Wesleyan Investment Foundation

What Wesleyan Investment Foundation does

Wesleyan Investment Foundation, Inc. (WIF) is an Indiana nonprofit corporation founded in 1946 that operates a faith-based two-sided financial platform linking church borrowers with individual, church, nonprofit, and corporate investors. On the borrow side, WIF originates first-mortgage church loans of up to three times recurring annual tithes and offerings, with terms up to 30 years, used for property purchases, new construction, renovations, expansions, and refinancing; the loans carry rates set against market conditions, are initially fixed for three years, and adjust every three years thereafter, with closing costs of 1.0–2.0%, an origination fee of 0.05–1.0% (minimum $500), and a 2.0% prepayment premium if refinanced by another lender. Construction and renovation loans are serviced through a digital draw request system that accepts AIA G702/703 forms, invoices, lien waivers, and project photos. WIF has financed approximately 1,400 church loans across North America and has never foreclosed or missed an investor interest payment in over 75 years of operation.

On the invest side, WIF accepts demand investments from a $100 minimum and self-directed IRAs (Traditional, Roth, SEP, Simple, and Inherited) from a $7,500 minimum, with tiered rates of 3.00–3.02% APY below $5,000, 3.50–3.53% APY from $5,000–$34,999, and 4.00–4.04% APY at $35,000 and above, accrued daily and compounded semi-annually on June 30 and December 31. Account access is delivered through a web portal, a secure investor site, and the myWIF iOS/Android mobile app, with phone support staffed during U.S. business hours and live chat available from 9am–3:30pm EST; next-business-day redemption is available for requests submitted before 3:30pm EST. Supporting digital tools include a Budget Calculator (church budget scenario planning) and a Loan Calculator hosted at planning.wifonline.com.

WIF monetizes the spread between church loan rates and investor rates plus origination and closing fees, and is governed by a Board of Directors under the leadership of CEO Norwood Davis (appointed 2025), Executive Chairman Craig A. Dunn, CFO Dave Harbeck, and General Counsel Regina Sharrow. The go-to-market is a hybrid sales-led model: a direct church-facing relationship channel anchored by the Association of Related Churches (ARC) partnership established in 2017 ($10M direct investment and $830M financing into ARC churches), supplemented by digital self-serve application portals (apply.wifonline.com) and content marketing including testimonial Stories and an annual Impact Report. The investor acquisition channel is direct-to-consumer via the website and mobile app. WIF is not a bank and its investments are not FDIC- or SIPC-insured; offerings are made only via its Offering Circular in authorized states.

Name

Wesleyan Investment Foundation

Legal name

Wesleyan Investment Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://wifonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wesleyan Investment Foundation is an Indiana nonprofit, founded 1946, that originates first-mortgage church loans for property, construction, and refinancing while raising capital from individual, church, nonprofit, and business investors through demand investments and self-directed IRAs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Lending and Investment Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Credit Unions (522130), Pension Funds (525110)

SIC

Mortgage Bankers & Loan Correspondents (6162), Savings Institutions, Not Federally Chartered (6036)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH)

Keywords

• Church lending
• Faith-based investments
• Religious organization financing
• Self-directed IRAs
• First mortgage loans

Headquarters

HQ city

Fishers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Church Loan Interest: WIF generates revenue primarily through interest charged on church loans. The organization provides first mortgage loans to churches for capital projects including property purchases, new construction, renovations, expansions, and debt refinancing. Interest rates are competitive and determined based on current market conditions, with initial rates fixed for three years and adjusting every three years thereafter.
2. Investment Returns from Depositors: WIF accepts investments from individuals, churches, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. The organization uses these invested funds to provide loans to churches. Interest is accrued daily and applied semi-annually on June 30 and December 31. Investment minimum is $100 with tiered interest rates based on principal balance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wesleyan Investment Foundation (WIF) is a faith-based nonprofit financial organization that provides first mortgage loans to churches for property purchases, new construction, renovations, expansions, and debt refinancing. WIF funds these loans by accepting investments from individuals, churches, nonprofit organizations, and businesses, offering tiered interest rates and self-directed IRA options (Traditional, Roth, SEP, Simple, and Inherited).

Product overview

Wesleyan Investment Foundation (WIF) is a faith-based financial organization serving the local church through two core product lines: Church Loans (first mortgage financing for property purchase, construction, renovation, expansion, and refinancing) and Investments (Demand Investments and Self-Directed IRAs for individuals, churches, nonprofits, and businesses). Digital tools including the myWIF Mobile App, Budget Calculator, Loan Calculator, and Online Access portal support the core offerings. WIF serves approximately 1,400 church loans and 10,000+ investors across North America with a model where investor funds are loaned to churches to build the Kingdom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Church Loans First mortgage loans to churches for capital projects including property purchase, new construction, renovations, expansion, and refinancing of existing debt. Loan amounts up to three times recurring annual tithes and offerings, with terms up to 30 years and initial rates fixed for three years.
• Demand Investments Faith-based investment opportunities for individuals, churches, nonprofit organizations, and businesses. Minimum investment of $100 with tiered interest rates (3.00%-4.04% APY) based on principal balance, daily interest accrual, and semi-annual compounding on June 30 and December 31. Next-business-day redemption available for requests made before 3:30pm EST.
• Self-Directed IRAs Individual Retirement Accounts (Traditional, Roth, SEP, Simple, and Inherited) with a $7,500 minimum opening balance. Investments are managed through custodian partnership with tiered interest rates and semi-annual interest compounding.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,400+ church loans funded across North America
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Association of Related Churches (ARC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Strategic partnership established in 2017 focused on church planting efforts. WIF has invested $10 million directly into ARC church planting efforts while providing $830 million in financing to ARC churches. The partnership is described as transformational for church planting and reflects shared commitment to strengthening local churches and accelerating church planting across the country. WIF is marking its 80th anniversary during this ongoing collaboration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GuideStone Financial Resources: Financial services organization affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, offering retirement, insurance, and lending products to pastors, church staff, and SBC entities — directly comparable as a faith-aligned financial intermediary serving churches and ministry professionals.
• MMBB Financial: Provides retirement, insurance, and lending solutions to ministers, missionaries, and staff of American Baptist and Progressive National Baptist churches — comparable business model of pooling faith-aligned capital and serving the same church-worker ecosystem.
• Christian Community Credit Union: Faith-based, federally insured credit union serving the broader Christian community with deposit accounts, loans, and investments — overlapping with WIF in faith-aligned pooled-capital-and-lending model, differing primarily through federal deposit insurance.
• AG Financial: Financial services organization affiliated with the Assemblies of God denomination, offering loans, investments, retirement, and insurance to AG churches and workers — directly comparable as a denominationally-aligned capital pool for church financing.
• Texas Methodist Foundation: Foundation that provides loans, investments, and financial planning services to United Methodist churches and related entities, primarily in Texas — same church-financing core, narrower denominational and geographic footprint.

Regional players

• Baptist Foundation of Texas: Baptist-affiliated foundation providing investment and loan products to Baptist churches and ministries in Texas — comparable pooled-capital and church-lending model, but scoped to a regional Baptist constituency.
• Church Extension Plan (LCMS Minnesota): Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod organization providing church planting loans and financial services to LCMS congregations primarily in Minnesota — comparable faith-based church financing function, narrower denominational/geographic scope.
• Concordia Plan Services: LCMS-affiliated organization administering health, retirement, and financial benefit plans for Lutheran church workers — adjacent financial-services-for-faith-leaders model, narrower denomination and benefits focus.

Broad incumbents

• Thrivent Financial: Large, broadly diversified financial services company serving the Christian community with banking, lending, investments, and insurance — operates at much greater scale and breadth, overlapping with WIF primarily on faith-aligned lending and investment products.

Others

• National Christian Foundation: Large Christian donor-advised fund sponsor that channels charitable capital to faith-based causes and ministries — comparable in mobilizing faith-aligned capital, but operates through grantmaking rather than direct church lending.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/wifonline
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wifonline
• Facebookfacebook.com/wifonline
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wesleyan-investment-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/wifonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wesleyan Investment Foundation