Vision
Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis sees the Church brought into the lives of hurting people and people included in the healing life of the Church.
Lutheran Foundation believes that all people are hurting, broken and in need of God’s grace, mercy, and healing. When the Church—congregations, ministries, and individual believers—enters into the lives of hurting people and communities, something new is formed. In this new community, distinctions begin to fade - between those who serve and those who are being served, between those inside and outside the Church. All are drawn into a community where grace is received and given, and where transformation and true healing are experienced together. This mutual transformation is the clearest expression of God’s grace and the healing life of the Church.
Mission
Rooted in Christ, Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis seeks the improved care of people in our region by creating opportunities for relationships, learning, and funding.
Tracing its roots back to the sale of Lutheran Hospital, Lutheran Foundation continues the legacy of providing care and healing to those in need. Over the years, this care has manifested differently, but it has always been rooted in Christ and His call to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31) and to care for the "widows and orphans" of our day (James 1:27, Deuteronomy 10:18). Lutheran Foundation sees our unique value add as offering a supportive ecosystem that provides opportunities for ministry leaders to know one another (relationships), grow their knowledge base and ministry toolkit (learning), and access grant programs (funding).
Core Values
Christ Centered
Lutheran Foundation sees the world through the lens of Christ’s ongoing redemptive work, active in our lives and community. We support services provided by Christian congregations and organizations that provide people an opportunity to identify, acknowledge and discuss their faith in Jesus.
Hopeful and Asset-Based
Lutheran Foundation believes that our funded partners, and the people and communities they serve, have tremendous potential and assets. We enter our work of resourcing with the belief that the way things are today is not the way they need to be in the future.
Impact and Innovation
Lutheran Foundation supports evidence-based efforts that improve the holistic well-being of the people served and those providing service. We favor efforts that are rooted in authentic community experience and integrate continuous reflection and learning to identify opportunities to innovate and improve. We value nuanced approaches to complex challenges, including the risks associated with them.
Relationships
Lutheran Foundation believes relationships are the primary vehicle for transformation and enters its work with the intent to make connections with the organizations it supports that continue beyond a grant. We seek to be proximate to our funded partners and the communities they serve whenever possible and recognize that only in the context of interconnected, collaborative relationships is the full body of Christ experienced.
Stewardship
Lutheran Foundation sees all that we have as a gift from God and seeks to steward the legacy of Lutheran Hospital by extending healing, hope, and care to hurting individuals and communities.
Focus Areas
Building on our rich heritage of partnering with Christian churches and organizations, the Board of Directors has implemented a strategic funding plan to guide our efforts over the next five years (2026 - 2031). The plan focuses our philanthropy in six areas that address clearly demonstrated, measurable community needs and allow us to better understand and determine our community impact.
Successful grant applicants will need to demonstrate how their request addresses one or more of these funding focus areas, as well as show measurable impact on the lives of hurting people. Please click on a focus area listed above to learn more about the respective goals, funding interests, outcomes, and requirements.