Global Health Ministries

What Global Health Ministries does

Global Health Ministries (GHM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in Fridley, Minnesota, that operates as a medical supply logistics intermediary between US healthcare donors and Lutheran-affiliated mission hospitals overseas. Its core activity is sourcing, sorting, packing, and shipping donated medical equipment and surplus supplies — typically in 40-foot sea containers — from a 12,000 sq ft volunteer-staffed warehouse to partner facilities in 14 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia (India, Papua New Guinea), and Central America (El Salvador, Nicaragua). The first container shipped to Cameroon in 1988 established an annual shipping cadence that has continued for nearly four decades with anchor partners such as Garoua Boulai Hospital. GHM's model is integrated across three pillars: medical supply shipments, healthcare workforce development (scholarships for nurses, midwives, and doctors plus GHM Consulting on governance and financial sustainability), and grassroots community-based primary health care programs including a Community Health Worker training track that doubled project count from 34 to 64 between 2024 and 2025.

The organization has no traditional paying customers or commercial revenue. It is funded entirely through charitable contributions from individuals, Lutheran congregations across the ELCA, LCMS, LCMC, and NALC denominations, foundations (including Thrivent Choice-directed grants and Seeds of Change for water/agriculture in Madagascar), and gift-in-kind donations of medical supplies from US hospitals such as Hancock County Health System. Its most quantifiable 2025 outputs include 16 containers shipped (an organizational record), over 15,000 Newborn Kits distributed to incentivize facility-based deliveries, and partner-reported reach of more than one million people in 2024. GHM holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating (the highest tier) and is governed by an independent board of directors chaired by Peter Getts. In March 2026 the founder Lowell "Bud" Hesterman died at 99, and Heather Robinson — a former USAID diplomat who managed a $20 million infectious disease portfolio in Ghana — began serving as Executive Director on April 1, 2026, becoming GHM's fifth ED since founding.

Name

Global Health Ministries

Legal name

Global Health Ministries

Website

https://ghm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Global Health Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that ships donated medical equipment, trains community health workers, and provides consulting support to Lutheran mission hospitals across 14 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Humanitarian Health Aid

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI), Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Medical supply donation
• Humanitarian health programs
• Healthcare capacity building
• Community health training
• Global medical logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual and Church Donations: GHM receives charitable contributions from individual donors, Lutheran congregations (including ELCA, LCMS, LCMC, NALC denominations), and other supporters. Donations fund medical supply shipments, scholarships, grants, and consulting programs.
2. Medical Supply Donations: US healthcare facilities and medical equipment suppliers donate surplus equipment and supplies which GHM ships to partner hospitals and clinics overseas. This is a gift-in-kind model rather than revenue.
3. Grants: GHM receives grant funding from foundations and government programs to support specific health programs, community health projects, and capacity building initiatives in partner countries.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Global Health Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects donated medical equipment and supplies at its Minneapolis warehouse and ships them to partner hospitals and clinics in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and Central America. Complementing this medical supply logistics work, GHM funds scholarships for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals, supports community health worker training, and delivers consulting services through its Health Systems Trust arm. Programs are sustained by individual donors, congregations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Global Health Ministries (GHM) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization, not a technology company. It operates as a portfolio of interconnected healthcare programs unified by a shared mission to strengthen health systems in underserved communities globally. The core offerings include: Medical Supplies Shipping Ministry (shipping donated medical equipment and supplies via sea containers to partner hospitals); Newborn Kit Challenge (incentive program encouraging prenatal care through kit distribution); Community Health Worker Programs (grassroots training and deployment of local health educators); Leadership Development & Scholarships (grants for healthcare professional training); GHM Consulting (volunteer expert consultants providing governance/management support); and the Warehouse Volunteer Program (domestic volunteer engagement for supply preparation). These services integrate across 14 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central America to build sustainable healthcare capacity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Supply Shipping Program Core program of GHM: receives donated medical equipment and consumable supplies at its Minnesota volunteer-operated warehouse and ships them in containers to partner hospitals, clinics, and healthcare networks in Africa, Asia, and Central America. Designed for mission hospitals and clinics in resource-constrained settings that lack reliable access to medical goods.
• Health Systems Trust (HST) Consulting arm of GHM that deploys experienced healthcare professionals to provide assessment, strategic planning, mentoring, and management advisory services to mission hospital partners and clinics in developing countries.
• Healthcare Professional Scholarships Scholarship funding for physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals, contributing to long-term in-country clinical capacity at partner facilities.
• Community Health Worker Training Programs Training programs for community health workers deployed in partner-country communities to extend preventive care and basic clinical services beyond hospital walls.
• Medical Mission Trips (Trip Hosting) Hosted short-term volunteer medical trips to GHM partner hospitals and clinics, allowing US-based volunteers and donors to engage directly with GHM's field partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• GHM shipped 16 containers to partners in 2025, the highest in their history
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 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

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELCA is a key implementing partner for GHM programs, particularly in Zimbabwe where they co-funded initial shipments in 2008 and continue partnership for medical supply shipments and health programs. GHM and ELCA jointly support Fistula Foundation initiatives in South Sudan.
• Fistula FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to sponsor fistula repair camps and train South Sudanese surgeons. Fistula Foundation provides critical funding for outreach, surgeries, training, and medical equipment. Joint work with ELCA, ELCSS, and GHM.
• Seeds of ChangemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeeds of Change provided funding for water and health projects in Madagascar's Androy region, including drilling wells, installing water towers with solar-powered pumps, and implementing drip irrigation systems.
• Thrivent ChoiceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThrivent Choice donors can direct charitable grants to Global Health Ministries through the Thrivent Choice program, providing an additional giving channel for supporters.
• Lutheran World ReliefmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Zimbabwe programs where Lutheran World Relief provides Baby Care Kits and quilts alongside GHM's Newborn Kits, combining resources for maternal health shipments.
• Lutheran Partners in Global MinistrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to build Emmanuel Health Center in Central African Republic and support three other health projects in the Gallo region, providing healthcare access where previously none existed.
• Hancock County Health SystemminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIowa hospital system that donates surplus medical equipment including exam tables, patient monitors, and linens to GHM for overseas shipment rather than disposal.
• Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGHM partners through Parkijuli Christian Hospital to build capacity for quality and sustainable healthcare, including surgical equipment, anesthesia machines, and water pumps.
• Good News Lutheran Church (Papua New Guinea)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to restore surgical services at Immanuel Lutheran District Hospital through OR refurbishment and high-dependency ward development.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Medical Teams International: Faith-inspired humanitarian organization providing medical care, disaster relief, and health-system support internationally. Comparable in integrating supply shipments with clinical and training programs.
• Americares: Health-focused humanitarian aid organization distributing donated medicines, medical supplies, and supporting health services in low-income countries. Direct comparison on medical supply logistics and partner-hospital support.
• Partners In Health: Nonprofit that provides healthcare and partners with local hospitals in resource-poor settings, with deep emphasis on community health workers and supply chain support. Comparable community-health-extension approach (e.g., Uganda CHEW program).
• Project HOPE: Global health and humanitarian organization that delivers medicines, supplies, and trains health workers in low-resource settings. Larger in scale but operates a similar supply-plus-education-plus-system-strengthening model.
• MedShare International: Nonprofit that collects surplus medical supplies and equipment from US hospitals and redistributes them to underserved healthcare facilities internationally. Closely comparable logistics-driven model, though broader in geography and not faith-based.
• Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB): Faith-based medical mission organization shipping supplies, supporting health facilities, and training health workers in resource-poor countries. Strongest direct peer given shared faith-rooted supply-plus-capacity-building model.
• MAP International: Global Christian nonprofit providing medicines, medical supplies, and community health programs to those in need. Directly comparable faith-rooted supply distribution and health-system support model.
• International Medical Corps: Humanitarian organization delivering emergency relief and health services in fragile settings, including medical supply logistics and health-worker training. Comparable in serving conflict-affected countries like CAR and South Sudan.
• Lutheran World Relief: Lutheran-affiliated humanitarian organization partnering with GHM on Zimbabwe maternal-health shipments (Baby Care Kits). Closest denominational peer with shared Lutheran donor and partner networks.
• Brother's Brother Foundation: Pittsburgh-based nonprofit shipping donated medical supplies, equipment, and pharmaceuticals to hospitals and clinics in developing countries. Mirrors GHM's in-kind donation model and container-based distribution approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GlobalHealthMN
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-health-ministries

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Global Health Ministries