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Monthly Lists

50 Largest Relief and Development Organizations

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Christians have long been on the front lines of relief and development efforts. So it’s no surprise that among the largest relief and development agencies in the country are Christian ministries. Two of them, World Vision and Compassion International, top $1 billion in revenue.

This list should not be interpreted as a list of recommended ministries. They are ranked by total revenue, and not by ministry effectiveness, financial efficiency, or any other measure. To learn more about these ministries, click on the ministry’s name and read the complete MinistryWatch profile on this organization.

A comparison of this year’s list to last year’s list (which you can find here) reveals a few differences. Here are a few of them:

  • The total revenue of the 50 ministries on this list tops $8.2 billion.
  • Most of the ministries have grown significantly. World Vision grew by $200 million.
  • Last year, annual revenue of $3 million would land you on this list. This year, it took $5 million in revenue to make it into the top 50.
Organization nameCEO Total revenue ECFA Member?Financial Efficiency RatingTransparency Grade
1World VisionEdgar Sandoval Sr. $1,233,320,000 Yes4A
2Compassion InternationalSantiago "Jimmy" Mellado $1,001,200,000 Yes2A
3Samaritan's PurseFranklin Graham $898,666,165 Yes2A
4Food For The PoorEd Raine $755,148,642 No5C
5MAP InternationalSteve Stirling $588,340,641 Yes5A
6Mercy CorpsTjada D'Oyen McKenna $512,419,000 No3C
7Feed The ChildrenTravis Arnold $470,448,326 No4C
8Convoy of HopeHal Donaldson $369,328,524 Yes4A
9Covenant HouseKevin Ryan $248,436,666 No1C
10ChildFundAnne Goddard $222,115,634 No2C
11Food for the HungryMark Viso $170,113,048 Yes3A
12Interchurch Medical AssistanceDaniel Speckhard $144,545,933 No4C
13UnboundScott Wasserman $142,204,164 No4C
14Christian Aid MinistriesDavid Troyer $132,527,123 Yes4A
15Heifer Project InternationalPierre Ferrari $131,411,859 No1C
16Kingsway CharitiesJames Gregory $123,296,786 No5C
17Mercy ShipsTom Stogner / Rosa Whitaker $120,046,483 Yes1A
18Adventist Development & Relief AgencyMichael Kruger $86,510,622 No4C
19Operation BlessingGordon Robertson $85,328,208 Yes4A
20Church World ServiceRichard L. Santos $73,964,335 No3C
21World ReliefTim Breene $71,106,952 Yes3A
22Medical Teams InternationalMartha Newsome $66,454,190 Yes3A
23Children's Hunger FundDavid Phillips $66,442,879 Yes4A
24Christian Relief Services CharitiesBrian Krizek $64,511,275 No2D
25Love a ChildSandra Hazelip $56,488,165 Yes4A
26Lutheran World ReliefDaniel V. Speckhard $52,023,478 No2C
27Feed My Starving ChildrenMark Crea $49,545,510 No3C
28Mennonite Central CommitteeAnn Graber Hershberger $36,949,796 No2D
29Citihope InternationalPaul Moore II $34,516,125 No5D
30Water MissionGeorge C. Greene $32,883,896 Yes3A
31Living Water InternationalMichael J Mantel $24,951,247 Yes2A
32World Hope InternationalJohn Lyon $21,685,571 Yes4A
33Opportunity InternationalAtul Tandon $21,615,780 No1C
34OneChildScott C. Todd $17,803,809 Yes3A
35World RenewCarol Bremer-Bennett / Ida Kaastra-Mutoigo $14,417,304 Yes1A
36American Leprosy MissionsBill Simmons $10,800,179 Yes1A
37Christian Relief FundMilton Jones $10,482,152 Yes4A
38World Emergency ReliefKristy Scott $10,162,978 No5C
39Free Wheelchair MissionDon Schoendorfer $9,947,671 Yes2A
40Christian Blind MissionPeter Schiel $8,104,908 Yes4A
41UMAR ServicesMarilyn Garner $8,035,307 No1D
42Eagle RanchJohn Shackelford $7,452,210 Yes2A
43Kinship UnitedCraig Muller $7,419,513 Yes5A
44Engineering Ministries InternationalJohn Dallman $7,137,776 Yes2A
45MANNA WorldwideBruce O'Neal $6,803,691 Yes4A
46Lifewater InternationalJustin Narducci $6,673,966 Yes3A
47Water4Matt Hangen $5,826,084 Yes1A
48Barnabas Aid / Barnabas Fund IncJeremy Frith $5,476,362 Yes-2A
49Cedar Ridge Childrens Home and SchoolPaula Shatzer $5,194,853 Yes3A
50International Disaster Emergency ServiceDavid Stine $5,192,324 Yes2A
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Warren Cole Smith

Warren previously served as Vice President of WORLD News Group, publisher of WORLD Magazine, and Vice President of The Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He has more than 30 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketing professional, and entrepreneur. Before launching a career in Christian journalism 25 years ago, Smith spent more than seven years as the Marketing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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