Hope Universal Inc
Hope Universal Inc is a public charity based in Seneca, South Carolina. It supports ministries serving orphans, children at risk, and widows, and describes its work as addressing spiritual and physical needs around the world in the name of Jesus Christ.
Hope Universal Inc at a glance
In short: Hope Universal Inc gave $235K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), top state Oklahoma. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $235,361
- +27.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +16.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $16,812
- +9.5% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $7,698
- Total assets
- $82,018
- -17.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (5 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Oklahoma (25% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Hope Universal Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 1349, Seneca, SC 29679
Phone: (206) 948-9356
Website: https://hopeuniversal.com
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Hope Universal Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Children in Christ ($58K). Together the top 10 received $225K.
Grant Size Distribution
61 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 55 grants of 61 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Hope Universal describes its work as global. Its website identifies past ministry work in Sierra Leone and Liberia, and its 2024 filing names Sierra Leone, India, Africa, the Philippines, and Thailand. The 2025 grants also show support for recipients in multiple U.S. states. By recipient state, grant dollars were distributed as follows: Oklahoma 25%, Kentucky 24%, Texas 17%, South Carolina 7%, and Michigan 7%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Hope Universal Inc open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 14 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $6K; repeat grants $23K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $13K repeat.
- 43% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+7%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). 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 $124K (2019) to $265K (2023). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $235K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Children in Christ Oklahoma City, OK | Orphan Care | $58,000 |
| Word Made Flesh Wilmore, KY | Sierra Leone Hope Project | $56,800 |
| Every Orphans Hope Frisco, TX | Zambia Orphan Care | $40,366 |
| India Medical Missions Assistance Livonia, MI | George Muller Orphans Nepal Orphans | $16,000 |
| Interserve Upper Darby, PA | Orphanage Roof Nepal | $15,000 |
| Hope Force International Brentwood, TN | Ukraine Widows Etc | $13,000 |
| Worldcomp Kenya Seattle, WA | House of Grace Orphanage | $9,145 |
| Together Women Rise Greenville, SC | Global Womens Fund Kenya | $6,250 |
| No Longer Abandoned Campobello, SC | Childrens Home in Bukidnon Phillipines | $5,000 |
| Jericho Ministries Brooksville, FL | General Missions | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Hope Universal Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $82,018 | $239,036 | $256,975 | $235,361 | 14 |
| 2024 | $99,957 | $207,753 | $206,652 | $184,291 | 12 |
| 2023 | $98,856 | $325,142 | $405,664 | $265,350 | 10 |
| 2022 | $179,378 | $319,765 | $242,355 | $220,008 | 13 |
| 2021 | $101,968 | $199,162 | $257,893 | $233,994 | 12 |
| 2020 | $160,699 | $386,283 | $344,769 | $200,100 | 10 |
| 2019 | $119,185 | $223,299 | $185,578 | $123,954 | 8 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Hope Universal’s stated mission is to serve God and mankind by ministering to spiritual and physical needs throughout the world in the name of Jesus Christ. Its website identifies care for orphans, children at risk, and widows in need as central to its work. It says its partner criteria include healthy, servant-minded leadership and service to people who lack a voice, including widows and orphans.
In its 2024 filing, Hope Universal described funding youth ministries, evangelism, orphan support, medical missions, earthquake relief, and leadership conferences, and said it held meetings in U.S. churches to promote awareness of the organization.
Grantmaking
In 2025, Hope Universal reported making 14 grants totaling $235,361. Grant amounts ranged from $400 to $58,000, with a median of $7,698. The largest grants included:
The grantee organizations’ own descriptions illustrate the range of partners: Word Made Flesh says it develops relief and care projects for the world’s poor; Every Orphans Hope describes supporting orphans through churches, homes, families, and communities; and Hope Force International describes providing physical, emotional, and spiritual assistance to people affected by disasters and training Christians to respond.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Hope Universal’s website says its administration is led by co-directors Karlin Bacher and Mark Stewart and that it operates under the spiritual covering of Lighthouse Church in Abbeville, South Carolina.
The 2025 filing lists Mark Stewart as president; Joseph Yoder, Jared Willey, Nathan Overholt, Galen Overholt, and Karlin Bacher as board members, with Jared Willey also listed as secretary-treasurer; and William Stoll Jr. as vice president.
Hope Universal Inc is led by Mark Stewart, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mark Stewart
President
On filings since 2019
10 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jared Willey
Secretarytreasurer
Board Member → Treasurer, 2020
Treasurer → Secretarytreasurer, 2022
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Joseph Yoder
Board Member
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nathan Overholt
Board Member
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
WILLIAM STOLL Jr.
Vice President
Board Member → Vice President, 2025
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Galen Overholt
Board Member
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Karlin Bacher
Board Member
On filings since 2021
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (3)
- Former: Stoll William Jr. (2020–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Ivan Petersheim (2019–2020) — Chairman
- Former: Martin Overholt (2019–2020) — Secretary
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 Hope Universal Inc
How much does Hope Universal Inc give each year?
Hope Universal Inc gave $235K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $184K across 12 grants.
What is Hope Universal Inc's typical grant size?
Hope Universal Inc's median grant in 2025 was $7,698, and its average grant was $16,812, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Hope Universal Inc that year got $6K on average.
Where does Hope Universal Inc give grants?
Hope Universal Inc's top state is Oklahoma, with 25% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Kentucky (24%) and Texas (17%).
Does Hope Universal Inc give general operating support?
Occasionally: 7% of Hope Universal Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Hope Universal Inc's largest grantees?
Hope Universal Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Children in Christ ($58,000), Word Made Flesh ($56,800) and Every Orphans Hope ($40,366), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Hope Universal Inc?
Hope Universal Inc reported $82K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $239K.
What does Hope Universal Inc fund?
Hope Universal’s stated mission is to serve God and mankind by ministering to spiritual and physical needs throughout the world in the name of Jesus Christ. Its website identifies care for orphans, children at risk, and widows in need as central to its work. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Hope Universal Inc?
Hope Universal Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check hopeuniversal.com for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Hope Universal Inc's EIN?
Hope Universal Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 01-0708888. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 10, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 17, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 21, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 10, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 9, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Hope Universal Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/hope-universal-inc-morg_f7eef035d2dc4ddc946eec06fe5f18b5
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_010708888_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Hope Universal Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/hope-universal-inc-morg_f7eef035d2dc4ddc946eec06fe5f18b5},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Hope Universal Inc'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.
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