The Global Orphan Project 
The information on this page was last updated 9/15/2025. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
Setting traditional institutional orphan care models aside, we're connecting a global family united by a shared vision to care for vulnerable children and keep families together. Because we provide localized care based on a community's unique needs, how we serve looks different depending on where we are serving.
Contact information
Mailing address:
The Global Orphan Project
3161 Wyandotte Street
Kansas City, MO 64111
Website: goproject.org
Phone: 816-536-8333
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 816079539
CEO/President: Joseph Knittig / Trace Thurlby
Chairman: Mike Fox
Board size: 9
Founder: Mike and Beth Fox
Ruling year: 2004
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 12/31
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 2007
Purpose
Vision: Care for every child.
Setting traditional institutional orphan care models aside, we're connecting a global family united by a shared vision to care for children and vulnerable families along the entire spectrum: Orphan Prevention, Orphan Care and Transition.
Mission statement
To break the orphan cycle through the power of community, commerce, and the love of Jesus.
Statement of faith
The Lord is the leader of this ministry. GO Project is not affiliated with any particular denomination. However, we do exist and operate as an expression of Jesus Christ's radical love in a fallen world. Our leaders are all passionate followers of Christ.
We believe the Holy Bible to be the inspired, complete Word of God. We adopt the Scriptures as our Statement of Faith - obviously better than what we could fairly summarize ourselves. James 1:27 states: "Religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." This verse captures the heart of our ministry. We strive to be doers of the Word, not mere talkers.
Donor confidence score
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To understand our donor confidence score, click here.
Transparency grade
C
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Adoption/Foster Care
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 64 of 1435 | 4 of 58 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 78 of 1435 | 3 of 58 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 105 of 1435 | 11 of 58 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 381 of 1436 | 16 of 58 |
According to the organization's Form 990, it received $328,750 in government grants in 2024.
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 10% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 5% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 67% | 82% | 83% | 92% | 91% | 92% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 6% | 0% | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 33% | 18% | 17% | 8% | 9% | 8% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 80% | 90% | 89% | 89% | 87% | 83% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 97% | 82% | 93% | 101% | 90% | 71% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 74% | 73% | 84% | 90% | 78% | 59% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 3% | 18% | 7% | -1% | 10% | 29% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | 34% | 12% | -2% | 15% | 42% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 12% | 10% | 10% | 11% | 12% | 16% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.73 | 1.37 | 1.52 | 1.62 | 1.22 | 0.84 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 1.74 | 1.17 | 1.24 | 1.34 | 1.31 | 1.33 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 1.54 | 1.60 | 1.89 | 2.17 | 1.60 | 1.11 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 13.62 | 14.29 | 10.80 | 15.18 | 15.93 | 18.32 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.09 | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.05 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 6.91 | 6.96 | 5.77 | 5.17 | 7.01 | 10.22 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 8% | 8% | 11% | 9% | 9% | 20% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 16% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 111% | 67% | 59% | 56% | 75% | 96% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Cash | $13,665,726 | $7,695,789 | $5,467,549 | $7,470,197 | $7,391,588 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $2,808,183 | $2,954,942 | $2,982,205 | $1,723,336 | $1,388,576 |
| Short-term investments | $0 | $0 | $248,428 | $0 | $201,437 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $16,473,909 | $10,650,731 | $8,698,182 | $9,193,533 | $8,981,601 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $2,292,461 | $2,206,409 | $2,634,826 | $2,867,772 | $2,921,278 |
| Other long-term assets | $471,849 | $318,264 | $320,394 | $26,449 | $28,059 |
| Total long-term assets | $2,764,310 | $2,524,673 | $2,955,220 | $2,894,221 | $2,949,337 |
| Total assets | $19,238,219 | $13,175,404 | $11,653,402 | $12,087,754 | $11,930,938 |
| Liabilities | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $941,345 | $746,773 | $415,634 | $441,980 | $305,339 |
| Other current liabilities | $211,599 | $239,316 | $157,279 | $135,085 | $184,909 |
| Total current liabilities | $1,152,944 | $986,089 | $572,913 | $577,065 | $490,248 |
| Debt | $402,770 | $430,673 | $457,599 | $483,541 | $1,905,702 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $402,770 | $430,673 | $457,599 | $483,541 | $1,905,702 |
| Total liabilities | $1,555,714 | $1,416,762 | $1,030,512 | $1,060,606 | $2,395,950 |
| Net assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Without donor restrictions | $13,298,165 | $8,884,391 | $9,157,546 | $9,131,035 | $6,366,180 |
| With donor restrictions | $4,384,340 | $2,874,251 | $1,465,344 | $1,896,113 | $3,168,808 |
| Net assets | $17,682,505 | $11,758,642 | $10,622,890 | $11,027,148 | $9,534,988 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Total contributions | $26,439,491 | $17,938,812 | $17,137,430 | $14,875,811 | $12,844,796 |
| Program service revenue | $5,373,316 | $3,080,189 | $1,042,769 | $977,943 | $832,719 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $107,653 | $64,285 | $3,307 | $23,712 | $7,234 |
| Other revenue | $419,838 | $401,933 | $497,316 | $508,070 | $277,715 |
| Total other revenue | $5,900,807 | $3,546,407 | $1,543,392 | $1,509,725 | $1,117,668 |
| Total revenue | $32,340,298 | $21,485,219 | $18,680,822 | $16,385,536 | $13,962,464 |
| Expenses | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Program services | $23,770,022 | $17,975,648 | $16,789,236 | $12,848,997 | $8,228,724 |
| Management and general | $2,532,019 | $2,005,270 | $2,002,540 | $1,801,991 | $1,616,355 |
| Fundraising | $114,394 | $107,231 | $73,921 | $89,458 | $123,554 |
| Total expenses | $26,416,435 | $20,088,149 | $18,865,697 | $14,740,446 | $9,968,633 |
| Change in net assets | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $5,923,863 | $1,397,070 | ($184,875) | $1,645,090 | $3,993,831 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $5,923,863 | $1,397,070 | ($184,875) | $1,645,090 | $3,993,831 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Adrien Lewis | President, Careportal | $145,432 |
| Joe Knittig | CEO | $136,256 |
| Domingo Mota | Area Director | $126,377 |
| Daniel Leach | Senior Developer | $123,652 |
| Mark Atkinson | Area Director | $122,313 |
| Benjamin Barreth | Software Dev 3 | $113,752 |
| Scott Platter | VP of U.s. Implementation | $112,575 |
| Jacob Barreth | COO | $110,147 |
| Jessica Ray | Executive Director, Goex | $108,395 |
| Bethany Bezanson | CFO | $101,686 |
Compensation data as of: 12/31/2024
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 9/15/2025. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
Our story began in a home for orphaned children in southeast Asia in 2003. Mike Fox, a businessman from Kansas City, Missouri, met a small group of children who dramatically changed the trajectory of his life and many others'.
Mike and his wife, Beth Fox, founded The Global Orphan Project (formerly C3 Missions) in 2004. Supported by the 100% Commitment, the ministry became a vehicle to invite family and friends to invest in the lives of children who need family, and it grew quickly. Within a few years, GO Project was helping care for children on three continents with a growing emphasis on partnering with the local, indigenous church.
Program accomplishments
In 2021,
23,744 children served internationally every month
34,446 children served domestically
14,481 request met through care portal
101 jobs sustained by GOEX apparel