The Carter Family Foundation

What The Carter Family Foundation does

The Carter Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2019 by Duane and Lynn Carter using proceeds from the sale of their hospitality technology business. It operates as a pass-through charitable foundation rather than a product or services business, with 100% of donations distributed to designated mission fields and operating expenses covered by annual personal contributions from adult Carter family members. All officers, directors, and ambassadors serve on a voluntary basis, and the formal headcount is reported as 5 with no paid staff. The foundation is registered under EIN 84-1846685 and is headquartered in Garfield, Arkansas, with offices in Thompson's Station, Tennessee and Dallas, Texas.

The foundation organizes its work around four mission fields: Rescue & Rehabilitation (51% of distributions), Child Protection (21%), Education (17%), and Evangelism & Missions (11%). It supports programs addressing human trafficking prevention, orphan and foster care, crisis pregnancy support, Biblical worldview education, and missionary sending. Beneficiary delivery is conducted through a network of 16 strategic-aligned charities including Mercury One, A21, OUR Rescue, Rescue 1 Global, Compassion International, Hillsdale College, and the Seed Company. Outreach and fundraising rely on the Ambassador Program, which recruits volunteers across Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas for event planning, fundraising, marketing, media, mission trips, and partnership development, complemented by content marketing via blog, email newsletter, and LinkedIn.

The business model is donation-driven rather than commercial. Donor contributions are accepted online and can be directed to specific mission fields or applied flexibly for crisis response, with governance exercised by a Board of Directors composed of the three Carter sons who meet annually at Thanksgiving to allocate funds. The foundation does not sell products, license technology, or generate conventional revenue; financial scale, donation volumes, and Form 990 totals are not disclosed in the available sources.

Name

The Carter Family Foundation

Legal name

The Carter Family Foundation

Website

https://carterfamily.foundation

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Carter Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation founded in 2019 that distributes 100% of donations across four mission fields—Rescue & Rehabilitation, Child Protection, Education, and Evangelism & Missions—through a volunteer Ambassador Program and a network of aligned partner charities in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation services
• Faith-based philanthropy
• Human trafficking rescue
• Child protection programs
• Missionary support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Thompsons Station

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: The Foundation receives charitable donations from donors, which are then distributed to designated mission fields. 100% of all donations are distributed to charitable causes. Operating expenses are covered by personal contributions from Carter family members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Carter Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable foundation that receives donations from individuals and distributes 100% of contributions to four mission fields: Education (17%), Rescue & Rehabilitation (51%), Child Protection (21%), and Evangelism & Missions (11%). It operates an Ambassador Program that recruits volunteers to contribute time, talent, and resources across its mission areas, with operating expenses covered entirely by personal contributions from adult Carter family members.

Product overview

The Carter Family Foundation operates as a single unified charitable organization offering three interconnected programs: an Ambassador Program for volunteer engagement, a Donation Platform for charitable giving, and four Mission Fields Programs (Education, Rescue & Rehabilitation, Child Protection, and Evangelism & Missions). The Foundation distributes 100% of donations to mission fields with all operations covered by the Carter family's personal contributions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ambassador Program A volunteer program inviting individuals to join as Ambassadors of Grace across mission fields including Education, Rescue & Rehabilitation, Child Protection, and Evangelism & Missions. Ambassadors contribute time, talent, and resources through event planning, fundraising, marketing, media, mission trips, office administration, and partnership development across locations in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas.
• Donation Platform Online donation system enabling contributors to give to specific mission fields or where needed most. 100% of donations are distributed to charitable causes; operating expenses are covered by personal contributions from Carter family members.
• Mission Fields Programs Four focused charitable mission areas: Education (17% of distributions, Biblical worldview teaching), Rescue & Rehabilitation (51% of distributions, human trafficking and exploitation rescue, veteran and first responder support), Child Protection (21% of distributions, orphan care, adoption, crisis pregnancy support), and Evangelism & Missions (11% of distributions, missionary equipping and Gospel spreading).

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of donations distributed to mission fields
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mercury OnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian organization supported by the Foundation. Part of the rescue and rehabilitation mission field focused on helping those in crisis situations.
• A21coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnti-human trafficking organization combatting human trafficking globally. Partnered for rescue and rehabilitation mission activities.
• Rescue 1 GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on rescue operations and rehabilitation support. Aligned with the Foundation's rescue mission field.
• Nazarene FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable organization supported through the Foundation's mission work.
• OUR RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization dedicated to rescue operations, particularly focused on human trafficking and exploitation prevention.
• T2TminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supported by the Foundation in mission field activities.
• McKinney Christian AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian educational institution supported in the education mission field.
• Hillsdale CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollege supported for its role in advancing classical education and Biblical worldview. Aligned with education mission field.
• Aerial RecoveryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supported through Foundation's mission work.
• Compassion InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild sponsorship organization supporting child protection mission field through compassion ministry.
• PreBornminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on preventing abortion and supporting mothers. Aligned with child protection mission field.
• ChildFundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild-focused organization supported in child protection efforts.
• CCFAM (Cross Church Family Assistance Ministry)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal church ministry supported through Foundation's charitable distribution.
• Cross ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch organization supported in evangelism and missions.
• Seed CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian missions organization supported in evangelism and Bible translation work.
• Milestone ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch organization supported in evangelism and missions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Samaritan's Purse: Large evangelical humanitarian and disaster relief organization. Comparable in faith-based rescue, rehabilitation, and missions mission fields that overlap with Carter Family Foundation's Rescue & Rehabilitation and Evangelism & Missions categories.
• The Signatry: National Christian donor-advised fund platform. Comparable as an incumbent infrastructure provider in faith-based giving that competes for the same donor dollars and supports similar grantmaking ministries.
• National Christian Foundation: Largest Christian donor-advised fund sponsor in the US, channeling donor contributions to faith-aligned charities. Comparable as a larger incumbent in the Christian grantmaking/giving space that the Carter Family Foundation donors and ambassadors may interact with.
• Focus on the Family: Large Christian family-advocacy and grantmaking organization. Comparable in faith-based family and child-protection mission overlap, though operating at significantly larger scale and with paid staff and programs.

Direct peers

• Maclellan Foundation: Christian family foundation focused on grantmaking for evangelism and discipleship. Highly comparable as a faith-based grantmaking family foundation of similar size, with a similar model of distributing capital to vetted ministries.
• A21: Anti-human trafficking organization that is an explicit strategic partner of the Carter Family Foundation. Comparable as a direct grantee/partner operating in the same Rescue & Rehabilitation mission field the Foundation prioritizes.
• Kern Family Foundation: Family foundation funding education, civic, and faith-based initiatives. Comparable as a small Christian-aligned family foundation doing grantmaking with active family stewardship, similar in mission breadth and operating model.

Emerging players

• International Justice Mission: Organization combatting human trafficking and modern slavery globally. Comparable as a specialist in the Rescue & Rehabilitation mission field that the Foundation channels donations to and could be considered a partner or grantee.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-carter-family-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Carter Family Foundation