The Cole Foundation

What The Cole Foundation does

The Cole Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, that supports research, scholarship, and educational programs grounded in the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg and the New Church. Its mission is to develop and disseminate a written philosophy addressing economy, ethics, civil law, and political theory from a Swedenborgian perspective. The foundation serves three constituencies: academic institutions developing curricula aligned with its philosophical framework, individual scholars conducting research in these areas, and students participating in programs supported by the foundation. Governance is provided by an 8-member Board of Trustees chaired by Rev. Walter E. Orthwein, with B. E. Odhner serving as Executive Director; the entity operates independently with no parent or controlling organization.

The foundation's core offerings include a Research Grants Program funding scholarly work and academic program development, Student Programs that fund experiences aligned with its mission, a Research Papers Repository featuring works by affiliated scholars (Michael H. Hogan, Dr. D. Gregory Rose, Donald C. Fitzpatrick), and online access to the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg as research tools. It also curates a Historical Quotes Collection from American founding figures (Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin) on liberty, virtue, and governance. The foundation does not develop proprietary technology; its digital presence is a Squarespace-hosted website plus social sharing functionality on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Distribution occurs via direct engagement with grant applicants through the website contact form, supplemented by a resources page that links to external think tanks — Heritage Foundation, Hoover Institution, Cato Institute, Mises Institute, Acton Institute, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and Institute for American Values — as reference material for scholars.

As a non-profit, The Cole Foundation is funded through charitable donations and grants rather than commercial revenue; it sells no products or services, discloses no pricing, and reports no financial figures. It does not publish annual reports in the source material and has no identified subsidiaries, M&A activity, or external investors. The foundation does business as "Cole Foundation for Renewing the Culture," is active per current website content (2024 copyright), and has a global stated distribution reach despite operating from a single Pennsylvania location.

Name

The Cole Foundation

Legal name

The Cole Foundation

Website

https://colefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Cole Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania that funds research, scholarships, and academic programs applying Emanuel Swedenborg's New Church teachings to economy, ethics, civil law, and political theory for scholars, academic institutions, and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Profit Research Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Philanthropic research grants
• Nonprofit foundation funding
• Academic scholarship programs
• Philosophical research support
• Religious philosophy studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Bryn Athyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation, The Cole Foundation is funded through charitable donations and grants. Revenue is used to support research, scholarly studies, academic programs, and student programs aligned with the foundation's mission.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Cole Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that funds research grants, scholarly studies, student programs, and academic program development rooted in Emanuel Swedenborg's New Church teachings on economy, ethics, civil law, and political theory. It also maintains a repository of research papers, online Swedenborg research tools, and a curated collection of historical American founding-fathers quotes.

Product overview

The Cole Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes and supports research, scholarly studies, and the development of written philosophy based on Emanuel Swedenborg's teachings. The foundation operates through a grants program that funds academic programs, specific scholarly work, and student programs. It provides access to a repository of research papers covering topics such as nation building, religious liberty, and New Church philosophy. The organization also maintains a collection of historical quotes from American founding fathers and offers research tools including access to Swedenborg's writings online.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Grants Program

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Heritage FoundationminorOthersListed as a general research resource link on The Cole Foundation's resources page. The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank providing research materials relevant to the foundation's mission in economics and political theory.
• Hoover InstitutionminorOthersListed as a general research resource link. A public policy think tank at Stanford University focusing on economic, political, and historical studies.
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI)minorOthersListed as a general research resource link. An educational organization that works to advance scholarly and intellectual thought in higher education.
• Mises InstituteminorOthersListed as an economics resource link. An educational organization devoted to Austrian economics and libertarian scholarship.
• Acton InstituteminorOthersListed as an economics resource link. A research institute that promotes the relationship between free enterprise and religious moralities.
• Cato InstituteminorOthersListed as an economics resource link. A libertarian think tank focused on public policy issues including economics, liberty, and political theory.
• Institute for American ValuesminorOthersListed as a social/family values resource link. A research organization focused on marriage, family, and civil society issues.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation: A large private foundation funding scholarly research, civic education, and intellectual renewal projects across conservative and classical-liberal lines. Comparable business model (grantmaking for scholarly research) at materially larger scale.
• Cato Institute: A libertarian think tank focused on economics, liberty, and political theory. Overlapping intellectual territory on political theory and ethics with Cole, but operating as a much larger institution with a broader policy agenda.
• Heritage Foundation: A large conservative think tank producing research on economics, political theory, and public policy. Broader-incumbent peer: overlapping subject matter on political theory and ethics but with vastly larger scale and a wider ideological brief.
• National Endowment for the Humanities: A federal grantmaking agency funding humanities research, education, and public programs. Comparable because it funds the same broad academic ecosystem Cole's grantees operate in, but at vastly greater scale and as a public-sector funder.
• Hoover Institution: A public policy think tank at Stanford University covering economic, political, and historical studies. Comparable on research subject matter and resource-link partner status, but operates at the scale of a major university-affiliated research center.

Direct peers

• Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI): An organization that works to advance scholarly and intellectual thought in higher education. Comparable because it funds collegiate-level scholarship and curriculum development in classical liberal and conservative traditions.
• Acton Institute: A research institute promoting the relationship between free enterprise and religious moralities. Comparable as a religiously rooted think-tank combining philosophy, economics, and ethics—and explicitly cross-linked by Cole as an economics resource.
• Earhart Foundation: A private foundation supporting scholarship and education consistent with certain conservative and classical-liberal traditions. Closely comparable as a small grantmaking foundation funding scholarly work in the humanities and social sciences.
• Mises Institute: An educational organization devoted to Austrian economics and libertarian scholarship. Closely aligned mission on economics, political theory, and cultural critique; explicitly listed as a resource partner by Cole.
• Swedenborg Foundation: A non-profit foundation also dedicated to supporting scholarship, publishing, and educational outreach based on the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Direct peer given identical theological-philosophical anchor and overlapping scholar/reader audience.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Cole Foundation