UMC Foundations Launch Academy to Secure Churches’ Financial Future

DENVER, CO – April 09, 2026 – A coalition of five regional United Methodist foundations has announced the launch of a new Endowment Academy, a virtual program designed to equip church leaders with the financial tools needed to ensure the long-term survival and vitality of their ministries. The initiative arrives at a critical moment for the denomination, which is navigating significant financial strain and a shifting philanthropic landscape.

The partnership, led by the Methodists Helping Methodists Foundation (MHMF), includes the Desert Southwest, California-Nevada, Faith Foundation Northwest, and California-Pacific United Methodist Foundations. The online academy, scheduled for the evening of Thursday, April 23, will provide intensive training on building and stewarding endowments, a financial strategy leaders believe is essential for modern ministry.

A Denomination Facing Financial Headwinds

The Endowment Academy is not being launched in a vacuum. It represents a direct response to the mounting financial pressures facing the United Methodist Church (UMC). The denomination is grappling with the fiscal fallout from a recent schism that saw approximately a quarter of its U.S. churches disaffiliate between 2019 and 2023. This departure has significantly eroded the UMC's funding base, as U.S. congregations have traditionally provided the majority of financial support for denomination-wide ministries.

Recent projections from the UMC's General Council on Finance and Administration paint a stark picture, with expected contributions falling well short of even recently reduced budget goals. This internal financial crisis is compounded by broader societal trends. While overall charitable giving in the United States has increased, the portion directed toward religious institutions has steadily declined for decades. In 2024, giving to religion saw a 1% decline when adjusted for inflation, making it the only charitable sector to lose real purchasing power.

Furthermore, generational shifts are reshaping the nature of giving. Younger donors increasingly favor digital platforms and demand greater transparency about the impact of their contributions. These factors combined create an urgent need for local churches to develop more resilient and forward-thinking financial strategies that are less reliant on traditional weekly offerings.

Building a Bridge to the Future

The Endowment Academy aims to provide church leaders with a practical blueprint for constructing that financial resilience. The three-hour session will be led by the executive directors of the five partner foundations, who will guide participants through the core tenets of creating and managing a successful endowment fund.

The curriculum is designed to be comprehensive, covering the essential legal, financial, and governance principles that underpin a healthy endowment. Leaders will learn how to steward donor gifts with integrity and transparency, navigate the complexities of restricted funds, and make informed investment decisions that honor donor intent while fostering growth.

A key focus of the program is empowering churches to move beyond passive fundraising and actively cultivate a culture of legacy giving. “If your church doesn't have an endowment, then your church doesn't have a bridge to the future,” said Kristi Kinnison, executive director of the Methodists Helping Methodists Foundation, in the initial announcement. Her statement frames endowments not as a luxury for wealthy congregations, but as a fundamental necessity for any church hoping to sustain its mission for generations to come.

A Collaborative Blueprint for Sustainability

The significance of the academy lies not only in its content but also in its collaborative structure. By pooling their resources and expertise, the five foundations are creating a powerful support system for churches across the western United States and beyond. These organizations collectively manage hundreds of millions of dollars in assets and have decades of experience in church finance, investment management, and stewardship education.

• Methodists Helping Methodists Foundation (MHMF) provides loans, investments, and planned giving support.
• Desert Southwest United Methodist Foundation has offered socially responsible investment funds and stewardship consultation since 1986.
• California-Nevada United Methodist Foundation focuses on investment management and legacy giving education.
• Faith Foundation Northwest, which supports communities in four states, manages over $122 million in assets.
• California-Pacific United Methodist Foundation specializes in building strong financial futures through investment management and grants.

This joint effort signals a strategic, unified approach to a systemic problem. Rather than having individual churches or regional bodies attempt to solve these complex financial puzzles on their own, the partnership offers a scalable model of shared knowledge and best practices tailored specifically to the United Methodist context.

Cultivating a Culture of Legacy Giving

Ultimately, the Endowment Academy is about more than just financial mechanics; it's about shifting the conversation around church giving. The program seeks to help leaders look beyond the immediate needs of the annual budget and inspire their congregations to think about their long-term legacy. Planned gifts—donations made through a will, trust, or other estate plan—are a largely untapped resource for many faith communities.

Research shows that while churches receive a substantial portion of annual charitable donations, they often receive a disproportionately small percentage of bequest income, primarily because they fail to actively solicit these transformative gifts. The academy will provide church leaders with the language and strategies to begin these sensitive but crucial conversations, helping members understand that a legacy gift is a powerful final act of stewardship that can sustain the ministries they cherished during their lifetime.

By teaching congregations how to establish and communicate the purpose of an endowment, the academy empowers them to demonstrate long-term vision and accountability. This, in turn, builds the donor confidence necessary to attract the significant, planned gifts that will form the bedrock of the church's future financial health, ensuring its mission can continue to serve communities for many years to come.