Welborn Baptist Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 35-2056722 · since 1998welbornfdn.org·Dubois County, Gallatin County, Gibson County, Henderson County, Perry County, Pike County, Posey Co…·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$4M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$70 to $41,500

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$4,760

Typical grant (median)

274 grants in the latest filing

Invitation only

Unsolicited applications are not accepted

This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. The foundation chooses the organisations it funds itself.

Key takeaways

Welborn Baptist Foundation, based in Evansville, IN, concentrates its giving on Early Education, Healthy Communities, Christ-Centered Communities and Nonprofit Excellence, and only within its fourteen-county area of Dubois, Gibson, Perry, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Gallatin, Saline, Wabash, Wayne, White and Henderson, so check your programme fits one of these themes and that region before approaching it.
It works by invitation only and does not accept unsolicited requests, so a small charity should expect to be approached rather than apply cold; for its Christ-Centered Communities work it invites trusted partners every other year, and deadlines for applications are published annually on its website.
Most grants are modest: about eight in ten of its 741 grants fall between $70 and $41,500, and the median grant is $3,500, so pitching a request in that range is realistic, even though its largest grant was around $755,000.
The Foundation is relationship-led, with 86% of its grant dollars going to organisations it had already funded in the two previous years, so a new applicant is competing for a smaller share of the funding.
It will not support individuals, contributions to an endowment or trust outside a specific project or programme grant, lobbying or election-related activity, organisations not complying with discrimination laws, government agencies answerable to an elected or appointed official (other than schools governed by citizens boards), or fundraising events and annual fund drives, so organisations seeking funding for these should not apply.

Overview

Welborn Baptist Foundation is a US private foundation based in Evansville, IN.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

Welborn Baptist Foundation invests in Nonprofit Excellence and programmes with high community impact in Early Education, Healthy Communities and Christ-Centered Communities. It seeks to help nonprofit organisations thrive and transform the community. Eligible applicants are IRS-recognised 501(c)(3) public charities, including secular and faith-based organisations and churches, and programmes must serve the Foundation’s listed fourteen-county region. Its Early Education work prioritises cradle-to-career continuums, school-based supports and place-based partnerships, alongside integrated academic, social and emotional supports. Healthy Communities initiatives address policy, systems and environmental change. Christ-Centered Communities work supports local churches, Christian nonprofits and individual Christ-followers, while Nonprofit Excellence builds leadership, governance, strategy and systems. Across partnerships, it values collaboration, research-based approaches, local knowledge, continuous learning and measurable impact.

Themes

Early Education
Healthy Communities
Christ-Centered Communities
Nonprofit Excellence

Geographic Focus

Dubois; Gibson; Perry; Pike; Posey; Spencer; Vanderburgh; Warrick; Gallatin; Saline; Wabash; Wayne; White; Henderson.

What They Don't Fund

Individuals
Establishment of, or contributions to a foundation, endowment, trust or permanent interest-bearing account, except for specific project or program grants
Propaganda or attempt to influence specific legislation or public election
Organizations not in compliance with all local, state and federal laws and regulations regarding discrimination
Government agencies reporting to an elected or appointed official, (except for schools governed by citizens boards)
Fundraising events or annual fund drives

How to apply

In the Christ-Centered Communities grant cycle, Welborn invites trusted partners every other year to submit applications aligned with its priorities.

Deadlines: Submission deadlines are published annually on the Foundation website.

Application success factors

Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 86% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 741 grants to organisations were $3,500 or less.

What the foundation says:

It values organisations that demonstrate its partnership beliefs through their own policies, practices, actions and impact.
It favours research-based, promising and best-practice models, while listening to residents and nonprofits with local, firsthand knowledge.
It values organisations that learn continuously, make data-informed decisions and evaluate the impact of their investments and partnerships.
Requests should align with Welborn’s funding priorities.
Requests should address community systemic issues related to its funding priorities.
Applicants should use an effective evaluation plan for continuous learning and demonstrating impact.
It favours applicants with leadership and governance that prioritise continuous learning.
It looks for diverse boards and staff who reflect the community being served.
Partners are asked to describe the impact of their partnership through data and stories.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Indiana93%

Kentucky5%

Illinois<1%

Missouri<1%

The largest single recipient received 10% of grant dollars to organisations.
In tax year 2024, 86% of grant dollars went to organisations Welborn Baptist Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
2% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

274 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $4,760

How much do they typically give?

Share of 274 grants in tax year 2024 by size

Under $1k23%

$1k–$2.5k19%

$2.5k–$5k9%

$5k–$10k19%

$10k–$25k13%

$25k–$50k10%

$50k–$100k4%

$100k–$250k3%

Median $4,760 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Community Coordinated Child Care · Early learning
$166,8172024 tax year
Community One · Christ centered living
$152,8442024 tax year
Trustees of Indiana University · Community data system data enhanceme
$150,0002024 tax year
Potters Wheel · Christ centered living
$143,0932024 tax year
Community Foundation Alliance · Community transformation
$114,6862024 tax year
Nonprofit Benefits Consortium · Community transformation
$100,0002024 tax year
Ronald Mcdonald House Charities Of · Community transformation
$100,0002024 tax year
Dream Center · Early learning
$99,5002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Patrick Creech — Executive Director
Mark Weaver — Board Member
David Smith — Board Member
Stephanie Roland — Board Member
Johnathan Pope — Board Member
Chris Pietruszkiewicz — Board Member
Jeffrey Knight — Board Member
Bobbie Jarrett — Board Member
Mike Hull — Board Member
Anna Hargis — Board Member
John Greaney — Board Member
Carrie Ellspermann — Board Member
Scott Davis — Board Member
David Alan Clark — Board Member
John Cinelli — Board Member
Kevin Valadares — Board Member
Amy Romain Barron — Board Member
Derrick Moore — Secretary
Kathy Ettensohn — Treasurer
Jeff Whiteside — First Vice C

and 1 more

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$6,160,822	$3,745,984	$123,185,875	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$7,501,546	$4,514,971	$129,462,979	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$7,159,730	$3,954,764	$138,099,918	Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.