In 1984 the Foundation invested $11,600 in five small grants. Twenty-five years later in 2008, the Foundation’s expenditures totaled $5,827,380 million. Approximately 73 percent of these funds were given to individuals, churches, and Christian organizations through over 365 scholarships and 643 grants. The remaining 27 percent was used to administer this work through an international team of 16 staff around the globe. While the Foundation has grown in total expenditures almost every year of it’s history, 2008 was a year in which the Foundation had an unexpected reduction in funding due to the global economic downturn. Overall, the Foundation has given over $72 million to further God’s transformative work around the world.
The giving of five grants in 1984 launched the Foundation’s primary granting program that would continue to be the cornerstone of giving up to the present time. After a few years of granting, the Foundation focused on partnering directly with local churches, requiring grants to be matched by relevant congregations. Overall, the Foundation has given over $47 million in church-based granting, representing about 65 percent of our total giving. In 2008 the Foundation awarded $3,208,424 through 616 grants worldwide.
The Foundation also initiated academic scholarship programs within a decade of existence. In 1992, the Foundation started the Bakke Scholars and Harvey Fellows scholarship programs. Both scholarships sought to support academically gifted individuals attempting to integrate their Christian calling within their influential vocational pursuits. The Bakke Scholars program was for undergraduates going to specific partner institutions, which included University of Puget Sound, Princeton, Duke, Harvard, Stanford, and Howard University. In 1998, the Foundation started a scholarship to select Christian schools within the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) for undergraduate minority students. In 2002, while the Foundation was amidst a season of significant financial downturn, the Board discontinued the Bakke Scholars and CCCU scholarship programs. The Harvey Fellows program continues to be a key part of Mustard Seed giving as a total of $8,873,139 has been invested in Fellowships. In 2008 the Foundation awarded $664,833 to 73 Harvey Fellows.
The Mustard Seed Foundation also provided scholarships for theological studies. As the Foundation grew its international granting with local churches, the need for quality theological education in the developing world became a priority. A Theological Education scholarship program was started in 1994, and then reconstituted into the current structure in 1999. Overall, the Foundation has invested over $8,189,175 in TE scholarships through 75 schools. In 2008 Mustard Seed gave $237,052 through 183 scholarships at nine institutions.
The Foundation has also recognized the need for Christian leaders in major cities around the world to mobilize the Church to engage all aspects of society. To this end, the Foundation initiated another theological scholarship in 1997 called the Raymond J. Bakke (RJB) Award for leaders in urban ministry studying under the mentorship of Ray Bakke. In 2006 we began providing similar scholarships through Bakke Graduate University (BGU). In 2008 the Foundation gave $222,763 for
109 scholarships at BGU.
The Mustard Seed Foundation has a desire to use its resources to help Christians integrate their faith with all areas of their lives, including their secular work. To promote this concept, the Foundation started the Theology of Work (TOW) grant program in 2007 to provide grants to seminaries and institutions that are creatively advancing the study of workplace theology. In 2008 Mustard Seed gave 27 TOW grants to teaching institutions totaling $208,976.
It has been priority of the Foundation to keep administrative costs low since its inception. When the Foundation started, there was no staff; the volunteer Board developed and managed all the grants, keeping administrative costs low. In order to facilitate the growing portfolio of international church-based granting and new scholarship programs, it was necessary to hire staff and spend more to administer the increasing work. In 1990, the Foundation hired its first staff, and in 2008 the Foundation had staff in eight cities around the world. The total administrative spending of the Foundation in 2008 was $1,257,394.
The Foundation has been thankful for the opportunity to steward God’s resources to Christ-centered projects and people around the world for the last twenty-five years. When starting out with five grants in 1984, no one could have imagined the Foundation would give over 5,500 more.
- Excerpt from the 2008 Annual Report
View the financials page of the 2008 Annual Report.
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