Our Foundation - What We Do

What We Do

Unlike other charitable foundations, our purpose is not to provide grants for ministries. Rather, we help Christians create their own lifetime plans for giving. We do this through our experienced gift planning specialists, who help you use your God-given resources to achieve financial security and preserve more of your estate for people you love and ministries that are special to you.

The LCMS Foundation provides trained, professional Christian men and women who are ready to work with you, your congregation or LCMS organization in:

Developing personal and family Christian Gift Plans.
Making direct gifts to missions and ministries of your choice.
Creating trusts for your family and missions and ministries of your choice.
Starting and growing endowments for your congregation or ministry.
Ensuring that your gift is used as you wanted it to be used.
Managing your gift, trust or endowment so that your gift is making a difference for our Lord!

Ministries we serve

The LCMS Foundation has received gifts for LCMS core ministries, auxiliary organizations, congregations, schools, etc. The Foundation is entirely donor-directed, transfering gifts only as the donor chooses. Click to see the current list of ministries we serve, with links to those ministry Web sites.

We serve congregations

The LCMS Foundation provides a wide variety of services to congregations, including a convenient, one page list of stewardship and giving resources. Click congregation resources to see the current list of resources available.

Real Estate for Sale

The LCMS Foundation receives gifts of real estate that we liquidate and put the proceeds to work for the donors and ministries. Click here to see the current list of Real Estate holdings the LCMS Foundation has for sale.

Gift Planning Services

The LCMS Foundation has hired outside investment firms and counselors to manage the gifts entrusted to them by people and ministries and organizations. These outside firms are closely monitored to ensure that the results are in keeping with the wishes of the individual or ministry or organization. Investing is not risk-free but the Foundation investment strategy is to protect and grow the principal so that the Lord's work can go forward. Gifts under management today include unitrusts, annuity trusts and gift annuities as well as endowments, memorials, custodial funds and other financial instruments available today. The staff also distribute the gifts as directed by the donor (s).

Congregational Endowments

Through a local Gift Planning Counselor as well as other Foundation staff, materials are available to assist congregations and other organizations, such as schools and ministries, in establishing a congregational endowment fund through the Foundation. Please call 800-325-7912 for information or assistance.

Endowments are restricted accounts which provide some stability in income generation for organizations. They can be set up for a specific period of time or as an "eternal" account. Frequently, a portion of the interest earned goes to the daily needs of an organization although it is not unusual for some of the principal to also be used. The Foundation is well equipped to assist you with the process.

Annuity Trusts

Annuity trusts differ from the unitrusts in that the income is a fixed percentage of the value of the property at the time it is transferred to the annuity trust and it remains the same for the term of the trust.

Gift Annuities

Offering the security of fixed payments, gift annuities have the added benefits of 40 to 60 percent as partially tax-free income, a charitable income tax deduction and a high rate of return. The older the donor who purchases the annuity, the higher the annuity rate and the larger the tax-free portion. When the life annuity payments cease, the remainder is distributed to the ministry of your choice.

Donor Advised Fund

A donor advised fund is a new service provided by the Foundation. With this investment vehicle, you start with $10,000 or an agreed upon sum and direct the Foundation to invest it. You then direct how the interest and principal are to be distributed. This is similar to you starting your own foundation It provides you with another means of making a difference for the work of our Lord.

Unitrusts

A unitrust allows persons to transfer cash or appreciated property, such as stock and real estate, into trust, providing an income for themselves and saving tax on the capital gain.

The unitrust pays you a set percentage of the value of the trust each year. The Foundation reinvests the assets, frequently at a higher return than before the assets were placed in trusts, to produce the income for you and your family. The minimum contribution for a unitrust is $25,000 for cash or securities or $40,000 for contributions of real estate.

The unitrust generates income and estate tax charitable deductions of part of the value of the asset placed in trust. When the income payments are complete, the balance of the unitrust assets is distributed to the ministries designated by you. During the life of the unitrust, reports and tax information are provided.

Other Financial Instruments

As other financial services are available, you will be made aware of how they can help you in practice of Biblically-centered stewardship.

Financial Performance Report

Each year, we provide a Ministry Report of our results. It shows both the current and future gifts and which ministries have benefited and will benefit. Call 800-325-7912 for a copy of the Ministry Report or click this link to see a PDF copy of the Performance Results for our most recent fiscal year.

Investment Standards and Reports

Financial fund management through the Foundation is dedicated to preserving the principal while earning a reasonable return for the purposes agreed to by you and the Foundation. The Foundation provides current investment results here under investments.