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MinistryWatch

U.S. evangelical Christian, nonprofit watchdog (center-right in orientation)

Owned byIndependent 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in North Carolina. It has no for-profit parent. It is not owned by Salem Media, although it reports on Salem's business news.
FundingMainly donations from individuals and Christian donors and foundations. It also earns some revenue from its data products and from advertising or sponsorship on its site. Its exact current revenue mix was not verified.
On the administrationmostly neutral

Background

MinistryWatch was founded in 1998 by Rusty and Carol Leonard, incorporated as a North Carolina nonprofit, and received IRS 501(c)(3) status in 1999. It was originally known as Wall Watchers. It appeared on ABC's 20/20 in 2007 and later grew into a news and data site covering the Christian nonprofit sector. Its core product is a database of financial ratings and donor-oriented analysis of ministry finances, taken from public tax filings. Warren Smith, a former vice president of WORLD News Group and the Colson Center, is its president. It also publishes news, podcasts and a quarterly survey of leaders of the 1,000 largest U.S. Christian ministries. One such survey found that about 54% of respondents expected Trump administration policies to have a positive effect on their organizations and about 19% expected a negative one. It covers both pro-ministry policy news and regulatory risks to ministries, such as proposed State Department rules. It also reports on Salem Media's finances and its planned 2026 acquisition by the donor-advised fund foundation WaterStone. The site's perspective is evangelical, and its focus is accountability and transparency rather than partisan politics. I could not load its About page, so the funding and ownership details come from secondary descriptions.

Sources

  1. MinistryWatch - Wikipedia
  2. Ministry Leaders Expect Positive Impact from Trump Administration Policies - MinistryWatch
  3. Leadership Team - MinistryWatch
  4. Donor-Advised Fund Foundation to Acquire Salem Media - MinistryWatch
  5. Ep. 347: State Department Proposes Rules that Could Hurt Ministries - MinistryWatch

Profile compiled 2026-10-25; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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