Kidology Foundation

What is the Kidology Foundation?

Since its founding in 1994, Kidology's Mission has been to Equip and Encourage Those Who Minister to Children. This is not merely a motto, it is the lifelong passion of Kidology's founder, Karl Bastian.

It is Karl's personal belief that healthy organizations are giving organizations, even before they have anything to give. So right from the start, before Kidology was even incorporated or saw any income, the Kidology Foundation was formed, with a desire to give tangible assistance to those in children's ministry. This committment to give regardless of ability is based on one of Karl's life verses:

Proverbs 11:24
One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

This is not a "prosperity" philosophy of giving in order to receive, but an understanding that when you withhold (or save) waiting until you have in order to give, you never will. Instead, you give first, and then God will enable you to keep giving. Throughout his life, Karl noticed that generous people and organizations never lacked for the means to be so, and those who weren't generous often seemed to be asking for money and help. So he determined that Kidology would start giving right from the start.

When people hear "Kidology Foundation" they often assume there is a large fund of money and apply to receive grants from this endowment. There is no such fund. Instead, the Kidology Foundation is a budget line item out of which Kidology gives out of this commitment to help others fulfill their missions within the realm of children's ministry.

How the Kidology Foundation is Funded:

A portion of annual All Access Memberships is designated for foundation giving
Donations to the Foundation
Designated offerings at select Kidology events

Criteria for Foundation Giving:

Ministry directly to children (or)
Ministries that train children’s workers who will in turn minister directly to children
Missions that directly impact children (or) train those who will impact children directly
Create resources to train or evangelize children
We are less inclined to give to one-time “events/trips” and are more interested in supporting established ministries, though we have done these. (More likely when there is an established relationship with our ministry.)
Recipients must be a non-profit organization, not individuals. Therefore checks are only written to organizations, not individuals.

Children's Ministry Education Scholoarship

In 2002, Karl established the Patti Bastian Memorial Children's Ministry Scholarship at Moody Bible Institute. This annual scholarship assists students at M.B.I. with their schooling and encourages those with experience and interest in children's ministry to consider a career in children's ministry.

Periodically, in partnership with INCM and other children's ministry conferences, Kidology will provide scholarships and/or travel for Kidology members to attend children's ministry training conferences and events in order to further their children's ministry training.

Free Scholarships and Resources from Kidology.org

While Kidology.org is primarily supported by memberships and sales in our online store, Kidology never allows the cost of our site to prevent anyone from missing out on the vast resources available on Kidology.org. At the top of the join page is a link to ask for a scholarship to the site, and every month many free All Access Memberships are given away. Part of our Foundation is giving away these scholarships - nearly $20,000 per year in addition to thousands of dollars in Kidology resources that are freely handed out any time we encounter people who cannot afford them. Donations to the Kidology Foundation enable us to be generous and never say 'no' to these opportunities to help children's ministry workers who are unable to purchase the resources they need, whether it's a website membership, curriculum, training materials, or something else.