Only Christian churches and faith-based organizations that have previously received a Lutheran Foundation grant will be eligible for capacity building funding. Lutheran Foundation rarely funds a program grant and capacity building grant at the same time.
Interested applicants must be recognized by and in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization or have a fiscal agent.
Applicants must provide project services aligned with Lutheran Foundation’s funding focus areas and within the geographic area supported by the Lutheran Foundation which includes the following counties in the St. Louis metropolitan area:
- Missouri: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and Warren
- Illinois: Clinton, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair
Organizations interested in applying for capacity building support are required to schedule a Foundation staff consultation.
Capacity building funding is typically project or time limited. Funding from Lutheran Foundation is expected to help an organization with a particular effort.
*NOTE: Organizations submitting a request will need to use the Capacity Building Grant application, which is only available upon request.
Below are examples of capacity building activities that can be supported by Lutheran Foundation (not an exhaustive list):
Program:
- Evaluation activities such as third-party evaluation, creation of logic model/theory of change, and purchase of measurement tools
- Purchasing a program management database
Board Activities:
- Board member training
- Plans to ensure a high functioning and quality board that addresses member recruitment, strengthening, and/or development
- Strategic planning, succession planning, or scenario planning
- Merger/acquisition assessment and/or implementation
Administrative:
- Strengthening Human Resources
- Leadership development activities such as coaching, mentoring, conferences, or fellowships
- Limited IT infrastructure upgrades
- Development/fundraising activities such as purchasing databases, and creation of development plans
- Marketing and re-branding efforts
- Volunteer management activities such as databases, volunteer recruitment/retention, and training
*NOTE: Applicants may include organizational administrative costs related to implementing the project.
The Foundation will generally not consider the following requests:
- Existing Staff Salaries (Note: Lutheran Foundation recognizes that existing staff play crucial roles in most capacity building efforts. We regard staff time devoted to these projects as an indicator of the organization’s commitment to the effort.)
- Lutheran Foundation rarely pays for the full cost of a capacity building effort. Organizations are strongly encouraged to talk to Foundation staff during the consultation process regarding organizational buy-in.
- Annual appeals/special events/fundraisers/sponsorships
- Capital campaigns or major capital expenditures that are not directly related to program implementation