FirstDay Foundation

Background

The FirstDay Foundation is a grantmaking organization that provides funding to local charitable initiatives. The group also operates under the name “Baptist Child and Family Services” (BCFS) ^{2 3 4} while allegedly maintaining separate websites under both names. ^{5 6}

Tax records allegedly show the FirstDay Foundation operates at least six other nonprofit groups:  BCFS Health and Human Services, BCFS Education Services, Breckenridge Village, BCFS Property Management Company, Children’s Emergency Relief International, and Project Angel Fares. ^{7 8 9 10 11 4}

Activity

The FirstDay Foundation provides grants and funding to local initiatives and charitable nonprofit organizations. ^{12 13} Grants made have been directed towards other nonprofits managed by its sister organizations including BCFS Health and Human Services and BCFS Education Services. ⁷

Several listed grantees on the group’s website include Children’s Emergency Relief International, which was co-founded by FirstDay Foundation president Kevin Dinnin; ¹⁴ Breckenridge Village, a home for adults with intellectual disabilities; New Hope, which provides counselling services; Hearts Need Art, a charity that provides art supplies and events to hospital-bound patients; Grace House, a Texas-based transition home for women at-risk for abuse; CASA, a treatment center for special-needs children; Circle J. Ministries, a care facility for abuse victims; White Heart, an advocacy group that provides “eco-therapy” for veterans; Warfighter Scuba, which provides scuba therapy for veterans; the Dee Howard Foundation, which provides STEM scholarships to high school students; and the Lemonade Circle, a local initiative that claims to provide financial support to future “female leaders.” ¹⁵

Baptist Child and Family Services (BCFS)

Baptist Child and Family Services (BCFS) is a “sister” organization of the FirstDay Foundation that has previously received grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) towards funding local initiatives and community projects. ^{16 17} The group also provides funding towards specific initiatives within southern Texas such as treating abuse victims, ¹⁸ opposing human trafficking, ¹⁹ and providing financial support for children with special needs. ²⁰

Controversy

Bob Bishop of the American Thinker has previously accused the FirstDay Foundation of resembling “a slush fund,” ² claiming tax filings show its reported assets had increased from $10.4 million in 2011 to $788.7 million in 2023. In addition, Bishop claimed that before 2021 the Foundation’s revenue mostly came from “Program Services,” which reached over $84 million in 2020. However, he further alleges that between 2021 and 2022, its listed “contributions” increased while reporting $444 million in 2021 alone. ^{2 21 3}

Bishop further alleged there being discrepancies between grants listed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Foundation and the amount reported on the Foundation’s tax forms while further alleging that other grants from the HHS had gone to several of the sister groups such as BCFS Health and Human Services. ^{17 22}

Leadership

Kevin C. Dinnin is the president and CEO of FirstDay Foundation. Prior to this, Dinnin has served on several government agency tasks forces including the Task Force for Promoting Healing and Restoring Hope for America’s Children and Families, as well as the National Advisory Committee on Children and Terrorism. Dinnin is also the co-founder and former executive board chair of Children’s Emergency Relief International. Dinnin has previously served on the boards of the Family Violence Prevention Services/Battered Women’s Shelter, the Lighthouse for the Blind in San Antonio, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, and Childsafe. ^{23 14}

In 2023, Dunnin’s total reported compensation from the Foundation was $1,147,795. ⁴