ABOUT UNBOUND

Our mission and values

Unbound is an international nonprofit based in Kansas City, Kansas, and founded by lay Catholics grounded in the Gospel call to put the needs of the marginalized and vulnerable first.

Our mission is to walk with the poor and marginalized of the world.

By providing personal attention and direct benefits, we help children, youth, elders and their families in Africa, Asia and Latin America build their unique paths out of poverty. We invite all people of goodwill to join our community and walk in solidarity with the world’s poor through one-to-one sponsorship. The connections we create foster relationships and transform lives across geographic, economic and social divides.

Our core values

Theological Base We are grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor.	Integrity and Accountability Honesty and transparency are necessary to operate an efficient and effective organization.
Dignity of the Person Recognizing the God-given dignity of each person is essential to sincere, lasting, loving relationships.	Respectful Relationships A relationship of mutual respect between sponsor and sponsored person is central to Unbound's mission.

The vision of our founders

Guided by their faith and inspired by the principles of Catholic social teaching, Bob, Bud and Jim Hentzen, their sister Nadine Pearce and their friend Jerry Tolle envisioned an innovative, highly personalized sponsorship program. Bob and Jerry were former missionaries who witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of poverty while working in Latin America. They met hard-working families struggling heroically to make better lives for their children.

In 1981, our founders created a program that would invite people to partner with these families to support and encourage them. Their goal was to empower families and connect the world not only with their struggles, but also with their incredible gifts.

Over the years, the sponsorships of over 1 million children, students and elders have created brighter futures around the world and transformed the lives of both sponsored friends and sponsors.

Our Financials

Unbound is consistently top-rated and reviewed and earns high rankings from respected third-party organizations that evaluate charities.

Our Approach

We believe the smartest path out of poverty is a self-directed one, so we help sponsored friends use their funds to achieve their goals.

Our Results

We measure program effectiveness and outcomes to ensure your contributions make the greatest impact for families on their paths out of poverty.

Our Leadership

Since 1981, we’ve witnessed the development of dedicated, innovative leaders who are changing lives and communities around the world.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

We've got answers.

"Since the very beginning, the founders [of Unbound] dreamed of freeing God's people from hunger, from slavery, from pain. Our calling at this historic moment is to be gentle, balanced leaders in our world."

-BOB HENTZEN, CO-FOUNDER