Reel Life International Inc
Reel Life International Inc is a public charity based in Birmingham, Alabama, formed in 2009. It describes itself as a Great Commission ministry that works alongside churches through discipleship and short-term missions. Its 2024 filing reports 10 grants totaling $584,345.
Reel Life International Inc at a glance
In short: Reel Life International Inc gave $584K across 10 grants in 2024 (avg $58K), top state Tennessee. 40% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $584,345
- +75.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 10
- +42.9% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $58,435
- +22.8% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $48,350
- Total assets
- $809,813
- -25.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 40% first-time grantees (4 of 10, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Tennessee (36% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Reel Life International Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 169 Oakmont Road, Birmingham, AL 35244
Phone: (205) 370-1827
Website: https://reel-life.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Reel Life International Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 9 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was East-West Ministries International ($178K). Together the top 9 received $575K.
Organizations only. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($9,500), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
30 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 23 grants of 30 (77%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The organization’s 2024 filing describes its program activity as primarily in Central and South America, as well as portions of the United States. Among 2024 grant dollars, recipient-state shares were Tennessee 36%, Texas 30%, Alabama 14%, California 10%, and Florida 10%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Reel Life International Inc open to new grantees?
40%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 4 of 10 grantees (40%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $86K. How we count
Medians: $17K first-time, $63K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $68K (2021) to $584K (2024). In 2024 it made 10 grants totaling $584K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| East-West Ministries International Plano, TX | Grant to be used for the greatest needs of the ministry | $177,800 |
| E3 Volunteers Jamestown, TN | Guatemala Baptist Camp Mission Project | $117,050 |
| Score International Chattanooga, TN | Various monthly grants: rincon family & church ministries, emmanuel house school, and pasitos de jesus girls orphanage, joel cotes translator in dr. | $69,495 |
| Worship Center Blessed Ministries OPA Locka, FL | Monthly Grant Support for Pastor and Food Ministry | $56,000 |
| Craig Libby Co Mexican Medical Ministries Lemon Grove, CA | Monthly grant support and dental ministry expenses and two one-time grants and one for mmm pastors' mission trip. | $49,200 |
| International Ministry of Jesus Birmingham, AL | Grants for well construction in humidad, ecuador & grant for the purchase of mobile backpack projector system & ministry support | $47,500 |
| Caribbean Ministries Association Chattanooga, TN | Grant for Pastor Missionary Support. | $24,800 |
| Globeworks International Ministries Inc Birmingham, AL | Grant for Pastor Missionary Support & Ministry Expenses | $21,000 |
| Campus Outreach Birmingham, AL | Grant for Missionary Support. | $12,000 |
| 1 grant to individuals Recipients not named | — | $9,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $809,813 | $1,029,609 | $1,326,231 | $584,345 | 10 | $28,655 |
| 2023 | $1,089,128 | $1,335,613 | $968,639 | $332,968 | 7 | $13,297 |
| 2022 | $731,250 | $635,315 | $420,782 | $89,012 | 4 | $1,078 |
| 2021 | $511,137 | $354,837 | $237,803 | $68,496 | 3 | $100 |
| 2020 | $390,461 | $426,255 | $380,289 | $101,223 | 6 | $1,095 |
| 2019 | $350,399 | $715,790 | $672,809 | $114,153 | 11 | $1,268 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The organization states its mission is “to cultivate a passion for the gospel by working with the church to share the love of Christ with those in need around the world.” Its 2024 filing describes support for short-term mission trips and monthly support addressing spiritual and physical needs, primarily in Central and South America and also in portions of the United States.
The 2024 grants show support for organizations whose stated missions include short-term missionary projects in Latin America (E3 Volunteers), missions centered on evangelism and equipping (SCORE International), making disciples and serving people in need (International Ministry of Jesus), and Bible training for Caribbean churches (Caribbean Ministries Association). These are the grantees’ stated missions.
Grantmaking
In 2024, Reel Life International reported 10 grants totaling $584,345. Grants ranged from $9,500 to $177,800, with a median of $48,350. The largest awards included $177,800 to East-West Ministries International for its greatest ministry needs; $117,050 to E3 Volunteers for a Guatemala Baptist Camp mission project; and $69,495 to SCORE International for monthly grants supporting several named ministries and a translator.
Other 2024 grants included $56,000 to Worship Center Blessed Ministries for monthly pastor and food-ministry support; $49,200 to Craig Libby Co Mexican Medical Ministries for monthly support and dental-ministry expenses, among other purposes; and $47,500 to International Ministry of Jesus for well construction in Ecuador, a mobile backpack projector system, and ministry support. The filing also lists awards to Caribbean Ministries Association ($24,800), GlobeWorks International Ministries ($21,000), Campus Outreach ($12,000), and Mexican Medical an individual recipient ($9,500).
The website says Reel Life often writes grants to fund projects through field partner organizations. It also states that designated gifts are used exclusively for their stated purpose, subject to the board’s control, and that funds for an over-funded or infeasible project may be redirected to a similar purpose. The website describes scholarships and partial scholarships for volunteers’ mission-trip costs; these are support for participants, not grants to outside applicants. No grant application process or deadline is stated.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists the following directors: Rick Godbehere, Keith Russell, Eddy Brown, Harrison Jones, John Abernathy, Keith Shamblin, Jennifer Key, Doug Cound, and Leslie Brown. Tim Smith is listed as secretary.
Reel Life International Inc is led by O'Neal Michael, Chairman on every filing since 2019; none of the 13 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
O'Neal Michael
Chairman
On filings since 2019
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Abernathy John
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brown Eddy
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brown Leslie
Director
Secretary → Director, 2020
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Godbehere Rick
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Key Jennifer
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Russell Keith
Director
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Cound Doug
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jones Harrison
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shamblin Keith
Director
On filings since 2021
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Key Jim
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Smith Tim
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2020
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Splawn David
Vice Chairman
Vice Chair → Vice Chairman, 2020
On filings since 2019
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Newman Jeff (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Shamblin Caleigh (2021–2023) — Director
- Former: Shamblin George (2019–2021) — Director
- Former: Hill Anthony (2021) — Director
- Former: Godbehere Chelle (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Jackson Brad (2019–2020) — Director
- Former: Lawton Anne (2019) — Director
- Former: Lawton George (2019) — Director
- Former: Wilkey Garrett (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Reel Life International Inc
How much does Reel Life International Inc give each year?
Reel Life International Inc gave $584K across 10 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $333K across 7 grants.
What is Reel Life International Inc's typical grant size?
Reel Life International Inc's median grant in 2024 was $48,350, and its average grant was $58,435, across 10 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Reel Life International Inc that year got $17K on average.
Where does Reel Life International Inc give grants?
Reel Life International Inc's top state is Tennessee, with 36% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990. The next largest states were Texas (30%) and Alabama (14%). The most frequent recipient cities were Birmingham, AL (3 grants) and Chattanooga, TN (2 grants).
Does Reel Life International Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Reel Life International Inc's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support.
Who are Reel Life International Inc's largest grantees?
Reel Life International Inc's largest 2024 grantees include East-West Ministries International ($177,800), E3 Volunteers ($117,050) and Score International ($69,495), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. It also paid 1 grant to individuals ($9,500), which are not listed by name. Together they received 62% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Reel Life International Inc?
Reel Life International Inc reported $810K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $1.0M.
What does Reel Life International Inc fund?
The organization states its mission is “to cultivate a passion for the gospel by working with the church to share the love of Christ with those in need around the world.” See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Reel Life International Inc?
Reel Life International Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check reel-life.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is Reel Life International Inc's EIN?
Reel Life International Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-0182988. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated September 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
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS July 14, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS September 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS August 7, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 11, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Reel Life International Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/reel-life-international-inc-morg_095756a0be2c4da8a8ad0ccf71e42054
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_270182988_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Reel Life International Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/reel-life-international-inc-morg_095756a0be2c4da8a8ad0ccf71e42054},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Reel Life International 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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