Established in 1980, The Festus & Helen Stacy Foundation was formed through two special people with a heart for the Gospel and blessing the lives of others.

The Stacy Foundation was funded by the APenn and Penn Champ oil and manufacturing companies. Festus Stacy founded these entities in Butler, Pennsylvania during 1932. He led as President/CEO over these corporations until he sold them in 1962.

Stacy was a colorful, cigar-loving, no-nonsense salesman who grew up selling buggy whips at his father's hardware store in his small hometown of Princeton, Missouri. Mr. and Mrs. Stacy grew up in the church with a strong heritage of faith. In a letter Festus once wrote, "Evangelism is the greatest business in the world."  Stacy's words of faith still resonate today: "Confess your mistakes, your sins, give me your soul, have confidence in Me, I will save your life, you will live forever, just believe, have faith. You know, it was the best deal I was ever offered. So I said, Christ, you got a deal!"

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Helen was a woman portrayed by love, always putting others before herself. She watched over her household, children, and grandsons with a soft spirit of laughter, dignity, wisdom, and warmth. Helen's fun-loving spirit was reflective of her Christ-centered outlook on life. Her faith never wavered, even in the face of tragedy.

During May 1966, their 19-year-old daughter, Irene Helen Stacy, died in an automobile accident. Understanding that God was in control and life is but a vapor, this event served as a catalyst for Stacy's increased generosity and devotion to God.

The Stacy family always enjoyed worldwide travel, which sparked their passion and vision for worldwide missions. The Stacys maintained Pennsylvania and Florida residences until retirement, when Helen and Festus moved exclusively to their Fort Lauderdale, Florida home.

Helen Miller Stacy (1907 – 2002) and Festus Stacy (1902 – 1995) have since gone home to be with the Lord. Today, their legacy lives on through The Festus & Helen Stacy Foundation, now under the leadership of their daughter, son-in-law, grandsons, and staff.

"We should all be thankful that the good Lord makes it possible for us to do the things we do to help others." Festus Stacy

First and foremost we rely on God to direct our steps and opportunities. His ways are higher then ours and His plans are greater then what we could have ever thought or imagined. It is with this understanding that we use these operating principles to help guide us on our journey to help others.      

 

1. Collaboration
Our Foundation prefers working with out-of-the-box thinkers who are willing to look beyond their own organizations and develop models and solutions in partnership with other like-minded organizations.

2. Maintain High Standards
We favor organizations that exhibit high reporting and accountability standards, while demonstrating a spirit of partnership and transparency with its resource partners. These organizations should maintain or abide by the same high standards of accountability and uphold ethical values as espoused by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (E.C.F.A.).

3. Proven & Indigenous Leadership
We look for proven leadership and sound planning. On occasion we help ministries think through their organizational and strategic issues (i.e. via Foundation staff or third-party consultants). Also, when granting we favor indigenous leadership and believe that leaders working within their own language, culture and areas of influence have a higher probability to be more effective in accomplishing their mission.

4.  Strategic & Leveraged Giving
We like big vision, and seek to partner in ways that maximize our return on investment (ROI). Ideally, our partnership should have the potential to take an organization, project or idea to the next level. This level should achieve the greatest positive impact while also holding the promise of reaching ever-greater numbers.

Furthermore, we are willing to be an early funder and a catalyst for action or new initiatives. We often favor matching grant opportunities where other donors' participation can ramp up for healthy growth as our involvement becomes less dependent upon.    

5. Replicable, Scalable & Viable Models
We partner with groups that have a plan for sustainability and do not rely on any one funding source, including the Stacy Foundation, for its long-term survival. As such, our involvement is typically for specific projects that help build capacity, accelerate growth and improve effectiveness. The potential for significant growth is a requirement, as is the ability that it can be effectively managed once growth occurs.

6. Community Network & Outreach Models
We seek to support non-denominationally-minded parachurch organizations. These organizations encourage, strengthen and unite the local church, non-profit and business communities in their efforts to engage the world in social transformation, while sharing the love of Christ.  

7. Funding Limitations
We give grants both small and large. However, our first-time grants will usually be modest. Furthermore, we typically extend grants for single-year projects but have made exceptions for multi-year gifts under special circumstances. 

8.  Research & Outcome-Based Granting

We look for granting opportunities that integrate both head and heart dynamics. These organizations are willing to research the task at hand, and then evaluate the outcomes of their efforts. Too often we see organizations that are measuring their efforts and activities rather than their outcomes. As a Foundation we ask the question, "How do you know what you are doing is working?"