CAPITAL MOBILIZED
$15.31M+Directly funded or helped mobilize for life-saving work
One Life InstitutePhilanthropic Capital Office
Fort Wayne, IndianaEstablished 2026
Fund mandate1LF · 2026
THE PHILANTHROPIC CAPITAL FUND OF ONE LIFE INSTITUTE
PUT CAPITAL WHERE IT SAVES LIVES.
One Life Fund deploys charitable capital through a disciplined five-stage process: identify exceptional candidates, seed the first proof point, prove the model, scale what works, and endow institutions built to last.
Private philanthropic capitalDisciplined deploymentGenerational horizon
Capital summaryBroader family philanthropy and fund mandate
$15.31M+CAPITAL MOBILIZED
$10KTYPICAL FIRST GRANT
$3MPROVEN MODEL EXAMPLE
$1M+ENDOWMENT HORIZON
01THE FUND
A FAMILY FUND BUILT FOR INSTITUTIONAL PERMANENCE.
One Life Fund is the capital-deployment vehicle of One Life Institute and Berning family philanthropy. We provide seed grants, growth capital, matching endowments, and major endowments to organizations and innovators whose work can save lives, protect vulnerable people, and strengthen families.
We put family capital into the work, invite other philanthropists and businesses to give alongside us, and increase funding as leaders demonstrate stewardship, evidence, and measurable impact.
- Capital source
- Berning family and aligned philanthropic capital
- Allocation method
- Seed grants, growth capital, matching and permanent endowments
- Decision standard
- Stewardship, evidence and measurable life-saving outcomes
- Time horizon
- Institutional and generational
02THE FUND AT A GLANCE
A CLEAR MANDATE. A LONG HORIZON.
A concise view of the broader family philanthropy and the capital thresholds that define the One Life Fund model.
ReferenceMeasureAmountMandate
TYPICAL FIRST GRANT
$10KA disciplined first opportunity to create evidence
PROVEN MODEL EXAMPLE
$3MAn initial $30,000 commitment ultimately grew to approximately $3 million
ENDOWMENT HORIZON
$1M+Seven-figure capital for exceptional, proven institutions
Capital overview
Figures describe historic family philanthropy and the Fund's intended deployment framework; they are not investment returns.
03THE ONE LIFE FUNNEL
THE ONE LIFE FUNNEL.
A five-stage capital underwriting process for evaluating candidates, establishing proof, increasing deployment, and building permanent life-saving institutions.
01IDENTIFY
02SEED
03PROVE
04SCALE
05ENDOW
StageDeployment mandateCapital bandAdvancement gate
01
IDENTIFY
Find exceptional candidatesWe evaluate pregnancy health centers, nonprofits, founders, ministries, and innovations with a credible path to protecting life and strengthening families.
CANDIDATES
Mission alignment · leadership diligence
02
SEED
Often $10,000A first grant gives a promising leader enough capital to attempt the work, establish operating discipline, and create an initial proof point.
$10K
Defined use of funds · first proof point
03
PROVE
Evidence before expansionThe candidate demonstrates how funds were used, what outcomes were achieved, how lives were protected, and whether the model deserves follow-on capital.
OUTCOMES
Documented outcomes · responsible stewardship
04
SCALE
$25,000 to $500,000+Strong execution unlocks larger grants, matching commitments, facilities, technology, staffing, and the capacity required to reach substantially more people.
$25K+
Repeatable execution · expanding reach
05
ENDOW
Seven-figure permanenceExceptional One Life Fellows may receive major or matching endowments designed to build permanent institutions that save lives for generations.
$1M+
Institutional durability · generational capacity
Qualified outcomeOne Life Fellow
Fellowship recognizes leaders and organizations that convert disciplined capital into measurable, durable life-saving impact.
04ONE LIFE FELLOWS
THE ONE LIFE FELLOW REGISTRY.
One Life Fellows are leaders and organizations that have demonstrated exceptional stewardship, measurable life-saving outcomes, and the ability to convert disciplined capital into durable impact.
Fellowship is earned through stewardship and demonstrated impact. It is not purchased.
RegistryFellowMandateFieldStatus
LIFE ADVANCEMENT GROUP
Pregnancy-health innovation, direct intervention, and scalable systems designed around measurable life-saving outcomes.
Life-saving innovationONE LIFE FELLOWLET THEM LIVE
Direct financial intervention and practical support for abortion-determined mothers and their families.
Direct interventionONE LIFE FELLOWLIVE ACTION
National education, media, and cultural work advancing the dignity and protection of human life.
Culture and educationONE LIFE FELLOWLOVE LIFE
Church mobilization, pregnancy support, and community action centered on protecting mothers and children.
Church mobilizationONE LIFE FELLOWSURVIVORS OF THE ABORTION HOLOCAUST
Youth leadership, education, and public witness for a culture that protects every human life.
Youth leadershipONE LIFE FELLOW05HOW CAPITAL IS DEPLOYED
CAPITAL INSTRUMENTS MATCH THE STAGE.
The Fund selects the structure that best fits the maturity of the model, the evidence already established, and the permanence of the opportunity.
01
Start
Create the first proof pointSEED GRANTS
Disciplined early capital for promising leaders, new organizations, and innovations prepared to attempt measurable life-saving work.
02
Scale
Expand what has been provenGROWTH CAPITAL
Follow-on grants for staffing, technology, programs, facilities, and infrastructure that increase a Fellow's reach and effectiveness.
03
Multiply
Multiply commitmentMATCHING ENDOWMENTS
Structured commitments that help proven Fellows attract aligned donors and build a broader base of long-term philanthropic support.
04
Endure
Build beyond a generationPERMANENT ENDOWMENTS
Seven-figure and long-duration capital for exceptional institutions with demonstrated stewardship and durable life-saving impact.
06THE FUNNEL IN PRACTICECase study 01
Initial allocation$30,000
Advancement testProof of model
Follow-on supportApprox. $3,000,000
FROM FIRST PROOF TO INSTITUTIONAL SCALE.
An innovative full-service Pregnancy Health Center in Texas began with approximately $30,000 in support. Working alongside Let Them Live, the center used a triage-oriented model to focus time, staff, and financial assistance on situations where intervention could directly help save a life.
As the model demonstrated results, the investment grew. What began as a disciplined seed ultimately developed into approximately $3 million in support.
That is the One Life Funnel: give exceptional people an opportunity, measure what happens, and place substantially more capital behind what proves it can save lives.
07ONE INSTITUTION · ONE FUND · ONE MISSION
ONE INSTITUTION. ONE FUND. ONE MISSION.
One Life Institute is the parent charitable institution: it develops the philosophy, relationships, strategy, incubation, and broader family philanthropic mission.
One Life Fund is the focused capital vehicle: it seeds candidates, cultivates One Life Fellows, scales proven work, and builds permanent endowments.
Mission · Strategy · Incubation
Identify · Seed · Prove · Scale · Endow
Permanent institutions that save lives
08Private giving deskConfidential major-gift inquiry
GIVE THROUGH THE FUND
DEPLOY CAPITAL ALONGSIDE THE FUND.
One Life Fund works with families, businesses, executives, foundations, and philanthropists who want charitable capital placed behind vetted life-saving work with a disciplined path from first proof to permanence.
Check or wireSecuritiesDonor-advised fundsMatching commitments
Confidential major-gift inquiry · Transfer instructions are issued by the Fund Manager
PRIVATE GIVING DESK
SELECT A CAPITAL COMMITMENT.
Select an intended commitment. The Fund Manager will follow up privately with the appropriate structure and transfer instructions for a major gift, securities transfer, donor-advised fund, matching commitment, or endowment conversation.
CommitmentPartnershipIntended role
SELECTED COMMITMENT$10,000
REQUEST INSTRUCTIONS FOR $10,000