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The Gunnar and Ruth Lie Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The Gunnar and Ruth Lie Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$2.5M
Granted FY2024still arriving
7
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$1.5M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Religion$7.4MEducation$1.6MPhilanthropy$1.3MInternational$1.0MHuman Services$490kYouth Development$408kHousing & Shelter$280kPublic Benefit$115kOther$0
02FY2024 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $2k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $550k
  • $250k+2 grants · $1.9M
$200,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$38M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
PURSUIT NORTHWEST$1,500,000
FOUNDATION FOR THE NATIONS USA$400,000
UNION GOSPEL MISSION$200,000
JUBILEE REACH$200,000
FAMILY POLICY INSTITUTE OF WASHINGTON$100,000
NORTHWEST UNIVERSITY$50,000
MOSAIC ARTS NW$1,500
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY20–22, $280k) land where the poverty rate runs at 9%, against an area that typically sits at 8%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 8%VISION HOUSE: $130k → 9%VISION HOUSE: $100k → 9%VISION HOUSE: $50k → 9%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

WA
ID
PA
CA
CO
HI
LA
GA
TX
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

55%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$6.9M · 15 repeat orgs$5.6M to everyone else

15 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2024, 11 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

15
13

Total granted

$6.9M
$3.7M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

-6%
+22%

Still filing today

47%
31%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 22% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $1.9M went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’20’21’22’23’24
ReligionCivil RightsHuman ServicesEducationInternationalPhilanthropyOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • JR
    Jubilee REACH
    5× · 2020–2024 · $1.3M · revenue +14%
  • VH
    VISION HOUSE
    3× · 2020–2022 · $280k · revenue +43%
  • FP
    Family Policy Institute of Washington
    3× · 2021–2024 · $115k · revenue +3%

Funded once

  • TP
    THE PURSUIT CHURCH
    one grant, 2023 · $2.0M
  • KC
    KINGS CATHEDRAL
    one grant, 2021 · $1.2M
  • IM
    IMPACT MINISTRIES
    one grant, 2022 · $120k
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Christian Mission for the United Nations Community

Christian Mission for the United Nations Community is a ministry aimed at leading the head of every nation and other top leaders to faith in Jesus Christ and helping them to walk in dependence upon God as they discharge the…

—
2
North America Bible Institute

North America Bible Institute (NABI) is an evangelical graduate school, made up of students who are diverse in both ethnicity and ministry aims -- but united in great love for Jesus and his gospel. As a graduate school, NABI offers them…

Education
3
Jesus for Asia Inc

Jesus for asia exists for one purpose: to see as many people as possible accept eternal life before it's too late. we do this by going to the least reached section of the planet and by calling the church to re-engage its mission. in other…

Religion
4
Serving Beyond Borders

Serving and pastoring overseas workers on their own turf and equipping nationals by training and empowering them in their work of advancing the gospel.

Human Services
5
Probe Ministries International

To present the gospel by providing life-long opportunities to integrate faith and learning through balanced, biblically based scholarship, training people to love god by renewing their minds and equipping the church to engage the world for…

Religion
6
Christian Harvest International Min

To provide strategic teaching about prayer, prophecy, and intercession in the US and abroad. Books, manuals, and audio teachings are also used to equip Christians in strategic level spiritual prayer and warfare.

Religion
7
Reconciliation Ministries International Inc

Reconciliaton Ministries Intl. is a Christian evangelical organization preaching and teaching the Word of God in over 60 countries. The ministry equips and encourages Christians everywhere to be saved, healed, and delivered according to…

Religion
8
Apt Ministries

To train pastors/leaders in africa who have little or no formal training and resources. teach them how to study and prepare bible-based messages using the thompson chain reference study bible and to provide bible to trained pastors/leaders.

Religion
9
Freedom in Christ Ministries

To provide resources, training, and continuing support to leaders in the us and around the world in order that they may help others find freedom in christ.

Religion
10
Christian Vision North America
—
11
Christianity Today International

Christianity Today is a global community inspired by evangelical conviction to advance the stories and ideas of the kingdom of God. Our mission is to elevate the storytellers and sages of the global church.

Religion
12
Timothy Two Project International

Reaching and teaching pastors in the majority world.

Religion
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Foundation for the Nations Usa; the most unlike its peers is Church Awakening. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

13 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 13 of the 32 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
0
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/13
Grantees still filing
6/13
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE PURSUIT CHURCH: $2,000,000 · OtherTHE PURSUIT CHURCHPURSUIT NORTHWEST: $1,500,000 · OtherPURSUIT NORTHWESTIndividual grant recipient: $1,200,000 · OtherIndividual grant recipientKINGS CATHEDRAL: $1,200,000 · OtherKINGS CATHEDRALYOUTH FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONAL: $584,242 · OtherYOUTH FOR CHRIST INTERNATIONALUNION GOSPEL MISSION: $500,000 · OtherUNION GOSPEL MISSIONYOUTH FOR CHRIST: $408,000 · OtherNORTHWEST UNIVERSITY: $280,000 · Other+12 more: $584,500 · Other+12 moreAMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY: $1,904,000 · ReligionAMERICAN BIBLE SO…+3 more: $55,000 · ReligionJubilee REACH: $1,327,424 · EducationJubilee REA…Foundation for the Nations USA: $400,000 · PhilanthropyNEMA FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 · PhilanthropyVISION HOUSE: $280,000 · Human ServicesMAMA'S HOUSE MINISTRIES FKA HEARTBEAT AT 22: $10,000 · Human ServicesFamily Policy Institute of Washington: $115,000 · Civil RightsFIRST LIBERTY INSTITUTE: $100,000 · Civil RightsMEDICAL TEAMS INTERNATIONAL: $30,000 · International
Other$8,256,742Religion$1,959,000Education$1,327,424Philanthropy$700,000Human Services$290,000Civil Rights$215,000International$30,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetAMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY: $1,904,000 over 2y, 1.2% of budgetJubilee REACH: $1,327,424 over 5y, 13% of budgetFoundation for the Nations USA: $400,000 over 1y, 15% of budgetNEMA FOUNDATION INC: $300,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetVISION HOUSE: $280,000 over 3y, 2.6% of budgetNORTHWEST UNIVERSITY: $280,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetFamily Policy Institute of Washington: $115,000 over 3y, 11% of budgetFIRST LIBERTY INSTITUTE: $100,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetJAQUITH MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL: $40,000 over 2y, 7.9% of budgetMEDICAL TEAMS INTERNATIONAL: $30,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetChurch Awakening: $10,000 over 2y, 3.5% of budgetMAMA'S HOUSE MINISTRIES FKA HEARTBEAT AT 22: $10,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetTRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTER OF SANTA ANA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds Jubilee REACH ↗
  • Who funds Foundation for the Nations USA ↗
  • Who funds NEMA FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds VISION HOUSE ↗
  • Who funds NORTHWEST UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds Family Policy Institute of Washington ↗
  • Who funds FIRST LIBERTY INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds JAQUITH MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL ↗
  • Who funds MEDICAL TEAMS INTERNATIONAL ↗
  • Who funds Church Awakening ↗
  • Who funds MAMA'S HOUSE MINISTRIES FKA HEARTBEAT AT 22 ↗
  • Who funds TRINITY CHRISTIAN CENTER OF SANTA ANA ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Servant FoundationPuget Sound Energy Fo…Natl Christian Charit…American Endowment Fo…The Blackbaud Giving …Vanguard Charitable E…Charities Aid Foundat…Donor Advised Charita…The Bank of America C…Fidelity Investments …American Online Givin…Amazonsmile Foundation
Servant FoundationKS18.9× affinity8 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Servant Foundation · Puget Sound Energy Foundation · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · American Endowment Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Charities Aid Foundation America · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Amazonsmile Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization The Gunnar and Ruth Lie Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Gunnar and Ruth Lie Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%1%4%8%15%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →median 14%
  • Medical Teams International: 14% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
2get no government money at all
3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 32 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Gunnar and Ruth Lie’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home