Jewish Federations of North America
With the need for financial aid to European Jews becoming urgent in the late 1930s, three of the most prominent Jewish charities came together to form the United Jewish Appeal Read more…
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Sealantic Fund
John Rockefeller Jr. started the Sealantic Fund in 1938 to provide additional support to some of the causes he was funding personally, especially in support of liberal Protestantism. It began Read more…
Lilly Endowment
With assets of $10 billion and annual giving of around $350 million, the Lilly Endowment is one of the largest foundations in America. It was founded in 1937 when three Read more…
LDS Welfare System
From the time of their baptism at age eight, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to tithe. The church also asks the able-bodied to Read more…
Catholic Worker Movement
Dorothy Day was working as a reporter for socialist publications in New York City when the faith and commitment of her three Catholic roommates made an impression on her. In Read more…
Capuchin Soup Kitchen
Capuchin friars first came to Detroit to work among the poor in 1883. With the arrival of the Great Depression they established a feeding program that was avidly received. Generations Read more…
National Cathedral
The construction of Washington National Cathedral atop the highest point in the District of Columbia was a grand epic. Located on land set apart by Pierre L’Enfant for a “great Read more…
James Duke and the Methodist Church
“I am going to give a good part of what I make to the Lord,” said tobacco and hydroelectricity entrepreneur James Duke, “but I can make better interest for Him Read more…
Junior Rockefeller Promotes Liberal Protestantism
In the early twentieth century, orthodox and liberal forms of Protestantism were competing for public favor. At the helm of the liberal ship was Harry Fosdick, whose views included denial Read more…
American Friends Service Committee
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the prospect of a military draft troubled American Quakers who were religiously principled pacifists. To support conscientious objectors and find Read more…
Early Fundraising for Endangered Jews
When many Jews were endangered amid the turmoil of World War I, a committee was formed with the goal of raising $5 million. The American Jewish Relief Committee for Sufferers Read more…
MANNA from Heaven
Seven members of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia joined together in 1990 to provide meals for individuals and families afflicted by the new and scary AIDS epidemic. The goal Read more…
Synthesizing Religion and Democratic Capitalism
Bursts of philanthropic support helped create important new centers of religious intellectual dynamism in the 1980s and 1990s. The venerable Jewish magazine Commentary expanded its circulation during the 1980s and Read more…
Milken Archive of Jewish Music
Music plays an important part in nearly all religious traditions. But sacred music is not necessarily self-preserving. Dedication and foresight are sometimes needed to ensure that musical traditions will be Read more…
StepUp Ministry Encourages Work
White Memorial Presbyterian in Raleigh, North Carolina wanted to help house families who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Eventually, that mission transformed into a jobs-training approach. The Read more…
Ralph Beeson’s Orthodox Philanthropy
Ralph Beeson was legendarily cheap when it came to his own needs. Once, when given some new corduroys, the insurance executive turned them down on account of already owning a Read more…
LDS Charities
Since its early days, the Mormon church has run highly effective relief societies and special programs to aid the needy within its fold. (See this list’s 1936 and 2001 entries Read more…
Leadership Network Helps Build Megachurches
When Angelus Temple opened in Los Angeles in 1923 with seating for 5,300, the megachurch was born. An evangelical Christian congregation led by a charismatic pastor, committed to welcoming new Read more…
National Christian Foundation
In 2014, the National Christian Foundation was the fifteenth largest charity in America. It handed out $859 million during the year, and received more charitable contributions than groups like the Read more…
Healthcare-sharing Ministries
Hundreds of thousands of American families currently have no medical insurance yet know that their health-care needs are covered. They have joined one of the four major “health-care sharing ministries” Read more…