Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation

The Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation is a foundation based in West Palm Beach, Florida. According to the Foundation Center, as of 2004 it had over $404 million in assets and in that year made grants of $28.8 million. [1]] The foundation is a generous contributor to the Religious Right and other evangelical Christian causes.

History

The foundation was created in memory of Arthur DeMoss, who was the founder, president and chairman of the board of the National Liberty Corporation, a life insurance company which mass marketed policies via television ads hosted by Art Linkletter.

DeMoss died on 1 September, 1979, at the age of 53. Of his estate, valued at over $350 million, approximately $200 million was used to establish the National Liberty Foundation which was later renamed the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation. [2]

Purpose of the Foundation

In its 2004 annual return to the IRS the foundation states that grants are restricted to organisations that match the mission of the foundation, which it states is to:

to promulgate the Christian Gospel throughout the world by any and all proper means, including, but not by way of limitation, the technical assistance of missionaries and missionary groups, the support of pastors, evangelists, missionaries, preachers and others engaged in the promulgation of the Christian Gospel, the printing and distribution of Christian literature, Bibles and tracts, and the support and operation of audio and audio-visual means of communication ..." [3] (Pdf)

The total grants given to other organisations in 2004 amounted to $23.5 million.

In its 2004 annual return to the IRS the foundation also sets out that it has three main program areas that that it directly funds. These programs, account for $5.2 million in 2004, are:

Power For Living : Power For Living is a project which has as it's objective to acquaint as many people as possible throughout the world with the biblical account of how people can get right with God. This is done by a multi-media campaign promoting the free book, Power For Living, which is advertised on radio, television, newspapers and magazines throughout a country. The book is translated from the English edition and adapted culturally, according to the respective country. ($4.7 million in 2004)

Executive Ministries: This ministry has as its objective winning and discipling business and professional executives to Jesus Christ. A small staff carries on this ministry in the following ways: evangelistic luncheons and dinner parties at which testimonials from Christian executives are given; individual follow-up counseling is conducted; small and large group men's, women's and couples' Bible studies are held; individual follow - up counseling is conducted. ($3,435 in 2004)

Literature for Little Ones: This is a literature and book distribution ministry designed primarily for children. Bibles, New testaments, story books and other Christian literature are given away without charge by our staff. The ministry is conducted in various ways such as in prisons, hospitals, orphanages and schools. The purpose of the project is to give children an opportunity to hear about Jesus the Savior and to help them learn biblical stories and teaching. ($556,200 in 2004). [4] (PDF, page 93).

Grant Recipients

In March 1999 Americans United for Separation of Church and State reported that "one major recipient of DeMoss money is the American Center for Law and Justice, TV preacher Pat Robertson's legal group, which received $1.6 million in 1997. GOPAC, a political action committee formed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), received $70,000 in 1993. And the National Coalition for the Protection of Families and Children, an anti-pornography group based in Cincinnati, received $2 million in 1996 and nearly $400,000 in 1997. Several anti-abortion groups have also received DeMoss money." [5] The group also noted that in January 1999 the Palm Beach Post revealed that the foundation contributed to the Plymouth Rock Foundation, a Christian Reconstructionist-aligned group "that seeks to impose 'biblical law' on America."

Major 2004 Recipients

In 2004 grants were made totalling $14.4 million to a wide range of U.S.-based organisations but the largest ones were to:

• the Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC) 279,020 as well as for other specific CCC projects including
  • CCC Asia Impact Campus Expansion $649,103
  • CCC Eastern Europe $2.35 million
  • CCC Haennssler $430,000
  • CCC Romania $263,162
• Fellowship of Christan Athletes, Kansas $75,000
• Free Congress Foundation $75,000
• Human Life Alliance of Minnesota $96,290
• Josh McDowell Ministry, Alpine California $530,969
• Life Action Ministries, Niles Missouri $1,134,333
• Moody Institute, Chicago $1,255,600
• Prison Fellowship Ministries, $3,300,000
• Samaritan's Purse, Boone North Carlina ($975,495)
• Servant Group International, Nashville Tennessee ($245,500)
• World of Life Fellowship, Schroon Lake, NY $329,985
• World Impact, Los Angeles $300,000
• World Sports, Inc, Bonito Springs Florida $196,096

The DeMoss foundation also contributed $9.1 million to a number of overseas projects comprising $956,166 to "Southeast Asia Ministries", $1.68 million to Africa Ministries and $6.47 million to Confederation of Independent States Ministries. [6] (Pdf)

Personnel

Directors

• Nancy S. DeMoss, Chairman of the Board and Treasurer, ($254,500 in 2004)
• Robert G. DeMoss, President and Director ($203,750 in 2004)
• Charlotte A. DeMossSecretary and Director, ($68,900 in 2004)
• Elisabeth J. DeMoss, Director, ($68,900 in 2004)

Staff

• John H. Bectel, Director of International Missions $171,392 (2004)
• Edwin F. McDonald, Project Director, $195,400 (2004)
• Earl F. Swan, Chief Pilot $187,700 (2004)
• Larry R. Nelson, Chief Financial Officer $154, 725 (2004)
• Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Director(2004) $166,675 (2004)
• Ken Fuller, Executive Director

Contact Details

777 South Flagler Drive
Phillips Point, Suite 1600
West Palm Beach, Florida, 33401
Phone: 561-804-9000

SourceWatch Resources

• Dominionism

External links

• Republican GOPAC: Arthur DeMoss Foundation gave GOPAC (through mid-1993) $70,000; Mrs. Arthur (Nancy) DeMoss is "an anti-abortion crusader and a member of the DeMoss Family, whose anti-abortion Arthur DeMoss Foundation has poured massive sums into efforts to restrict a woman's right to choose (New York Times, 10/14/93)."
• Detailed Contributor Breakdown: John Ashcroft, Open Secrets. The Arthur DeMoss Foundation was one of only two Nonprofit campaign contributors ($1,000 each) for Ashcroft's 1996 campaign.
• "'Power for Living' Group Has Ties to 'Religious Right'", Americans United for Separation of Church and State, March 1999.
• Daisy Fried, "Don't Cry For DeMoss, Philadelphia", City Paper (Philadelphia) January 2–9, 1997.
• David Van Biema, "Who Are Those Guys? The secretive DeMoss Foundation is behind those Power for Living ads, and a lot more", Time, August 9, 1999.
• "Power for Living", All Things Considered, NPR, January 22, 2002.
• Beth Healy, Francie Latour, Sacha Pfeiffer, and Michael Rezendes, "Charity money funding perks", Boston Globe, November 9, 2003.
• Francie Latour and Beth Healy, "AG in Conn. begins probe: 2 foundations for charities are eyed", Boston Globe, November 11, 2003.
• Conrad Goeringer, "Public Religious Displays by Professional Athletes", American Atheist Online Journal, 2004.