Bright Futures Fund
Bright Futures Fund is a public charity based in Kansas City, Missouri. It supports access to Catholic education through assistance to schools and families, including scholarships and support for school operating costs.
Bright Futures Fund at a glance
In short: Bright Futures Fund gave $6.4M across 30 grants in 2025 (avg $214K), mostly in Missouri. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,419,625
- +52.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 30
- -3.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $213,988
- +57.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $213,563
- Total assets
- $7,666,153
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Missouri (98% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026.
How to apply to Bright Futures Fund
- How to Apply
The available program information describes MOScholars scholarship applications for qualifying families and tax-credit reservations for contributors; it does not provide an application process for organizations seeking…
The available program information describes MOScholars scholarship applications for qualifying families and tax-credit reservations for contributors; it does not provide an application process for organizations seeking grants.
- Contact
Mailing address: 20 West 9Th Street 200, Kansas City, MO 64105
Phone: (816) 714-2319
Website: https://brightfuturesfund.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Bright Futures Fund
Who Bright Futures Fund funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Nativity of Mary ($561K). Together the top 10 received $3.9M.
Grant Size Distribution
96 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 38 grants of 96 (40%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Fund’s 2025 grant dollars went primarily to Missouri recipients (98%), with 2% going to Kansas recipients. The MOScholars Program serves qualifying families in the dioceses of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Springfield-Cape Girardeau.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 30 itemized grants.
Cities
How Bright Futures Fund gives
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $1.1M (2020) to $6.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 30 grants totaling $6.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Nativity of Mary Independence, MO | Education Support | $561,000 |
| Holy Cross Kansas City, MO | Education Support | $433,500 |
| Cathedral School St Joseph, MO | Education Support | $427,125 |
| St Charles Borromeo Kansas City, MO | Education Support | $420,750 |
| St Regis Academy Kansas City, MO | Education Support | $337,875 |
| St James St Joseph, MO | Education Support | $325,125 |
| St Thomas More Kansas City, MO | Education Support | $325,125 |
| St John Lalande Blue Springs, MO | Education Support | $293,250 |
| St Francis Xavier St Joseph, MO | Education Support | $267,750 |
| Our Lady of Presentation Lees Summit, MO | Education Support | $261,375 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $7,666,153 | $10,573,656 | $10,578,590 | $6,419,625 | 30 | $235,187 |
| 2024 | $7,029,068 | $15,129,404 | $12,825,230 | $4,213,875 | 31 | $248,921 |
| 2023 | $2,242,319 | $4,570,315 | $4,866,985 | $3,625,072 | 27 | $-37,368 |
| 2022 | $2,440,914 | $2,214,056 | $1,472,092 | $1,287,750 | 4 | $180,499 |
| 2021 | $2,160,173 | $1,735,161 | $1,240,603 | $1,199,087 | 4 | $29,289 |
| 2020 | $1,511,915 | $2,111,080 | $1,126,541 | $1,103,666 | 5 | $12,328 |
| 2019 | $446,592 | $1,294,545 | $1,197,261 | $1,179,629 | 5 | $6,024 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Fund’s stated mission is to build new foundations of education and faith by helping students in need receive a Catholic education. Its vision is that every child can attend Catholic school without financial barriers.
Its support includes school operating costs and tuition subsidies at Bright Futures Schools; the Honoring Family Scholarships and Richard and Olivia Mock Scholarship Program for families continuing Catholic education at select high schools; and the MOScholars Program. The Fund is a Missouri-designated Educational Assistance Organization for MOScholars, which awards scholarships to qualifying families.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the Fund reported 30 grants totaling $6,419,625. Grants ranged from $6,375 to $561,000, with a median of $213,562. The largest listed grants included:
The MOScholars Program provides scholarships to qualifying families, rather than grants to outside organizations. Eligibility includes meeting state requirements and either having a qualifying individualized education plan or meeting the stated household-income and additional student criteria. Scholarships apply to K–12 students living in Missouri, cover tuition first, and do not guarantee an award. The Fund’s website states that applications for the 2026–2027 school year are closed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists JP Latenser as chairperson; Frank Uryasz as vice chair; Lamar Hunt Jr., Kendra Kemp McGee, Fr. Alex Kreidler, Steve Pierce, Reverend Randy Sly, and Brian Switzer as directors; M. Gail Summers as executive director; and Angela Laville as chief financial officer.
Bright Futures Fund is led by M. Gail Summers, Executive Director on the 2025 filing; none of the 10 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
M. Gail Summers
Executive Director
New on the 2025 filing
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jp Latenser
Chairperson
Director → Chairperson, 2024
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian Switzer
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lamar Hunt Jr.
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Steve Pierce
Director
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Alex Kreidler
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kendra Kemp McGee
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Reverend Randy Sly
Director
On filings since 2022
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Frank D. Uryasz
Vice Chair
Chairperson → Immediate Past Chair, 2024
Immediate Past Chair → Vice Chair, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Angela Laville
Chief Financial Officer
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (16)
- Former: Jeremy Lillig (2019–2024) — Executive Director
- Former: Abbie Connelly (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Bob Paredes (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Daniel Welsh (2019–2023) — Treasurer
- Former: Jeff Weinrich (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Jo Anne Karr (2019–2023) — Director
- Former: Cathy Miller (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Bob Strohm (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Will Nulton (2022–2023) — Director
- Former: Deacon Tyrone Gutierrez (2023) — Director
- Former: Dan Peters (2019–2021) — Executive Officio
- Former: James V. Johnston (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Lisa Kremer (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Peggy Walker (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Tyronne Gutierrez (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Joseph Cisetti (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Bright Futures Fund
How much does Bright Futures Fund give each year?
Bright Futures Fund gave $6.4M across 30 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $4.2M across 31 grants.
What is Bright Futures Fund's typical grant size?
Bright Futures Fund's median grant in 2025 was $213,563, and its average grant was $213,988, across 30 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Where does Bright Futures Fund give grants?
Bright Futures Fund gives mostly in Missouri: 98% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Kansas City, MO (15 grants), St Joseph, MO (4 grants), Joplin, MO (3 grants) and Lees Summit, MO (2 grants).
Does Bright Futures Fund give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 30 grants with a stated purpose on Bright Futures Fund's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education Support" (30 grants).
Who are Bright Futures Fund's largest grantees?
Bright Futures Fund's largest 2025 grantees include Nativity of Mary ($561,000), St James ($554,625 across 2 grants) and Holy Cross ($433,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 24% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bright Futures Fund?
Bright Futures Fund reported $7.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $10.6M.
What does Bright Futures Fund fund?
The Fund’s stated mission is to build new foundations of education and faith by helping students in need receive a Catholic education. Its vision is that every child can attend Catholic school without financial barriers. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bright Futures Fund?
The available program information describes MOScholars scholarship applications for qualifying families and tax-credit reservations for contributors; it does not provide an application process for organizations seeking… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bright Futures Fund's EIN?
Bright Futures Fund's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-1012192. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 5, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 16, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 4, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 13, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 15, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024
Live grants for the work Bright Futures Fund funds
Education Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Bright Futures Fund's focus areas in our free grants database
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More similar funders
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bright Futures Fund funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bright-futures-fund-morg_cc6d2382c2784eb485caff6d50bbb2e9
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_461012192_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bright Futures Fund funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bright-futures-fund-morg_cc6d2382c2784eb485caff6d50bbb2e9},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Bright Futures Fund's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Bright Futures Fund down — hundreds of funders to go?