Funding
According to the three guiding principles that founder Nancy Alcorn established (see Ethos), the Mercy Ministries website states that they do not accept government funding, and as such, are supported solely by donations from individuals, organizations and other ministries.
With regard to fundraising events, Mercy Ministries host gala dinners, Christmas donation drives and running marathons throughout the year, and invite visitors to their website to donate by becoming a financial partner or "sponsoring" a girl.
Mercy Ministries also sell resources to raise funds such as books and sermons by founder Nancy Alcorn, as well as an audio bible featuring the voices of Christian celebrities and testimonies of Mercy Ministries graduates.
In spite of Mercy Ministries principles of not accepting government funding and providing their program free of charge to their clients, Mercy Ministries Australia was investigated by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) and found to be in breach of the Trade Practices Act 1997 and guilty of "false and misleading advertising" of their services, including advertising that their program was free of charge when their clients were in fact forced to sign over their government welfare benefits. The former directors were forced to issue a written apology as well as undertake to partially compensate the former residents from whom they took monies.
Read more about this topic: Mercy Ministries