The Mustard Seed Foundation is a Christian family foundation established in 1983 under the leadership of Dennis W. Bakke and Eileen Harvey Bakke. The Foundation was created as an expression of their desire to be faithful stewards of the financial resources entrusted to them, to bring together the Christian members of their extended families into common ministry, and to advance the kingdom of God. The Foundation provides grants to churches and Christian organizations worldwide that are engaged in Christian ministry including outreach, discipleship, and economic empowerment. The Foundation also awards scholarships to Christians pursuing advanced educational degrees in preparation for leadership roles in both the Church and society. All directors and staff of the Mustard Seed Foundation are committed followers of Jesus Christ and affirm the Lausanne Covenant.
Grants
The Mustard Seed Foundation provides seed funding for small startup projects of churches and Christian organizations around the world. The Foundation seeks to help launch projects as a minority partner, providing funds over a limited time period, and in a way that encourages self-sufficiency and reliance on the local church. We consider local church accountability and financial support primary indicators of the priority, integrity, and sustainability of a particular project. A church must be willing to invest financially in a project for Mustard Seed to consider funding it. The Foundation has a strong interest in the unique challenges faced by the urban church. As the world rapidly urbanizes, we believe that investing in churches located in large cities to be particularly strategic. We typically fund projects that share the gospel with non-Christians (outreach), generate income and economic decision-making opportunities to poorer Christians (empowerment), or equip Christians to better proclaim and demonstrate the gospel (discipleship). The overall average grant size is $5,000.
Scholarships
The Mustard Seed Foundation offers a variety of scholarship opportunities for Christians seeking advanced degrees in the United States and around the world. We believe that providing scholarships to individuals, who are furthering their formal education to become better ministers within the local church and society, helps enable the Church to reach the whole world with the whole gospel. Mustard Seed believes that our scholarships empower individuals to take ownership for equipping themselves for Christian service. Scholarships also encourage educational institutions to remain student-focused and accountable to deliver the highest quality of education at an affordable cost. Through our scholarship initiatives, the Mustard Seed Foundation hopes to equip believers for strategic roles within the full spectrum of Christian ministry, from place of business to place of worship. The Foundation awards scholarships through three programs: Harvey Fellows, Theological Education, and Bakke Graduate University.
