The Florida United Methodist Foundation

What The Florida United Methodist Foundation does

The Florida United Methodist Foundation is a non-profit religious financial services organization founded in 1966 and headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, exclusively serving the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. The Foundation provides faith-aligned financial services to affiliated churches, agencies, institutions, clergy, and individuals, including the Development Fund (a deposit account currently paying 3.5% APY), church and agency loans (currently at 5.75%), CEFEX-certified FUMF Funds investment management for eligible institutional participants, endowment services, charitable gift annuities, and consultation services covering retirement and estate planning. The Sinclair Scholarship program funds undergraduate United Methodist students, while Ministry Grants support congregational initiatives across the conference.

The Foundation operates the FoundationHub online account management platform for digital account access and online deposits, with technology integrations limited to third-party services including Stripe for ACH and card payment processing, FICS for hosted loan servicing, and reCAPTCHA for bot protection. There is no proprietary AI/ML or advanced technical capability; the technology footprint is conventional and operational rather than a source of differentiation.

Revenue mechanics rely on the net interest spread between deposits paid and loans charged, investment management and endowment fees, and ancillary fees from planned-giving vehicles and consultation services. The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors, led by President and CEO Rev. Edward S. New, and operates as a self-sustaining mission-driven organization rather than a profit-maximizing entity. Geographic service is restricted to the Florida Conference, and accounts are explicitly not FDIC-insured.

Name

The Florida United Methodist Foundation

Legal name

Florida United Methodist Foundation

Website

https://fumf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Florida United Methodist Foundation is a Lakeland, Florida-based non-profit founded in 1966 that provides faith-aligned financial services—including deposit accounts, church loans, investment funds, endowments, and charitable gift annuities—to churches, agencies, clergy, and individuals within the Florida United Methodist Conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Organization Financial Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC)

Keywords

• Church lending services
• Ministry investment management
• Endowment stewardship services
• Religious organization banking
• Charitable gift annuities

Headquarters

HQ city

Lakeland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Development Fund Deposits: The Foundation accepts deposits from churches and agencies into its Development Fund, paying interest to depositors and using those funds to make loans to other churches and ministries.
2. Church and Agency Loans: The Foundation provides loans to Florida United Methodist churches and agencies for facility improvements, expansions, and other ministry needs. Interest income from loans generates revenue.
3. Investment Fund Management: The Foundation manages investment funds for eligible Florida United Methodist churches, agencies, and institutions. These funds are offered with CEFEX certification.
4. Endowment Services: The Foundation provides endowment management services to help churches and ministries establish and manage endowment funds for long-term financial sustainability.
5. Charitable Gift Annuities: The Foundation offers charitable gift annuities, providing donors with fixed payments while ultimately benefiting church ministries.
6. Consultation Services: The Foundation provides consultation services including retirement planning, estate planning, and general stewardship guidance for churches, clergy, and individuals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Florida United Methodist Foundation provides faith-aligned financial services to Florida United Methodist churches, agencies, clergy, and individuals. Core offerings include the Development Fund deposit accounts (3.5% APY), Church/Agency Loans (5.75%), FUMF investment funds, endowment management, charitable gift annuities, retirement and estate planning consultations, ministry grants, and student scholarships, all delivered through direct consultation and the FoundationHub online platform.

Product overview

The Florida United Methodist Foundation is a financial services organization serving Florida United Methodist churches and individuals with a comprehensive suite of ministry-focused financial products. The core offerings center on the Development Fund (deposit accounts earning 3.5%) and Church/Agency Loans (at 5.75%), complemented by investment management through FUMF Funds for eligible churches and agencies. Additional services include Endowment Services for long-term fund management, Consultation Services (retirement and estate planning), Charitable Gift Annuities for planned giving, Stewardship Programs for congregational financial education, and FoundationHub as the online account management platform. The Foundation also administers the Sinclair Scholarship for students and offers Ministry Grants for church initiatives. The organization is not a bank and accounts are not FDIC insured, but services are aligned with the Foundation's mission of faithful stewardship supporting Christian ministry growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Development Fund: Investment fund for deposits with a deposit rate of 3.5%
• FUMF Funds
• Sinclair Scholarship
• R-10 and Counting

Products and services

• Development Fund A deposit and investment account offering with a 3.5% deposit rate, available to Florida United Methodist churches, agencies, and individuals for saving and earning interest while supporting ministry.
• Church/Agency Loans Lending services providing loans to Florida United Methodist churches and agencies, with a 5.75% loan rate, for facility expansion, renovations, and ministry support.
• FUMF Funds (Investment Funds) Investment funds exclusively available to Florida United Methodist churches, agencies, and institutions, offering professionally managed portfolios aligned with Methodist values and CEFEX certification.
• Endowment Services Comprehensive endowment management services to help Florida United Methodist churches establish, grow, and steward endowment funds for long-term ministry sustainability.
• Consultation Services Advisory services including retirement planning and estate planning to help clergy, church leaders, and individuals steward financial resources faithfully.
• Charitable Gift Annuities Planned giving vehicle allowing donors to make charitable gifts while receiving fixed income payments for life, supporting both the donor and ministry.
• Stewardship Programs Educational resources and programs to help Florida United Methodist churches develop healthy financial stewardship practices among their congregations.
• Sinclair Scholarship Scholarship program funded by the late Allen and Carson Sinclair, supporting United Methodist scholars pursuing undergraduate studies for up to four years, focused on leadership in churches, schools, and communities.
• Ministry Grants Grant funding available to support ministry initiatives and programs across Florida United Methodist churches and organizations.
• FoundationHub Online account management platform allowing users to open and manage accounts, make deposits, and access account information through the Foundation's website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Current Development Fund deposit rate of 3.5% APY for church and agency accounts.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX)coreOthersCEFEX provides certification services to verify that the Foundation's investment fund operations adhere to fiduciary best practices and industry standards. This certification demonstrates the Foundation's commitment to professional investment management and fiduciary responsibility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Methodist Development Fund: National UMC-aligned entity offering church loans and investments to congregations across multiple annual conferences. Direct competitor for church capital and a natural benchmark for product breadth and pricing within the Methodist ecosystem.
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Foundation: Denominational foundation serving ELCA congregations with gift planning, investment services, and endowment management. Cross-denomination peer reflecting the same mainline-Protestant financial stewardship model.
• United Methodist Church Extension Fund (UMCEF): Historically the United Methodist Church's central church-building loan fund, providing mortgages and capital to UMC congregations nationwide. Competes with the Florida Foundation for any cross-border or capital-intensive church financing.
• Indiana United Methodist Foundation: Conference-level United Methodist foundation providing investment management, church lending, and planned-giving services to Indiana UMC churches and ministries. Same operating model as FUMF, regional peer.
• Presbyterian Foundation: Faith-aligned foundation providing financial planning services, ministry loans, and planned giving to Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations and members. Identical product mix to FUMF in a neighboring mainline denomination — strong structural comparable.
• California-Pacific United Methodist Foundation: Regional United Methodist foundation serving the California-Pacific Conference with church loans, investment funds, and endowment services. Functionally identical to FUMF but operating in a different geography; useful peer for benchmarking product mix and pricing.
• Texas Methodist Foundation: Provides nearly identical products — church loans, investment funds, endowment services, charitable gift annuities, and grants — to United Methodist churches within the Texas Annual Conference. Most direct head-to-head peer in the UMC foundation space, differing only by conference geography.

Broad incumbents

• Foundation Source: Large-scale provider of back-office foundation administration, investment management, and compliance services to private foundations. Could be viewed either as a complementary service provider to FUMF or as competition in the endowment-management market.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor, offering planned giving and charitable investment accounts that compete with FUMF's charitable gift annuity and endowment offerings. Broader, secular, much larger scale.
• National Christian Foundation (NCF): Large Christian-affiliated donor-advised fund and giving platform that serves givers across many denominations. Competes with FUMF for charitable gift annuities, planned giving, and large donor relationships, but operates at much greater scale and is not denomination-exclusive.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks12 records

Key highlights9 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/floridaumf

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Florida United Methodist Foundation