Morning Star Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Enterprise, AL EIN: 20-1269967

Morning Star Foundation is a private foundation based in Enterprise, Alabama. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations working in areas including church contributions, international missions, medical aid, shelter, disaster relief, and housing.

Morning Star Foundation at a glance

In short: Morning Star Foundation gave $57K across 19 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Alabama. 5% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$56,846
-22.8% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
19
+11.8% vs 2024
Average grant
$2,992
-31.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,000
Total assets
$533,724
-5.9% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
5% first-time grantees (1 of 19, 2025; small sample)
Primary geography
Alabama (62% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).

How to apply to Morning Star Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.

Contact

Mailing address: 8 Indigo Place, Enterprise, AL 36330-8110
Phone: (334) 333-3125

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Morning Star Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

First Baptist Church Enterprise: $18KFirst Baptist ChurchEnterprise$18KHonduras Baptist Dental Mission: $10KHonduras Baptist DentalMission$10KFour Corners Ministries: $8KFour Corners Ministries$8KChristian Mission Enterprise: $3KChristian Mission Enterprise$3KCompassion International: $3KCompassion International$3KSamaritan's Purse: $2KSamaritan's Purse$2KWiregrass Emergency Pregnancy Services: $2KWiregrass Emergency PregnancyServices$2KCentral American Missions: $2KCentral American Missions$2KHabitat for Humanity: $1KHabitat for Humanity$1KMap International: $1KMap International$1K

The largest 2025 recipient was First Baptist Church Enterprise ($18K). Together the top 10 received $50K.

Grant Size Distribution

101 grants across all recorded years

101<$50K$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 101 grants of 101 (100%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 62% of grant dollars went to recipients in Alabama, 18% to Mississippi, 5% to Colorado, 4% to Georgia, and 4% to Tennessee. Listed grant purposes also included support for work in Honduras, Uganda, Nicaragua, Central America, and Ecuador.

Grant Distribution by State

17states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.

Cities

EnterpriseDothanAmericusBooneBozemanBrunswickCallahanCollinsColorado SpringsBirminghamChattanoogaEufaulaMemphisHartfordWalthamChancellorNew YorkSouth BendChicagoGeneva

Is Morning Star Foundation open to new grantees?

5%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 1 of 19 grantees (5%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $8K; repeat grants $3K. How we count

Medians: $8K first-time, $1K repeat.

  • 79% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 51% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 113% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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

$0$50K$100K$150K25 grants2020 22 grants2021 25 grants2022 18 grants2023 17 grants2024 19 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $57K (2025) to $116K (2022). In 2025 it made 19 grants totaling $57K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
First Baptist Church Enterprise Enterprise, ALGeneral Church Contributions$17,836
Honduras Baptist Dental Mission Collins, MSDental & Medical Mission Support in Honduras$10,000
Four Corners Ministries Opelika, ALSupport for and Evangelism of People of Uganda$8,000
Christian Mission Enterprise Enterprise, ALSupport for Homeless Shelter$3,000
Compassion International Colorado Springs, COSponsorship of a Child in Nicaragua$2,910
Samaritan's Purse Boone, NCSupport for Disaster Area Relief$2,000
Wiregrass Emergency Pregnancy Services Enterprise, ALSupport for Women with Unplanned Pregnancy$2,000
Central American Missions Eufaula, ALSupport for Needy in Central America$2,000
Habitat for Humanity Americus, GASupport Home Construction for Needy and Underprivileged Families$1,000
Map International Brunswick, GAMedicine Missions Support$1,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$533,724$25,099$58,824$56,84619$56,846$25,099$50,107
2024$567,449$124,652$75,287$73,67517$73,675$47,838$44,704
2023$518,084$71,830$61,134$59,52918$59,529$23,503$35,996
2022$507,388$105,900$117,839$115,89325$115,893$23,711$38,185
2021$519,327$133,900$79,357$78,15522$78,155$35,663$40,209
2020$464,784$48,825$59,604$58,27525—$15,219$29,111

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Morning Star Foundation reported a distributable amount of $50K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations and purposes. Four Corners Ministries describes its mission as communicating and demonstrating the gospel of Jesus Christ to unreached and under-equipped people groups. MAP International describes itself as a Christian organization providing medicines and health supplies to people in need. Samaritan’s Purse describes its work as providing spiritual and physical aid to people affected by war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $56,846. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $17,836, with a median of $1,000.

Among its largest 2025 grants were $17,836 to First Baptist Church Enterprise for general church contributions; $10,000 to Honduras Baptist Dental Mission for dental and medical mission support in Honduras; and $8,000 to Four Corners Ministries for support for and evangelism of people in Uganda. Other listed grants included $3,000 to Christian Mission Enterprise for a homeless shelter and $2,910 to Compassion International for sponsorship of a child in Nicaragua. The foundation also gave $2,000 to Samaritan’s Purse for disaster-area relief and $1,000 to MAP International for medicine missions support. Yellowstone Forever reported receiving $800 from the foundation in 2025.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Lewe S West as president; Sandra J West as vice-president, secretary, and treasurer; and Brandon B West, Angela Matthews, and Jeremiah L West as directors.

Morning Star Foundation is led by Lewe S. West, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Lewe S. West

    President

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sandra J. West

    V-President, Secretary & Treasurer

    On filings since 2020

    5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Angela Matthews

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Brandon B. West

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

  • Jeremiah L. West

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Morning Star Foundation

How much does Morning Star Foundation give each year?

Morning Star Foundation gave $57K across 19 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $74K across 17 grants.

What is Morning Star Foundation's typical grant size?

Morning Star Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $2,992, across 19 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Morning Star Foundation that year got $8K on average.

Where does Morning Star Foundation give grants?

Morning Star Foundation gives mostly in Alabama: 62% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Mississippi (18%) and Colorado (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Enterprise, AL (4 grants) and Dothan, AL (2 grants).

Does Morning Star Foundation give general operating support?

Yes: 16% of Morning Star Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Morning Star Foundation's largest grantees?

Morning Star Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include First Baptist Church Enterprise ($17,836), Honduras Baptist Dental Mission ($10,000) and Four Corners Ministries ($8,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Morning Star Foundation?

Morning Star Foundation reported $534K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $57K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $50K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Morning Star Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations and purposes. Four Corners Ministries describes its mission as communicating and demonstrating the gospel of Jesus Christ to unreached and under-equipped people groups. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Morning Star Foundation?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Morning Star Foundation's EIN?

Morning Star Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1269967. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does Morning Star Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?

No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 29, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 31, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS March 28, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 29, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 25, 2025)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 3, 2026)
  7. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Morning Star Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/morning-star-foundation-morg_ad71c256ef92485e918c4f5cbf0bb647

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201269967_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Morning Star Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/morning-star-foundation-morg_ad71c256ef92485e918c4f5cbf0bb647},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Morning Star Foundation'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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