Grants are awarded to organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation in good standing from the Internal Revenue Service. Lutheran Foundation does not provide any funding to individuals.
Applicants must provide project services aligned with Lutheran Foundation’s mission, vision, values, and one of the funding focus areas in our designated geographic area, 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
Lutheran Foundation funds within the following Funding Focus Areas:
Application Timelines
PROGRAM & CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS
For Program and Capacity Building grants, Lutheran Foundation has two grant cycles per year with the due dates of June 1st and December 1st (if that date falls on a weekend, the due date will be the following business day). The timeline for the Foundation’s grantmaking process is as follows:
SUMMER DEADLINE FOR PROGRAM & CAPACITY-BUILDING APPLICATIONS
April 1: Online application opens
April and May: Grant request consultations with Lutheran Foundation staff
June 1: Summer grant deadline (if that date falls on a weekend, the due date will be the following business day)
July: Due diligence – site visits and meetings with applicants
End of August: Lutheran Foundation Board meets to review grant requests
September 1: Notification of grant awards & earliest start date for funded projects
WINTER DEADLINE FOR PROGRAM & CAPACITY-BUILDING APPLICATIONS
October 1: Online application opens
October & November: Grant request consultations with Lutheran Foundation staff
December 1: Winter grant deadline (if that date falls on a weekend, the due date will be the following business day)
January: Due diligence – site visits and meetings with applicants
End of February: Lutheran Foundation Board meets to review grant requests
March 1: Notification of grant awards & earliest start date for funded projects
LUTHERAN CONGREGATION MINI GRANTS
Congregation Mini Grants are available on a rolling basis - there are no application deadlines. The notifications of grant awards are emailed approximately two weeks after application submission.
For Lutheran School Mini Grants, Lutheran Foundation has one grant cycle per year with a deadline of March 1st (if that date falls on a weekend day, the deadline will be the following business day). The timeline for the Foundation’s grantmaking process is as follows:
January 1: Online application opens
January and February: Grant request consultations with Lutheran Foundation staff
March 1: Grant deadline (if that date falls on a weekend, the due date will be the following business day)
March – April: Due diligence – site visits and meetings with applicants, if needed
End of April: Notification of grant awards
June 1: Signed Grant Agreements due
July 1: Earliest start date for funded projects
Program Grant Applications must be submitted online using the Foundation’s web portal.
Beginning October 1, 2026, Click here for a link to the web portal.
Capacity Building Applications must be submitted online using the Foundation’s web portal. However, this online application is only available upon request and after the completion of the required consultation with Foundation staff. For more information about capacity building grants, please click here.
Lutheran Church Mini Grant Applications may be submitted via email or physical mail. For more information about Lutheran Church Mini Grants click here. You can access the application form here.
Lutheran School Mini Grant Applications must be submitted online using the Foundation’s web portal. However, this online application is only available upon request.