Servant Foundation
The Servant Foundation is a Christian nonprofit most known for launching the “He Gets Us” campaign, which included Super Bowl advertisements in 2023 and 2024. 1 Originally tied to the National Christian Foundation (NCF) in 2000, it broke away in 2017 and is now primarily funded through the donor-advised fund The Signatry. 2 3
Contents
Secular liberal critics have criticized the Servant Foundation for its association and contributions to conservative-leaning organizations, while several conservatives and traditional Christians criticized the Super Bowl commercials for promoting a left-leaning interpretation of the Christian message. 1
Background
The Servant Foundation is a Christian nonprofit most known for launching the “He Gets Us” campaign, which included Super Bowl advertisements in 2023 and 2024. The campaign has also included digital and billboard advertising. 1
The organization was established in 2000 in Kansas by Christian attorney Bill High in partnership with the National Christian Foundation, which handled the accounting and administrative work. The Servant Foundation broke away from the NCF in 2017. 2
The foundation is currently primarily backed by Christian donor-advised fund called The Signatry. 3
The Kansas-based Servant Foundation is not to be confused with the Oklahoma-based Servant Foundation, a nonprofit aligned with the Church of the Servant, a United Methodist congregation in Oklahoma City. 5
Financial Ties
The Signatry, the donor-advised fund that now funds the Servant Foundation, has received more than $4 billion in contributions and helped make more than $3 billion in charitable grants. 6
The Signatry says it funds “discipleship and outreach efforts, Bible translations, cultural care, church plants, anti-human-trafficking missions, student ministries, poverty alleviation, clean water initiatives, and so much more.” 6
The Servant Foundation donated $65.9 million to Alliance Defending Freedom from 2018 through 2021, according to a compilation from the British-based liberal investigative group Open Democracy. 2
The organization also contributed to conservative organizations Focus on the Family, the American Center for Law and Justice, the Family Research Council, Heartbeat International and the Heritage Foundation. 2
The Green family, who own craft-supply retailer Hobby Lobby, contributed to the “He Gets Us” campaign at a time when the Servant Foundation ran the campaign. 1
“He Gets Us”
The Servant Foundation’s “He Gets Us” campaign began in late 2021, and gained attention with digital ads in 2022 to target young audiences. The campaign spent in the same league as major corporations such as Old Navy, TD Ameritrade, and Mercedes-Benz. 3
The “He Gets Us” campaign reportedly cost the organization $300 million. 2
The Servant Foundation no longer oversees the “He Gets Us” campaign, which was moved into a new charitable organization called Come Near, the Associated Press reported in 2024. Come Near says it is “committed to sharing the life and love of Jesus in thought-provoking new ways.” 1
Campaign spokesperson Greg Miller said the HeGetsUs.com website got 715,000 views in the 24 hours after the 2024 Super Bowl. Miller told the Associated Press, “Our goal is to really show that Jesus loved and cared for anyone and everyone. … One of the main purposes for ‘He Gets Us’ is to try and invite anyone, no matter what they believe, to explore the story of Jesus.” 1
The “He Gets Us” website lists the most common questions, including one about LGBT people, and says, “Jesus loves gay people and Jesus loves trans people … No matter who you are, YOU are invited to explore the story of Jesus and consider what it means for your life.” 1
The “He Gets Us” campaign planned to advertise during 2024 Olympics in Paris, during the 2024 NFL draft, and during the 2024 Republican and Democratic conventions. 1
Some traditional Christians criticized the 2024 Super Bowl ad for references to washing the feet of an LGBT person and another frame showing washing the feet of a woman outside what appeared to be an abortion clinic. 1
In 2024, Joel Berry, editor of conservative satire publication The Babylon Bee, posted on X that the Super Bowl commercial was “strictly following oppressed v oppressor intersectionality guidelines” attempting to “sell Jesus to leftists” or to “sell a political movement.” 7
Meanwhile, the leftwing Americans United for Separation of Church and State is among groups on the left that said the Servant Foundation and the “He Gets Us” campaign is a “Christian Nationalist” threat. 8
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) criticized the 2023 Super Bowl ad, posting on Twitter: “Something tells me Jesus would *not* spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl ads to make fascism look benign.” 9
Leadership
William High is the CEO of the Signatory and the Servant Foundation. 10
Steve French is the president and CEO of The Signatry as well as The Servant Foundation. 3 10
Lawrence Scott is the senior vice president and general counsel of The Signatry and the Servant Foundation. 10
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
| Year | Total Assets | Total Revenue | Total Expenses | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $789,611,877 | $124,385,019 | $349,253,656 | |
| 2024 | $1,026,646,765 | $592,337,115 | $1,066,207,632 | View |
| 2023 | $1,433,871,293 | $867,236,941 | $819,498,009 | View |
| 2022 | $1,370,435,851 | $942,411,964 | $537,157,776 | View |
| 2021 | $976,853,498 | $641,515,454 | $401,657,418 | View |
| 2020 | $702,254,466 | $405,509,413 | $344,668,679 | View |
Prior year filings: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Employee Compensation
- Number of Employees: 86
Highest Earning Employees
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $572,944,809
- Number of Grants: 226
- Number of Funders: 108
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
All-time grants given statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $2,366,569,430
- Number of Grants: 10,698
- Number of Recipients: 5,038
Selection of highest value grants given from the last seven years: