Services for Churches
Our churches are the core of conservative Anabaptist community life. Anabaptist Foundation’s role is secondary. We exist to support the church, not direct it.
Charity Hardship Fund Loans
From time to time, a church faces an alms or deacon fund need that far exceeds the immediate available resources of the local congregation. Our Charity Hardship Fund offers short-term, interest-free loans to support church alms funds in such situations.
Rather than replacing the local church’s responsibility to meet its members’ needs, these loans allow the local need to be met upfront. This helps the church secure the largest possible discounts from medical providers, while giving time for collections to be taken locally and from other supporting churches.
Please contact us for additional information on Charity Hardship Fund Loans.
Special Gift Fund
Occasionally, the Foundation opens a Special Gift Fund to serve as a collection account for a specific need at an AF constituency charity. Such funds are temporary in nature but provide an opportunity for a wide variety of donors to contribute toward a specific goal, such as a building expansion or equipment upgrade.
Please contact us for additional information on Special Gift Funds.
Earmarking Gifts
To preserve our Christian witness, church alms funds should operate in full compliance with IRS regulations governing charitable giving. Please see our Earmarking Gifts brochure, which helps churches and donors understand how alms funds should and should not be used.
Guidelines for Responsible Giving
Contributions to Anabaptist Foundation are irrevocable and cannot be refunded to the donor. Once a gift is made, the donor no longer has legal control over the donated assets.
As an IRS approved donor-advised fund, the Charitable Gift Fund allows donors to recommend which churches and charities benefit from their gifts, within the guidelines stated below.
The Foundation has the sole legal authority to make gift decisions, but we consider disbursements to charitable organizations which comply with the following guidelines:
- The organization has a clear statement of purpose, and its programs are consistent with it. This means that the programs of the organizations are related to its publicly advertised mission statement.
- The Foundation will not distribute funds to organizations whose purposes or programs are antithetical to the beliefs and Biblical principles generally held by conservative Anabaptists.
- The organization has a board which serves as an active and responsible governing body, holds regular meetings, and whose members have no material conflicts of interest.
- The organization discloses, upon request, a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service verifying its tax-exempt status. (Churches are exempt from this requirement.)
- The finances of the organization are independently audited at least once a year according to generally accepted accounting practices. (Churches are exempt from this requirement.)
- The organization makes available, upon request, an annual report which contains detailed information on program activities and finances.
- The organization responds promptly to reasonable questions from prospective donors.
- The organization’s general administrative and fundraising expenses do not exceed 30 percent of contributions. In other words, at least 70 cents of each dollar contributed goes directly into programs that carry out the organization’s stated charitable purposes.
- The organization promotes itself ethically, avoiding exaggerated claims, misleading statements, or deceptive photographs.
- While Anabaptist Foundation encourages donors to consider contributions to church organizations, these guidelines are not intended to exclude non-church organizations, such as local fire departments or other community-based, nonprofit organizations.
- Anabaptist Foundation will consider receiving contributions for charitable purposes that are not represented by any specific nonprofit organization, as long as they align with the charitable purposes of Anabaptist Foundation.