MinistryWatch 1000 Database: 50 Largest Relief & Development Ministries

Samaritan’s Purse replaces World Vision as top of this year’s list.

Relief and development ministries are often those who step in immediately when there is a crisis and then stay to focus on long-term projects that improve the living conditions of those impacted.

Many Christian organizations are committed to impacting the world through their relief and development efforts.

This month, our list features the 50 largest Christian relief and development organizations by total revenue. This list should not be taken as a recommendation for ministries you should support as a donor.

The top nine ministries are the same as last year, although a few switched positions: Samaritan’s Purse replaced World Vision at the top of the list, while Compassion International and MAP International stayed in the 3^rd and 4^th positions respectively. Each of the top three exceed $1 billion in total revenue. On the 2025 list, MAP International exceeded $1 billion in revenue, but dropped just below that threshold on this year’s list.

These ministries are ranked by total revenue, and not by ministry effectiveness, financial efficiency, or any other measure. We have included each ministry’s ratings so you can make informed decisions about which ministries you support. To learn more about these ministries, click on the ministry’s name and read the full MinistryWatch database profile about an organization.

A comparison of this year’s list to last year’s list reveals some important differences.  Here are a few of them:

• The total revenue of the 50 ministries on this list exceeds $11 billion. That’s about $1 billion more than last year’s total. There are 114 total ministries in the relief and development category with nearly $11.6 billion in total revenue.
• Over the last few years, the revenue of the list’s smallest ministry has continued to increase. In 2022, revenue of $5.2 million qualified the smallest ministry for the list, while in 2025 the smallest ministry had $7.6 million in revenue. This year, the smallest ministry — Hope Rises — had $11.3 million in total revenue. It is evident that relief and development ministries are growing, but at the same time, the ones at the top keep getting bigger, while some at the bottom may not be increasing as rapidly.
• Ministries marked with an asterisk don’t file a Form 990; their revenue was gathered either from their ECFA profile or their audited financial statements.
• A column at the far right shows the amount each ministry receives in government grant funds. World Vision received the most at over $600 million in grant funds while Mercy Corps came in with $320 million in government grants.
• Five new ministries are on the list this year that weren’t in the top 50 last year. Matthew 25 Ministries (#12) is a new addition to the MinistryWatch database, as well as Mully Children’s Family USA (#40), Messianic Jewish Alliance of America (#46), International Christian Response (#47), and Water for Good (#48).
• Two groups on last year’s list have been moved to different database sectors. The Tim Tebow Foundation (#33 last year) was moved to the Christian Foundations sector, and Covenant House (#21 last year) was moved to the Community Development sector.
• Two ministries on this list had name changes: Barnabas Aid International (#37) was formerly known as Nexcus International, and Hope Rises International (#50) was formerly known as American Leprosy Missions.
• Ministries that have dropped off the list include: Christian Relief Fund , Kinship United, and Venture.
• Ministries that dropped significantly this year include: Food for the Hungry (11 to 16), ChildFund (10 to 13), World Renew (37 to 45), and Hope Rises International (39 to 50).
• Ministries that saw their revenue and position increase significantly include: Mercy Chefs (42 to 34), World Emergency Relief (45 to 36), and MANNA Worldwide (48 to 41).