The Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation (also known as the Herzog Foundation) is a private grantmaking organization that focuses on making Christian education more accessible. The Herzog Foundation identifies and seeks to fill the gaps in Christian education through its grantmaking and programs, which include online content creation, news, trainings, and organizational improvement initiatives. 1
Programs
The mission of the Herzog Foundation to advance Christian education in the United States. The Herzog Foundation’s programs have been designed to comprehensively launch, promote, and strengthen Christian education efforts. 2
The Herzog Foundation’s online Christian education news publication, The Lion, provides articles covering a wide range of issues related to American families and culture, focused especially on education. The Lion aims to provide resources for families and educators and includes aspects of culture, parenting, family life, faith, and government in its articles. 2
The Herzog Foundation Institute provides training opportunities to Christian educators, leaders, and organizations. The Institute hosts events and conferences led by thought leaders and experts in marketing, donor development, and culture building, all focused on the needs of those involved in Christian education. 2
The American Dream Speaker Series hosts conversations on topics that range from education to national security with national leaders. The Speaker Series’ focuses primarily on how issues of today will affect the future of the U.S. and what the next generation will inherit. Former speakers have included former Education Secretary Betsey DeVos and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. 2
The Herzog Foundation’s online resource SchoolBox is designed to help advance entrepreneurship in Christian education. SchoolBox offers lessons, resources, and mentorship to new Christian schools, micro schools, and cooperatives, and aims to assist parents and administrators through the start-up process. 2
The Herzog Foundation provides free, online resources for homeschooling parents interested in starting a Christian homeschool group or co-op through its HF Homeschool program. The program provides training and mentorship along with an eight-step instructional guide for starting a homeschool or co-op. 2
The Herzog Foundation Ambassadorship program offers a year-long opportunity to young leaders seeking to impact K-12 education in the U.S. Ambassadors are fully immersed in the operations and programs of the Herzog Foundation, providing them with the necessary skills and experiences to further their individual goals and the educational mission of the Foundation. 2
Grantmaking
The Herzog Foundation provides funding to Christian schools and educational programs, including organizations supporting school choice and home schooling. Recently, the Herzog Foundation’s largest grants have gone to related organizations, Herzog Foundation Resource Management ($3.27 million in 2023) and the Herzog Tomorrow Foundation ($2 million in 2022). 3
In 2023, the Herzog Foundation also made contributions to organizations that are members of the State Policy Network, a coalition of free market state-level policy organizations. These goups include the Show-Me Institute ($65,000 in 2023), the First Liberty Institute ($25,000 in 2023), and the Freedom Foundation ($25,000 in 2023). 4
Funding
The Herzog Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. The Stanley M. Herzog Trust contributed $21.74 million to the Herzog Foundation in 2019. 5
People
Leadership
Stanley “Stan” Herzog was a Christian businessman and philanthropist who founded the Stanley M. Herzog Foundation to support Christian education. 6
Chris Vas is a senior director at the Herzog Foundation. Vas is a former executive director of Liberty Alliance USA and a former political director of the Missouri Republican Party. 7
Darrell Jones is the president of the Herzog Foundation and a former senior pastor at the Grace Evangelical Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. 8
Josh Mann is managing editor at the Herzog Foundation and the president and CEO of Expositus. Mann is a former senior project manager at Biblingo and a former research fellow at Durham University. 9
Stephanie Goodnight is the vice president of operations at the Herzog Foundation and the director of client relations at the Ashcroft Group. 10
Board of Directors
Todd Graves is the chair of the board of the Herzog Foundation and a founding partner of Graves Garrett, LLC in Kansas City, Missouri. Graves formerly worked as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri. Graves sits on the board of Ballotpedia and is a founding member of the board of the Kansas City Missouri Police Foundation. 11
John Elliott is the vice chair of the board of the Herzog Foundation and the vice president of Inside Information. Elliott is a former associate commissioner of Platte County, Missouri and a founding member of the Northland Christian Education System in Kansas City. 12
Kristen Blanchard Ansley is the secretary and treasurer of the board of the Herzog Foundation. Ansley is a former executive director of the Missouri Republican Party and formerly worked in the office of then-Governor Matt Blunt (R-MO). 13
References
- “About Herzog Foundation.” Herzog Foundation. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://herzogfoundation.com/about/.
- “Our Programs.” Herzog Foundation. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://herzogfoundation.com/our-initiatives/
- Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2022, Part XV, Line 3.
- Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2023, Part XV, Line 3.
- Stanley M. Herzog Charitable Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2019, Schedule B, Part I.
- “Our Founder.” Herzog Foundation. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://herzogfoundation.com/our-founder/
- “Chris Vas.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 12, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-vas-14796djdhf/.
- “Darrell Jones.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 12, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrell-jones-5a3b3624/.
- “Joshua Mann.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 12, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/bejlm/.
- “Stephanie Goodnight.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 12, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-goodnight-61b97228/.
- “Todd Graves.” Herzog Foundation. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://herzogfoundation.com/members/todd-graves/.
- “John Elliott.” Herzog Foundation. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://herzogfoundation.com/members/john-elliott/.
- “Kristen Blanchard Ansley.” Herzog Foundation. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://herzogfoundation.com/members/kristen-blanchard-ansley/.