Report: Hillsong Foundation Raised $21M For Charities, But only Gave Them 1% of the Money
The Hillsong Foundation is a “charitable foundation that exists to finance the outworking of Hillsong Church’s vision.” Through the Hillsong Foundation, “Hillsong is able to partner with like-minded non-profit organisations across the globe in an effort to bring care and justice to vulnerable groups in the name of Jesus.” Because it is listed as a charity, all giving toward the Hillsong Foundation is tax-deductible.
Much of the money is raised during “Heart for the House” offering, which is an “annual, sacrificial offering that is over and above our tithes and offerings.”
The website is placarded with rousing quotes like “While little children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight!” and “While there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, I’ll fight till the very end.” Hillsong also raises money through its Kingdom Builders service. During this time, Hillsong primes the congregants by showing them films of their work in Africa and other countries, feeding sickly children over sad music to manipulate the masses.
Funds are also raised from ‘Kingdom Builders” and “Vision Impacters”- members of Hillsong with financial means who desire to “advance the Kingdom of God on the earth through their generosity” who give $5000 and above, and $1000-$4,999” respectively. They are invited to special breakfasts and retreats in exchange for their large donations.
Each year Hillsong raises around $20M dollars on the back of these heavily promoted ministries, frequently showcasing them as the good work they are doing in the world. But as The Hillsong Kefuffle reports, the charities they so frequently showcase are not seeing almost any of that money.
Hillsong advertises four main not-for-profits that The Hillsong Foundation supports:
– The Hillsong Africa Foundation
– One80TC
-A21
-Vision Rescue IndiaWhat they DON’T tell you is that VERY little money goes toward other not-for-profits. In fact, in 2020, only 4.56% of the total money raised through the Hillsong Foundation went to all these four not-for-profits COMBINED. If that money was distributed equally, each of these would receive a bit over 1% of the total raised.
ONE PER CENT.2019 was even worse, with only 3.93% of the total money raised through The Hillsong Foundation going to these four not-for-profits combined. That would make just under one percent per each.
“0.5% of the total money raised through The Hillsong Foundation went to The Hillsong Africa Foundation in 2020.
The Hillsong Africa foundation supports 18 different programs. This means if that 0.5% was distributed equally, each program received 0.027% of the total funds raised through The Hillsong Foundation.
Let’s put this in dollars.Let’s say you donated $2000 to The Hillsong Foundation. $10 would go to The Hillsong Africa Foundation. 50 cents would go to each program supported by the Hillsong Africa Foundation.
50 cents out of $2000.
0.027%Yet Phil Dooley cries on stage while throwing up a token picture of Black children with disabilities, claiming that “that’s what Hillsong is all about.
Put another way, in 2020, Hillsong Africa Foundation received $117,618. In that same year,
Bobbie Houston spent $12,498.30 on custom skateboards, nearly a tenth of the total donation.
She would also spend $2,440.00 on a Louis Vutton bag, spend the night in a $3,192.50 hotel, buy another $1,785.00 in clothing, and have a single meal and drinks which cost $3,607.36.
The year before, in just one month, she would buy $14,167.27 in gift cards and spend thousands more on meals and hotels. In two years, Bobbie spent nearly $100,000 on gift cards.
She is not spending this from her own money, but rather a charge card the church gives out leaders, which is paid for by tithes and offerings. This is the same charge card that paid for these extravanancies: Hillsong Leader Expenses $40,086.05 in ONE MONTH (One Meal Was $6156.64) and Countdown: Top 10 Luxury Hotels Hillsong Leaders Expensed to the Church (Spoiler: The Cheapest is $8457.42)
Rather than being given to their charities, most of the money was funneled to their Media and Arts empire, college, and loans to buy more property.
About Author
Grifters living the high life, nothing less. Using God to enrich one’s self is so morally reprehensible – shame on them and shame on those who blindly follow them.
The headline is disingenuous and misleading. 4.56% across four Not for Profits equals 4.56% of the total – not “a little over 1%”. I understand that it averages out at 1.14% each, but that is not the way to report the percentage of total giving honestly.
Admittedly though, 4.56% is still pathetic.