WORD ON FIRE CATHOLIC MINISTRIES

As filed

Subsection

03

NTEE code

X81

Classification

1270

Street

25 NORTHWEST POINT BLVD STE 1025

These codes are the IRS's own and are shown exactly as filed. What each one means is in the Business Master File documentation (opens in a new tab).

Mission and programs · 2024

• WORD ON FIRE BOOKSTORE Word on Fire continued its unprecedented growth in Catholic publishing, releasing 34 new titles and earning a record-breaking 34 honors at the 2025 Catholic Media Association Book Awards. We expanded our impact on young readers through the Word on Fire Votive imprint, releasing our first children's Bible, The Story of All Stories, which was a huge success. A major milestone was reached with the release of The Word on Fire Bible: Volume V (Exile and Return), pushing this groundbreaking series past its halfway point. Through our Works of Mercy Fund, we distributed over 19,000 books and 4,200 Bibles to parishes, military bases, and campus ministries globally. Furthermore, our Liturgy of the Hours initiative reached a new peak of 30,000 monthly subscribers, coinciding with Word on Fire being officially selected by the USCCB as a publisher for the new Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition.

  Expenses $11,003,078 · Revenue $9,763,935

• WORD ON FIRE INSTITUTE Word on Fire Institute continued to expand its mission of forming and equipping Catholics for evangelization, reaching a new milestone of over 30,000 active members during the fiscal year. The Institute provided members with comprehensive formation through online courses, engaged communities and specialized development tracks designed to deepen understanding of the faith and prepare individuals to evangelize effectively in today's world. A highlight was inaugural Lenten Retreat featuring Fr. Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., which garnered 4,200 participants. During this period, Bishop Barron and Institute leadership engaged members and supporters through in-person and virtual events, including lectures, conferences, and international speaking engagements that further advanced the Institute's global reach. The Institute began a new partnership with the Catholic University of America in the Evangelization and Culture Master's Program, an accredited Master of Arts degree that equips students with the intellectual, spiritual, and practical tools necessary to proclaim the Gospel in our secular age.

  Expenses $2,810,457 · Revenue $4,605,685

• WORD ON FIRE MEDIA Word on Fire Media significantly expanded its evangelical reach, headlined by Bishop Barron's keynote address to over 50,000 pilgrims at the National Eucharistic Congress, which broadcasted the Gospel to a global audience. The YouTube channel achieved a historic milestone by surpassing 2 million subscribers, doubling its base from the previous year and generating record engagement through "Sunday Sermons "Bishop Barron Presents." To celebrate the apostolate's 25th anniversary, we launched a major documentary project on French Gothic architecture and initiated the "10,000 Rosaries" digital campaign, fostering a global community of prayer. Our digital platforms experienced continued growth, with Bishop Barron's YouTube channel, podcasts, and social media content reaching millions of viewers and listeners. Core content series such as Sunday Sermons and Bishop Barron Presents continued to foster deeper engagement with the Catholic faith and invite audiences into ongoing formation and conversion. We further expanded our media capabilities through enhanced studio production, enabling high-quality video content and in-depth conversations with leading voices in theology, culture, and public life. Additionally, our website and digital ecosystem saw significant increases in traffic and engagement, extending the reach of its evangelization efforts to a broader global audience.

  Expenses $561,597 · Revenue $152,175

As filed on the 2024 return.

Officers and directors · 2024

As listed in Part VII of the 2024 return, in the order the filer printed them. Each return names its own; this is not a roster the organization keeps with us.

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us. Earlier years are each on their own filing page.

Filings

• 2024

  Revenue

  $30,699,778

  Expenses

  $26,210,877

  Contributions

  $15,079,275

  Grants paid

  $0

• 2023

  Revenue

  $26,852,104

  Expenses

  $19,160,697

  Contributions

  $12,516,785

  Grants paid

  $0

• 2022

  Revenue

  $21,638,201

  Expenses

  $14,569,865

  Contributions

  $11,274,335

  Grants paid

  $25,250

The four totals the IRS asks for on Part I of the Form 990, as filed. A dash means the figure was not present on the return — not that it was zero.

Other returns filed

• 2021 · 990

  Revenue

  $13,917,766

  Expenses

  $10,112,354

  Assets (EOY)

  $28,188,890

• 2020 · 990

  Revenue

  $17,209,550

  Expenses

  $7,111,181

  Assets (EOY)

  $26,397,119

• 2019 · 990

  Revenue

  $9,227,971

  Expenses

  $3,630,471

  Assets (EOY)

  $16,583,879

• 2018 · 990

  Revenue

  $4,598,701

  Expenses

  $3,057,984

  Assets (EOY)

  $10,672,847

• 2017 · 990

  Revenue

  $3,689,064

  Expenses

  $2,698,761

  Assets (EOY)

  $8,768,613

• 2015 · 990

  Revenue

  $2,949,545

  Expenses

  $2,552,242

  Assets (EOY)

  $8,156,779

• 2014 · 990

  Revenue

  $2,116,058

  Expenses

  $1,978,728

  Assets (EOY)

  $7,846,327

• 2011 · 990

  Revenue

  — not reported

  Expenses

  $2,465,414

  Assets (EOY)

  $3,527,866

Nonprofiteer parses Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF, in a window of recent tax years. These returns are recorded from the IRS e-file index, so their figures were extracted by that index rather than read from the return here — treat them as a different source from the filings above, not as more of the same record. A dash means the index carries no figure; Form 990-T listings carry none at all.

Grants made

• CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

  $25,000

  2022 · CONFERENCE SPONSORSHIP

Where these grants went next →

Grants received

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $703,384

  2022 · RELIGION RELATED

• INDEPENDENT CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $400,000

  2023 · GENERAL SUPPORT

• INDEPENDENT CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $400,000

  2022 · GENERAL SUPPORT

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $395,681

  2024 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $339,492

  2024 · RELIGION RELATED

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $324,761

  2023 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND

  $250,723

  2022 · For grant recipient's exempt purposes

• TAHOE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

  $250,000

  2025 · Community Engagement

• AMERICAN ENDOWMENT FOUNDATION

  $243,750

  2024 · RELIGION

• DONOR ADVISED CHARITABLE GIVING

  $201,428

  2023 · RELIGION RELATED

The 10 largest by cash amount. The API serves every itemized grant.

Other IRS files