Kentucky Baptist Foundation
Kentucky Baptist Foundation is a Louisville-based non-profit founded in 1945 that provides socially screened investment management, charitable gift planning, endowments, and church lending to Kentucky Baptist Convention churches, agencies, and individual donors, managing $235M+ across 900+ accounts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1945
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Kentucky Baptist Foundation does
Kentucky Baptist Foundation (KBF) is a non-profit corporation established in 1945 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that serves as the fiduciary and financial services arm of the Kentucky Baptist Convention (KBC). It provides socially screened investment management, charitable gift planning, estate planning, endowment administration, and church financing to KBC churches, denominational agencies, institutions, and individual Baptist donors. KBF manages more than $235 million in assets across 900+ active accounts and has distributed over $280 million in ministry assistance across its 75+ year history, including $7.2 million in 2023 alone.
The foundation's product portfolio spans investment products (Great Commission Certificates and the Short Term Fund, a low-risk stable-value fund currently paying 4.25% annualized with daily liquidity), giving vehicles (Donor Advised Funds, endowments, scholarships, charitable giving accounts), and services (estate planning, stewardship education, and the Compass financial discipleship resource). A new church loan program launched in 2025 through a partnership with WatersEdge (Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma) extends credit to Kentucky Baptist churches for construction, renovation, and emergency needs, typically around $500,000 per loan. Underlying investment management is delivered through a longstanding relationship with PNC Bank, with social screening overlays ensuring alignment with Baptist values.
KBF operates as a freemium relationship-driven business: consultations, strategy sessions, and estate planning for KBC pastors are offered free, while revenue is generated through AUM-based management fees, the Short Term Fund yield spread, lending economics, and donor advised fund administration. Its go-to-market is exclusively through the KBC ecosystem — engaging pastors, church leaders, and associational mission strategists via the Pastors Council, KBF Ambassador Program, church presentations, and events such as the Philanthropy Lunch & Learn. The organization is governed by a board of approximately 17 members and led by President and CEO French Harmon (since 2020), with Kim Fulkerson as COO and Austin Wilkerson as General Counsel.
Kentucky Baptist Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kentucky Baptist Foundation
- Legal name
- Kentucky Baptist Foundation
- Website
- https://kybaptistfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1945
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Kentucky Baptist Foundation is a Louisville-based non-profit founded in 1945 that provides socially screened investment management, charitable gift planning, endowments, and church lending to Kentucky Baptist Convention churches, agencies, and individual donors, managing $235M+ across 900+ accounts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kentucky Baptist Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Faith-based Investment Management and Charitable Financial Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious Organizations (81311), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)
Keywords
Where Kentucky Baptist Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kentucky Baptist Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Investment Management: KBF manages investments for churches, institutions, and individuals, earning fees on assets under management. The foundation actively manages over $235 million across 900+ accounts.
- Socially Screened Investment Products: Offers Great Commission Certificates and Short Term Fund investments that provide returns to investors while advancing gospel ministry.
- Endowment Management: KBF assists Kentucky Baptists in structuring estates and managing endowments to benefit churches, mission organizations, and gospel-centered causes with perpetual funding.
- Church Loans: Working with WatersEdge, KBF provides loans to Kentucky Baptist churches for construction, renovation, revitalization and emergencies. Targeting loans around $500,000 with flexible terms.
- Gospel Impact Fund Distributions: Distributes funds to support Baptist causes including grants for KBC projects, flood relief, disaster relief, water wells internationally, and urban/social ministries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Short Term Fund (STF) - Low-risk church investment account |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Church Loans - Construction and renovation financing |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Consultations - Strategy sessions for churches and individuals |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Kentucky Baptist Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kentucky Baptist Foundation (KBF) is a nonprofit organization that provides socially screened investment management, endowment structuring, donor advised funds, charitable gift planning, and church lending services to churches, institutions, and individuals within the Kentucky Baptist Convention. It manages more than $235 million across 900+ accounts, distributing over $280 million in ministry assistance since 1945 through products such as Great Commission Certificates, the Short Term Fund, Church Loans, the Gospel Impact Fund, and estate planning services.
Product overview
Kentucky Baptist Foundation offers a comprehensive suite of faith-based financial services centered around funding the Great Commission. The organization provides investment products (Great Commission Certificates, Short Term Fund), loan programs (Church Loans), and grant programs (Gospel Impact Fund, Scholarships). Core services include estate planning, charitable giving, donor advised funds, and endowments. Additional support services encompass investment services with social screening, stewardship education, and the Compass financial discipleship resource. The foundation serves individuals, churches, and institutions within the Kentucky Baptist Convention with $235 million in assets across 900+ accounts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Great Commission Certificates Investment certificates that allow Kentucky Baptists to enhance their financial resources while contributing to ministry efforts, with funds invested in alignment with biblical principles.
- Short Term Fund (STF) A low-risk investment alternative to traditional savings or money market accounts offering daily liquidity, security, and competitive returns (4.25% annualized as of recent reports) for churches, institutions, and nonprofit organizations. Minimum $5,000 to start; earnings posted monthly.
- Church Loans Loan program for Kentucky Baptist churches providing financing for construction, renovation, revitalization, and emergency needs, targeting smaller churches with loans typically around $500,000 and flexible terms, serviced in partnership with WatersEdge.
- Gospel Impact Fund Grant program established in 2021 to provide resources to churches, institutions, and agencies to meet physical and spiritual needs, including water well projects in southeast Asia and other gospel-centered causes.
- Estate Planning
Quantifiable outcome
- $280M+ distributed in ministry assistance over 75+ years
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Kentucky Baptist Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kentucky Baptist Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Kentucky Baptist Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- WatersEdge (Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma)coreKBF partnered with WatersEdge to provide church loans to Kentucky Baptist churches. WatersEdge CEO Robert Kellogg worked with KBF for about two years to develop the program. WatersEdge handles loan servicing for loans targeting around $500,000 for construction, renovation, and revitalization.
- Lifeway Christian ResourcescoreLifeway partnered with KBF for The Seed Project, supplying Bibles for distribution to children and youth at Vacation Bible Schools, church camps, and other outreach events through KBC churches. Lifeway is one of the nation's leading Christian resource providers.
- PhilanthroCorpminorKBF partners with PhilanthroCorp for personal estate planning consultation services. This service is available at no cost through a grant from KBC for every KBC church pastor.
- International Mission Board (IMB)coreKBF partnered with IMB to fund the Gospel Impact Fund's Clean Water Project, providing 50 water wells in southeast Asia. Working with IMB President Dr. Paul Chitwood and Chief Advancement Officer Chris Kennedy, KBF invested $80,000 in clean water and gospel outreach.
- Compass Financial MinistryminorKBF partners with Compass to bring Kentucky Baptists resources for the stewardship journey, including videos on handling finances God's way, Bible-based financial teaching, and practical stewardship tools.
- Kentucky Baptist ConventioncoreKBF serves as the fiduciary for KBC churches, agencies, and institutions. Deep partnership with KBC Executive Director and Mission Board leadership. KBF participates in KBC Annual Meeting and EQUIP conferences.
- Clear Creek Baptist Bible CollegeminorKBF partners with Clear Creek Baptist Bible College to provide administrative support for scholarships and increased ministry scholarships for students.
- Boyce CollegeminorKBF partners with Boyce College (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) to provide scholarships for students preparing for ministry.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves12 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kentucky Baptist Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma (WatersEdge): Serves Oklahoma Southern Baptists with socially screened investment management, endowments, estate planning and church lending. Direct strategic partner of KBF for the 2025 church loan program; structurally identical in mission, customer base and product mix.
- Texas Baptist Foundation: Texas Baptist Convention-affiliated foundation providing investment services, planned giving, church loans and grants to Texas Baptist churches and members. Closest large-scale parallel to KBF's mandate and operating model.
- HighGround Advisors (Baptist Foundation of Alabama): Alabama Baptist-affiliated foundation offering biblically responsible investing, church loans, planned giving and endowment services to state Baptist churches and individuals. Directly comparable in faith-screened investment and church financing focus.
- AG Financial / AG Trust: Provides financial services, planned giving, retirement and insurance to Assemblies of God churches and members. Comparable denomination-aligned financial services and stewardship model, serving a different evangelical constituency.
Broad incumbents
- National Christian Foundation: One of the largest Christian grantmaking organizations in the U.S., operating donor advised funds, planned giving and investment services for Christian donors nationwide. Competes for the same faith-aligned donor-advised fund and planned giving wallet as KBF, but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
- Thrivent Financial: Large faith-based financial services company offering investments, insurance, banking and generosity programs to Christian individuals and congregations. A much broader incumbent overlapping with KBF on biblically screened investments, planned giving and church engagement.
- Fidelity Charitable: Largest donor advised fund sponsor in the U.S., offering DAFs, investment options and planned giving for individual donors. A secular-scale incumbent that competes with KBF's DAF offering on technology, investment menu and minimums.
- Schwab Charitable: Major national donor advised fund provider with broad investment menus and integrated brokerage. Competes directly with KBF for KBC donors seeking tax-advantaged giving vehicles, with significantly greater scale and digital infrastructure.
Emerging players
- The Signatry: Christian-focused national donor advised fund and generosity platform designed to mobilize Kingdom-impact giving. An emerging peer in the faith-based DAF space with overlapping donor constituency and missional investing framing.
- Crown Financial Ministries: Christian stewardship education and financial discipleship ministry that partners with churches and donors on biblical money management. Overlaps with KBF's stewardship education offering and Compass partnership.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kentucky Baptist Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceKentucky Baptist Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kentucky Baptist Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Kentucky Baptist Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kentucky Baptist Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kentucky Baptist Foundation
What does Kentucky Baptist Foundation do?
Kentucky Baptist Foundation (KBF) is a nonprofit organization that provides socially screened investment management, endowment structuring, donor advised funds, charitable gift planning, and church lending services to churches, institutions, and individuals within the Kentucky Baptist Convention. It manages more than $235 million across 900+ accounts, distributing over $280 million in ministry assistance since 1945 through products such as Great Commission Certificates, the Short Term Fund, Church Loans, the Gospel Impact Fund, and estate planning services.
Is Kentucky Baptist Foundation a public or private company?
Kentucky Baptist Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Kentucky Baptist Foundation founded?
Kentucky Baptist Foundation was founded in 1945. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Kentucky Baptist Foundation based?
Kentucky Baptist Foundation is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kentucky Baptist Foundation make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Investment Management is the primary driver. The others are socially Screened Investment Products, endowment Management, church Loans and gospel Impact Fund Distributions.
Who are Kentucky Baptist Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma (WatersEdge), Texas Baptist Foundation, HighGround Advisors (Baptist Foundation of Alabama) and AG Financial / AG Trust. Broad incumbents are National Christian Foundation, Thrivent Financial, Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Charitable. Emerging players are The Signatry and Crown Financial Ministries.
Does Kentucky Baptist Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kentucky Baptist Foundation.
What industry is Kentucky Baptist Foundation in?
Kentucky Baptist Foundation's product category is Faith-based Investment Management and Charitable Financial Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAC, Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking, with a secondary code of EDADAHAC, Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 6282.