The Larson Foundation, established in 2012, is dedicated to being a catalyst for meaningful change. Communities around the world, including Maasai Girls Rescue Center, have been positively impacted by the Foundation’s contributions. Its mission, Empowering All to Flourish, embraces the transformative power of giving back, while building a future where financial success is synonymous with social responsibility.

MGRC recently had an opportunity to speak with Scott Larson, Board Member of the Larson Foundation, to learn more about the Foundation and why MGRC was selected to be a benefactor of their generosity. The following excerpts are from my conversation with Scott.

Finding the right partners

Finding the right partners is important. “We look for like-minded ministries to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ while bringing prosperity to hard-to-reach places. To that end, we look for organizations that have a proven record of doing what they say they are going to do. While there are numerous good-hearted people who are passionate about helping and eliminating poverty, we have found very few have an actual plan and even fewer have plans as robust and proven as MGRC.”

Partners around the globe

The Larson Foundation supports organizations around the globe. In addition to ensuring the girls at Massai Girls Rescue Center have dependable, ample and clean water, the Larson Foundation has helped build a church and orphanage in Cambodia, urban playgrounds in St. Louis and greenhouses in Zambia to grow food, to highlight a few examples.

Risky business

As most organizations who have a presence in Africa will attest, working there can be difficult. Larson has learned that having partners with strong business plans, as well as the ability to implement and measure results, is key to success.

“MGRC has the right mix of entrepreneurial spirit, discipline and business acumen to succeed. They understand the importance of having trained, indigenous people on the ground who are trustworthy and have strong working relationships within the community. When we see an organization that aligns with our ministry goals and a detailed, programmatic plan on how to accomplish that plan, we listen. When we see an organization committed to training local citizens, building strong committed leaders and ensuring business goals are met, we are interested. And when Christian values are woven in the entire organization, we give,” he said.

Purposeful giving

Larson also eloquently said, “We come into this world with nothing, and we leave with nothing. We are given resources to make this world a better place while we are here. It is our responsibility to carefully manage our resources and to share those resources to maximize their effectiveness so all can flourish. Massai Girls Rescue Center aligns well with our mission, and we are proud to partner with them in providing the at-risk Maasai girls a faith-based home environment and a path to financial independence.”

In a recent review of MGRC on GreatNonprofits.org, Scott wrote: Maasai Girls Rescue Center fit the bill. MGRC has created a business platform on which this ministry operates. They run proformas, budget’s, produce accurate P/L’s and hold their operations to exacting standards. They make their projections and hit their marks. They are the most effective operationally run ministry with whom we partner.

The staff, board, volunteers and the girls of Maasai Girls Rescue Center are eternally grateful for the support and generosity of the Larson Foundation. Having a dependable source of clean water has been a game changer for our girls. Finding the right partners is key to ensuring a sustainable future for the center. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the foundation as we build a path of financial independence for the girls of MGRC.