Area of Interest Funds

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

Every June, we invite you to give out of the abundance with which the Lord has blessed you through our Area of Interest (AOI) Funds Program. While the typical participation level is small, on average one-half of one percent of your fund balance at the time of the assessment, God has used the willingness of those who have participated even in a small way to allow the Foundation to sow strategically and generously across the state. Since 2009, over $845,000 has been deployed through this program to Christian ministries in Kentucky advancing the Kingdom! Here are some examples of where these dollars have gone:

• $45,000 has gone to ministries teaching job skills and leveraging their relational capital to help those who desire to work find jobs and be equipped to keep those jobs.

• $60,000 has gone to help women who want to break free from the adult entertainment industry, giving them a fresh start at life.

• $30,000 has gone to feed the elderly poor in Eastern Kentucky who are falling through the cracks of our federal assistance programs.

• $77,500 has gone to ministries specifically focused on prayer.  They are praying for healing and breakthrough for individuals, for revival for the state of Kentucky and for all the nations.  They are coordinating the efforts of other intercessors and seeking the heart of our Father in Heaven.

• $25,000 has gone to teach God’s word on finances to everyone from pastors and their spouses who are leading congregations to college students just starting their journey of financial faithfulness.

• $125,000 has gone to ministries that focus on the needs of youth, reaching them for Christ and seeing them grow in their faith

This is just a sampling of how monies given through the AOI Funds are being invested across Kentucky.

So how does the Program work? Here are the steps:

You decide your percentage level of participation, either on your initial fund application or by e-mailing kentucky@ncfgiving.com. You also have the opportunity to designate which of our AOI funds you want to support, if your assessment or gift is $500 or more. The foundation withdraws this percentage from your fund on the assessment date (June 30th).

You also have the opportunity to give into any of these funds throughout the year.  For additional information, to change your selected participation level, or to select one of the seven AOI funds to give to (if your gift is $500 or more), please contact us at kentucky@ncfgiving.com.

The seven AOI funds are:

• The Poor and Needy Fund.  Jesus equated mercy toward the poor and needy with our love for Him.  This Fund is committed to support those ministries that show mercy to the poor and needy in Jesus name.  The primary concern is that those in need receive direct help—personally and with compassion.
• The Youth Fund.  According to George Barna of the Barna Research Group, ‘Eighty-five percent of people who make a commitment to Jesus Christ will make it before age 18, or they never will.’ This Fund provides grants for ministries that focus on the needs of youth, reaching them for Christ and seeing them grow in their faith.
• The Evangelism/Discipleship Fund.  Christ’s Great Commission was to ‘Go and make disciples…’ (Matthew 28:19-20).   This Fund seeks out those organizations that specifically and directly work to bring people to Christ and/or teach and equip others to bring people to Christ making disciples.  In addition, The Fund is committed to ministries with innovative initiatives to strengthen and encourage discipleship including the need for revival, renewal, and spiritual awakening.
• The Eastern Kentucky/Appalachian Fund.  Eastern Kentucky and the Appalachian region have long suffered under a spirit of poverty and oppression.  This fund focuses on financially empowering ministries that are working effectively to bring about spiritual and economic transformation to this important area of our state.
• The Prayer Fund.  Prayer can be a fragrant offering before the Lord.  It can also be a powerful weapon as God’s children go to their knees to intercede for the lost and to fight against spiritual wickedness on this earth.  This Fund is to support ministries focused specifically on prayer.
• The Ecumenical Unity Fund.  As the Corinthian church was divided, so often Christians can become divided over denominations or social issues.  This Fund encourages the unity of the Body of Christ by supporting the collaborative efforts of ministries working together to further God’s kingdom or a single ministry working to unify the Body of Christ within a community or geographic area.
• COVID-19 Relief Fund. Formed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fund’s mission is to help Christians respond with compassion and mercy to meet the physical and spiritual needs of Kentuckians in the wake of the pandemic