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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: September 2026 Expires: September 2028

Christian Appalachian Project

Standards Not Met
Standards Not Met
1 6
(866) 270-4227
485 Ponderosa Drive
Paintsville, KY, 41240
https://christianapp.org
📄 Full Report 🖨️ Print 📋 BBB Charity Standards

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Christian Appalachian Project does not meet the following 2 Standards for Charity Accountability:

Standard 1 (Oversight of Operations and Staff)
Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fund raising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.

CAP does not meet this Standard because its board of directors did not:

  • Receive information about the financial arrangements made with outside fundraising firms hired in the year ended August 31, 2025.

Standard 6 (Board Policy on Effectiveness)
Have a board policy of assessing, no less than every two years, the organization's performance and effectiveness and of determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

CAP does not meet this Standard because:

  • The board of directors does not have a written policy stating that, at least Every 2 Years, an appraisal be done assessing the organization’s performance and effectiveness and determining future actions required to achieve its mission.

Christian Appalachian Project meets the remaining 18 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to build hope, transform lives, and share Christ's love through service in Appalachia."

Year, State Incorporated:
1964, KY

Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) reports that it provides social services and disaster relief for 13 Appalachian states and the Ozarks region of Missouri and Arkansas. The organization’s programs include hunger relief, early childhood development, home repair, elderly services, youth empowerment, and disaster relief. CAP’s Operation Sharing program works through a network of over 1,500 community-based agencies and organizations to distribute food, household supplies, and other necessities across the region. In 2025, the organization reported it reached 2.2 million individuals through Operation Sharing, 14,442 clients through human services in Eastern Kentucky, and provided 3,587 students with in-school curriculum, tutoring, mentoring, and leadership training.

For the year ended August 31, 2025, Christian Appalachian Project's program expenses were:

Community services $130,242,207
Family services $50,039,127
Education services $32,041,519
Economic services $767,451
Total Program Expenses $213,090,304

Chief Executive
Jennifer Stolo, President and Chief Executive Officer

Chair of the Board
Bob Hutchison

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Business Owner

Board Size
19

Paid Staff Size
173

*2025 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Note 1: Ms. Stolo joined CAP in January 2026, and her compensation information is not available at this time.

Note 2: Former President and Chief Executive Officer Guy Adams was the highest-paid employee with total compensation of $284,769 for the year ended August 31, 2025.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Telephone appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Radio, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Membership appeals, Workplace Giving, Cryptocurrency

CAP incurred joint costs of $3,767,635 for informational materials and activities that included fundraising materials. Of those costs $2,305,010 was allocated to fundraising expenses, $1,239,892 was allocated to program expenses, and $222,733 was allocated to administrative expenses.

Fundraising costs were 7% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $235,573,699, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Christian Appalachian Project's audited financial statements for the year ended August 31, 2025.

Source of Funds
In-kind contributions $195,324,460
Contributions $35,402,581
Legacies and bequests $3,610,967
Realized and unrealized gains on investments, net $2,544,532
In-kind services $826,640
Investment income $760,882
Program revenue $617,076
Government grants $408,650
Royalty income $403,895
Gift card contributions $401
Total Income $239,900,084

Programs: 90% Fundraising: 7% Administrative: 3%

Total Income $239,900,084
Total expenses: $236,720,647
  Program expenses $213,090,304
  Fundraising expenses $17,311,787
  Administrative expenses $6,318,556
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $3,179,437
Beginning Net Assets $49,804,677
Other Changes In Net Assets $48,196
Ending Net Assets $52,906,484
Total Liabilities $2,111,935
Total Assets $55,018,419

Note 1: In the above financial section, "other changes in net assets" refers to actuarial adjustment on annuity obligations ($62,914) and loss on sale of property and equipment (-$14,716).

Note 2: According to the organization's audited financial statements for the year ended August 31, 2025, CAP received in-kind contributions totaling $196,151,100 in the form of materials, supplies and gift cards ($193,477,016), food and commodities ($1,847,845), and volunteer time ($826,640).

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

RELATED CONTENT

Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance