Foundation For Truth

Foundation For Truth is a closely held, invitation-only private foundation rooted entirely in the Churches of Christ tradition. Headquartered at 3140 Executive Drive in San Angelo, Texas, and established in November 2011, the foundation deploys a $60.5 million asset base to advance a singular mission: spreading the Gospel of Christ through evangelistic literature, media, mission support, and benevolence work — exclusively through Church of Christ-affiliated congregations and organizations.

The foundation's giving philosophy reflects a community-insider model. Nearly every grantee is a Church of Christ congregation, affiliated media ministry, or denomination-aligned nonprofit with pre-existing relationships to the San Angelo-area leadership. The volunteer board — Dennis Reed (President), Michael Light (Vice President), Don McKee (Secretary/Treasurer), Morey Mast, and Paden Reed — makes all funding decisions informally. There is no published application portal, no RFP cycle, and no open solicitation period. The foundation's IRS filings explicitly record 'none' as the application process, and the foundation is flagged in grant databases as preselected-only.

For first-time applicants — a term barely applicable here — the sole path into this funding ecosystem requires genuine alignment with Church of Christ theology and, critically, personal introduction through shared denominational networks. The foundation has repeatedly funded the same organizations across multiple fiscal years: Crossville Church of Christ has received 7 grants totaling $698,000; World Video Bible School has received 7 grants totaling $262,500. This pattern of multi-year, repeat relationships signals that the foundation views itself as a long-term ministry partner, not a competitive grant-maker.

For organizations considering an approach, the realistic pathway runs through denominational relationships — mutual contacts within Church of Christ preaching networks, regional elderships, or established grantees (such as World Video Bible School, Gospel Broadcasting Network, or Apologetics Press) who can provide warm introductions. Mission alignment must be theologically explicit: organizations outside the Restoration Movement tradition — regardless of charitable purpose, financial strength, or geographic alignment — have no documented pathway to funding here.

Grants consistently carry a single named purpose: 'financial assistance with evangelism,' 'matching grant to help raise operational funds,' or 'financial assistance with mission work.' This language signals that the foundation prefers clean, project-specific grants. Typical progression for an organization that successfully connects with board leadership: informal introduction through Church of Christ networks → demonstrated theological alignment → invitation to submit a brief project description → single-purpose grant award → repeat funding contingent on documented ministry outcomes.

Foundation For Truth has maintained steady, growing annual grant disbursements since inception. Grants paid climbed from $441,302 in 2012 to $964,100 in 2015, reaching $1,702,500 in 2023 — a 75% increase over eight years. Total giving (which includes program-related expenditures beyond direct grants) reached $2,279,736 in 2023 and $2,158,588 in 2022. Annual grant counts have increased from 18 grants (2022) to 19 grants (2023) to 24 grants (FY2024), indicating both scale and breadth are growing.

Across the 37 top-documented grants, the average grant is $77,451 and the median is $38,000. The range is wide: small operational grants run $10,000–$12,000 (East Ridge Church of Christ: $20,000; Piedmont Road Church of Christ: $12,000), while major institutional and endowment transfers reach $520,000 (San Angelo Area Foundation SACA Endowment). FY2024 introduced a $250,000 building grant to Bryan-College Station Church of Christ — the largest single-project award identified in recent years.

Breaking down documented giving of $2,865,696 across 37 grants by program type:

• Endowment and DAF vehicles (San Angelo Area Foundation Flynn Endowment Fund and SACA Endowment Fund): $1,035,000 — approximately 36% of total. These are pass-through structures funding longer-term evangelism and education.
• International mission support (India DNI Children's Home, Peru, Philippines, via Crossville Church of Christ and Southaven CoC): approximately $728,000 — about 25%.
• Christian education and media (World Video Bible School $262,500, Gospel Broadcasting Network $171,796, Apologetics Press $150,000): approximately $584,000 — about 20%.
• Domestic congregational evangelism operations (Sierra Ventana CoC, 9th and Main CoC, Southwest CoC, Southhaven CoC): approximately $516,000 — about 18%.

Geographically, Texas accounts for 43% of grants by count (16 of 37 documented), with Tennessee and Mississippi each at 19% (7 grants each), Georgia at 5% (2 grants), and Alabama at 5% (2 grants). International mission work is funded through domestic intermediary congregations rather than direct overseas grants.

The foundation's $60.5M asset base grew 30% from 2020 to 2024, driven by net investment income of $7.5M (2023) and $7.7M (2022), giving the foundation significant future giving capacity well above current payout levels.

Foundation For Truth sits within a peer cohort of private foundations with assets ranging from $60.4M to $60.6M, all classified under NTEE code T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking). Despite similar balance-sheet size, the foundations differ significantly in mission focus, geographic reach, and accessibility.

Foundation For Truth is distinctly atypical even among private foundations of comparable asset size. Its giving payout — approximately $1.7M in grants paid on $58.7M in assets in FY2023 — represents a 2.9% direct grant payout rate, rising to roughly 3.9% when total giving ($2.28M) is considered. Both figures trail the IRS-mandated minimum distribution threshold of 5% of net assets, suggesting the foundation may face increasing pressure to grow disbursements or that additional program expenses (staff, direct evangelism activities) offset the calculation.

Peer foundations in the general philanthropy category — Sahm Family Foundation and Biswas Family Foundation — maintain public-facing websites and open or semi-open grant processes. Foundation For Truth's exclusive denominational focus, absence of a public application process, and fully volunteer board place it in a separate operational category: a mission-driven family foundation that happens to be categorized alongside general grantmakers by NTEE code.

The most recent fiscal year (FY2024) shows 24 grants awarded and total assets of $60,485,766 — up from $58,655,020 in FY2023, a $1.83M asset gain. Total FY2024 revenue reached $4,086,428, comprised primarily of investment returns (asset sales 44.8%, other income 33.7%, dividends 15.6%). Confirmed FY2024 grants include:

• Bryan-College Station Church of Christ: $250,000 for building expansion + $50,000 endowment fund contribution — a new large-dollar grantee relationship.
• World Video Bible School (Abilene, TX): $100,000 for online education and staff support — continuing a 7-grant relationship that has totaled $262,500.

A notable governance shift occurred in FY2024: Bryan Braswell, who served as a compensated director at $85,000/year from 2019–2022 (declining to $41,591 in FY2023), received $0 compensation in FY2024. The board is now fully volunteer, which may signal a cost-structure change or role reclassification.

No press releases, public announcements, new program areas, or leadership additions were identified for calendar years 2025 or 2026 through web research. The foundation operates without any public communications infrastructure — no active social media, no press page, and no confirmed working public website. The fortruth.org URL in IRS filings now resolves to Stand for TRUTH, an entirely different organization. The foundation's last known major activity remains the steady disbursement of grants to established Church of Christ ministry partners, with asset growth continuing to build future giving capacity.

Foundation For Truth requires a fundamentally different approach than conventional grant-seeking. The following tips are specific to this funder's documented operating patterns:

Confirm denominational fit before any outreach. Every documented grantee is affiliated with the Churches of Christ (Restoration Movement) tradition. The foundation's mission explicitly funds proclamation of 'the Gospel of Christ' through this tradition. Organizations from other Christian denominations, interfaith contexts, or secular charitable sectors have no documented pathway to funding and should not invest time pursuing this foundation.

Denominational networking is the only viable entry point. The board members — Dennis Reed, Michael Light, Don McKee, Morey Mast, and Paden Reed — are embedded in the San Angelo Church of Christ community. Approach this foundation by attending regional Churches of Christ events: major lectureships (Freed-Hardeman University Lectureship, Harding University Bible Lectureship, Southwest School of Bible Studies), mission conferences, or annual gospel meetings where San Angelo-area church leadership participates. Request introductions from existing grantees such as World Video Bible School (wvbs.org, Abilene, TX) or Apologetics Press (apologeticspress.org, Montgomery, AL), which have sustained long-term relationships with the foundation.

Lead with specific, named evangelism activities — not organizational capacity. Every grant purpose in the foundation's history specifies an activity: 'radio station work,' 'online Bible school and staff support,' 'billboard advertising,' 'school of preaching,' 'children's home capital expenses.' Your project description should specify the country or region, the type of outreach, the anticipated audience or converts reached, and a total budget. Vague general support requests are inconsistent with the foundation's stated grant purposes.

Frame requests as matching grants where possible. Multiple grantees — Apologetics Press and World Video Bible School specifically — have received grants described as 'matching grants to help raise operational funds.' Structuring your request as a matching challenge (e.g., 'We seek $50,000 to match $50,000 pledged by our supporting congregations') aligns precisely with the foundation's demonstrated preference and signals organizational credibility.

Do not expect formal timelines or portals. There is no application form, online portal, review committee deadline, or published grant cycle. Once a relationship is established, a brief written project description submitted directly to the board contact (% Don McKee, 3140 Executive Dr, San Angelo, TX 76904-6802; phone (325) 942-8984) is the appropriate format. Keep it to one page, focused on evangelical purpose and specific activities.

Plan for a long cultivation horizon. Most grantees appear to have been funded for the first time only after substantial relationship-building within shared denominational circles. Expect 12–24 months of network cultivation before any funding conversation materializes.