Our Giving
With God’s leading, and the key global trends in view, First Fruit directs the foundation’s giving based on specific areas of focus.
Our Operating Principles explain how we work. We strive to make lasting and significant impact and highly value quality leaders in the Majority World. We make decisions that integrate compassion, strategy and good stewardship. We work generously, flexibly, and collaboratively with others. We are willing, thoughtful risk takers and are purposeful about developing a dynamic base of wisdom.
First Fruit no longer accepts Letters of Inquiry (LOI process). Only invited proposals will be accepted by the foundation.
First Fruit has selected the following areas of focus for the foundation’s giving:
Holistic Health
Health and healing for the whole person. Focusing on an integrated approach to health that considers multi-dimensional aspects of wellness.
Areas of interest (not exhaustive):
1) Mental Health, particularly community health and church-focused approaches.
2) Care for healthcare professionals in the Global South (addressing burnout).
3) Health services in unreached areas, serving communities that have not heard the Gospel.
Investing in Women
Empowering and facilitating women’s development and access to leadership opportunities. Our approach is multi-layered, reaching the program participant, the nonprofit, and the broader Christian sector.
Areas of interest (not exhaustive):
1) Nonprofits working with and equipping women (i.e. entrepreneurs, healthcare workers, women who are IDPs / refugees, professors, etc.).
2) Nonprofits led by women (especially women from the Global South).
3) Nonprofits interested in increasing their percentage of women in leadership (executive and board).
Leadership Development
Our board and staff are in a season of exploration, assessing needs around an identified gap in training leaders in the area of emotional intelligence for leadership development in the Global South.
Next Steps:
1) Over the next 6 months, we’re listening to our leadership development partners.
2) There will be limited granting in the areas of research, collaboration, and testing.
**Please reach out if you know of someone doing great work in this area!
Where We Work
Since 1976, two key pillars have guided our calling:
We give to Christian organizations working in the Global South.
Our geographic scope for giving spans across 83 countries primarily in the 10/40 window, which is home to some of the largest unreached people groups in the world. Our foundation considers a variety of indicators (Human Development Index, population size, Gross National Income, and the percentage of Christians present in that country) to inform our giving strategies. Our giving also prioritizes regions where the Church is growing rapidly and needs critical resources of support.
Our Philosophy
Gail Ochs on Passions and Mentoring
Peter and Gail on a Multigenerational Legacy
Peter and Gail on Giving Together in Marriage