is the National Christian Foundation, which received $17.2 million across 3 grants — accounting for essentially all charitable disbursements in available filings. Grant purposes are listed as "DONOR ADVISED FUND," confirming NCF as a pass-through vehicle rather than a direct program beneficiary. Actual end-grantees are unnamed in public filings.

Award count has contracted dramatically: 24–35 grants annually at peak (2010–2012), declining to 10 (FY2022), 8 (FY2023), and 5 (FY2024). Average grant size to NCF runs approximately $5.7 million per transaction. Non-NCF grants, where they appear, range from negligible K1 investment pass-throughs (under $2,000) to the foundation's reported historical maximum of $6,525,000.

Geographic concentration of identified grantees skews toward Texas (11 grants historically), Minnesota (6), Colorado (6), North Carolina (3), and New York (2). International poverty-reduction work — aligned with the "self-sustaining projects to reduce poverty worldwide" mission — is presumed to flow through NCF's international grantmaking infrastructure.

Revenue is entirely investment-driven: FY2024 saw $11.7M from dividends (50%), $7.1M from other income (30%), $4.1M from asset sales (18%), and $280K in interest. Zero dollars from external contributions. The $23.3M FY2024 revenue surge versus $6.8M in FY2023 reflects realized investment gains and may signal increased grantmaking capacity in coming fiscal years.

Find Us Faithful Foundation's five closest asset-comparable peers (all ~$103–104M in assets, all classified as Philanthropy & Grantmaking) provide structural context for understanding FUFF's position in the private foundation landscape.

Find Us Faithful Foundation distinguishes itself from these asset-comparable peers through its explicitly faith-driven, Christian-worldview mission — a rare specificity among foundations of this size. Where generalist family foundations evaluate proposals across diverse domains, FUFF's "Biblical Human Flourishing" framing creates a narrow but deeply aligned applicant pool. The foundation's consistent use of NCF's donor-advised fund infrastructure is also relatively distinctive, enabling flexible, faith-aligned grantmaking with minimal administrative overhead. Of the peer set, only the Pincus Family Foundation has a disclosed invitation-only policy; most peers maintain similarly opaque application processes typical of private family foundations.

No public press releases, program announcements, or news coverage specific to Find Us Faithful Foundation were identified for 2025 or 2026. The foundation maintains a deliberately low public profile consistent with its invitation-only, family-governed structure. The foundation's website (findusfaithful.org) was inaccessible for direct review at time of research due to an SSL certificate mismatch.

Most recent substantive activity (FY2024): The foundation reported $23.3M in total revenue — a significant jump from $6.8M in FY2023 — driven by investment dividends ($11.7M) and realized asset gains ($4.1M). Charitable disbursements totaled approximately $5.5M across 5 reported grants, down from 10 in FY2022. Leadership compensation remained modest and stable: Matthew Clouse at $81,900, Jeffrey Kahler (Treasurer) at $90,120, Stephen Laird (Secretary) at $89,772.

National Christian Foundation relationship continues as the dominant grantmaking channel, with $17.2M disbursed through NCF's DAF across available filing years. No new grantee relationships or geographic expansion were identified.

The foundation's last verified database record update was March 20, 2026, indicating active record maintenance. The database record was enriched via web research on February 22, 2026, and via 990-PF data on February 21, 2026, suggesting the most current IRS filings have been incorporated. No leadership changes, new board members, or programmatic pivots were identified in the available data.

Because Find Us Faithful Foundation accepts no unsolicited applications, conventional grant-writing advice does not apply. The following tips are specific to navigating this foundation's invitation-only structure.

1. Accept the structural reality first. Submitting a cold letter of inquiry, proposal, or email to the foundation's Parker, CO address will not result in funding and may permanently close relationship doors. The foundation's position is explicit and long-standing.

2. Prioritize the National Christian Foundation connection. FUFF routes grantmaking through NCF's donor-advised fund. Organizations already vetted by NCF — or that establish a strong NCF grantee profile — are positioned within the exact ecosystem the Clouse family uses to deploy capital. Contact NCF (National Christian Foundation, nfcgiving.org) to establish or strengthen your organizational profile.

3. Speak the foundation's language precisely. "Biblical Human Flourishing" signals a specific theological framework — human dignity, shalom, holistic transformation, creation care. Integrate this framing authentically into organizational materials. Avoid leading exclusively with secular impact metrics; pair data with biblical anthropology language.

4. Demonstrate self-sustainability above all. The mission explicitly targets "self-sustaining projects to reduce poverty worldwide." Programs with earned revenue, replication models, or systemic change mechanisms are far better positioned than ongoing operational support requests. Document your path to independence from philanthropy.

5. Leverage geographic alignment. Historical grantee concentration runs Texas (11 grants), Colorado (6), Minnesota (6), North Carolina (3). Foundations and ministry networks in these states represent the highest-probability relationship pathways. Specifically, the Denver-metro and Front Range Colorado Christian ministry community is the most proximate to the Clouse family's base in Parker, CO.

6. Work through warm introductions only. Phone (303-947-2477) and the Parker address exist for administrative purposes — not for grant prospecting. Identify mutual connections among the board: David Clouse, Matthew Clouse, Elizabeth Lynn Clouse, Patricia Friesen, Monty Friesen. Christian business networks, evangelical church networks, and Colorado-based faith-philanthropy events are the most viable relationship-building venues.

7. Understand there is no deadline cycle. DAF-based grantmaking can happen at any point in the year. Relationships, not application windows, drive timing.