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United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund was established in 1986 with proceeds from the sale of Wesley Medical Center, an event that also created the Kansas...
United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund was established in 1986 with proceeds from the sale of Wesley Medical Center, an event that also created the Kansas Health Foundation. President David Jordan, previously Executive Director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, shapes the fund's dual role as both grantmaker and active policy participant. Guided by ties to the Great Plains Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the fund directs its resources toward improving health outcomes across all 105 Kansas counties. The fund deploys capital across grants, direct program operations, and coalition funding — with no public equity or venture allocation typical of larger foundations. Programmatic emphases include access to care, thriving children, and engaged congregations. In practice, this surfaces as Medicaid expansion advocacy through the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, rural health listening tours with Thrive Kansas, and joint research funding with REACH Healthcare Foundation. Geographic concentration is exclusively Kansas, with a heavy tilt toward rural and frontier counties. May 2024 marked the launch of the fund's most recent multi-year strategic plan, reinforcing its focus on maternal and child health and deepening its convener role in rural communities (per the firm's public reporting, May 2024). Though its endowment is small at roughly $70M, the fund leverages a network of partners — the Kansas Association of Community Foundations, Grantmakers In Health, and local United Methodist congregations — to amplify its reach beyond what its balance sheet alone would suggest. The fund maintains its principal office in Hutchinson, Kansas. The fund's structural distinction lies in its hybrid operating model: it is a grantmaking foundation that also executes its own programs and policy work directly, rather than solely funding third-party nonprofits. This creates a tight feedback loop where listening sessions in towns like Garden City or Liberal immediately inform grant priorities. Its shared origin with the much larger Kansas Health Foundation provides a permanent, sibling-like co-investor relationship on statewide health initiatives.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1986
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Hutchinson
Corporate office
100 East First Avenue, Hutchinson, KS 67501, United States
Principals
David Jordan
President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund?
President David Jordan oversees the fund's overall strategy, including grantmaking and programmatic spending decisions. The fund does not publicly name a dedicated chief investment officer, which is consistent with its structure as a small endowment. Investment management for the roughly $70M endowment is likely handled by an external advisor or an internal board committee, though specifics are not disclosed.
Does the fund operate as a grantmaker, a direct program operator, or both?
It operates as both. The fund awards grants to community partners and actively runs its own initiatives, such as rural health listening tours and policy advocacy through coalitions like the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas. This hybrid model allows it to respond to needs identified in its own fieldwork rather than solely evaluating third-party grant proposals.
How is the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund related to the Kansas Health Foundation?
Both organizations were created from the proceeds of the 1985 sale of Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. They maintain a formal partnership and frequently act as co-investors on statewide health initiatives, including Medicaid expansion advocacy and rural health access programs. Despite their shared origin, they operate as independent entities with separate governance and programmatic emphases.
What is the fund's primary geographic focus?
The fund exclusively targets the state of Kansas, with a particular emphasis on rural and underserved counties. Its listening tours and grant programs reach communities across the state's 105 counties, prioritizing areas with limited healthcare infrastructure. Hutchinson serves as its headquarters, but work is conducted statewide.
Does the fund participate in fund commitments or pursue investment returns like a typical endowment?
The fund manages a permanent endowment but does not publicly disclose its investment portfolio composition. As a health-focused foundation, its primary capital deployment is through grantmaking and direct programs, not through private fund commitments. The endowment serves as the financial base for this spending rather than a vehicle for generating returns through alternative investments.
Where does the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund's underlying wealth come from?
Its initial and primary endowment capital came from the 1985 sale of Wesley Medical Center, a Wichita hospital. This transaction also endowed the Kansas Health Foundation. The fund does not actively fundraise broad donor contributions, relying instead on the endowed assets to generate income for its grantmaking and programs.
What is the fund's known posture on co-investments alongside other funders in Kansas?
Co-investment is a core strategy. The fund regularly partners with Grantmakers In Health, REACH Healthcare Foundation, and the Kansas Health Foundation to pool resources for policy research, community programs, and advocacy. These relationships are operationally visible rather than being passive side-by-side grant commitments, with the fund often acting as the convener of these funding collaborations.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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