Endowment Fund

The Mission Endowment Fund was created to provide St. Andrew with the structure and vehicle to enable charitable giving consistent with our mission of “Living Out Our Faith in Daily Life.” Since inception, the Endowment Fund has granted over 30 grants to projects within the church (Manna Meals, Feed My Starving Children MobilePack, and St. Andrew’s Church Anew), in the local community (Feed My Starving Children, Meals on Wheels, and PROP) and abroad (Friends of Madagascar, St Andrew’s Seeds of Support Mission in Haiti).

Read this article, written by David Lerseth, to see how the Endowment dollars are making an impact worldwide.

Endowment Fund

Grant Application Guidelines and Procedures

Endowment purpose and scope: To provide St. Andrew Lutheran Church with the structure to enable charitable giving consistent with its mission of “Living Out Our Faith in Daily Life.” One-time grants will be considered to support capital expenses or startup costs of programs that align with the mission, purpose, and priorities of the Congregation, including:

• Extraordinary programs/ministry initiatives within the Congregation
• Outreach into the local community or Synod
• Programs that support church-wide ministries, world hunger and global mission programs

Who may apply for grants: Requests may be made by any member of the Congregation, on behalf of an organization, or by an organization outside of St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

All international grant applications must have a St. Andrew Lutheran Church member Sponsor. The Sponsor is asked to submit a statement sharing how this program fulfills the intentions of St. Andrew’s Endowment Fund as well as how it helps them live out their faith in daily life.

To ensure fairness and maximize opportunities for all potential applicants, we have implemented a policy restricting grant applications from the same applicant within a 24-month period. If you have already applied and a grant has been approved within the past 24 months, we will not be able to consider your application at this time.

Fund application process: Submit a document that is no more than three pages in length and includes the following information:

• Date of request
• Name, phone number, and email address of person making request
• Relationship to the program
• Dollar amount requested
• Time frame in which the funds will be used
• Purpose of the funds
• Budgeting information and the impact the grant will have on the program
• Other funding options explored
• Ways the Fund may be publicized

Fund application decision making process: The Endowment Fund Chair will determine the best course of action for the Committee to take in response to the request. Occasionally additional information may be requested prior to making a final decision. Evaluation of requests will be based on the prospect of lasting improvement in the spiritual growth of the recipient. Most applications will be reviewed at the Fund’s quarterly meetings. For priority applications specials meetings may be called.

Notification of grant request: Applicants are informed of the Committee’s decision by letter from the Endowment Fund Chair. Normal processing time from application submission to decision is one to three months. Grants may be partially funded.

Grant recipient responsibilities: All programs must be completed, and funds used within one year of the grant. Unused funds must be returned to the Fund. At the close of the program, grant recipients are asked to submit a brief report to the Fund Chair, accounting for the expenditures of the funds and describing the results of the program. This may include photographs, testimonials, or publications. The Fund Chair reserves the right to use the contents of the report to provide a summary in the Annual Report of the Fund to the Congregation, to promote the Fund or to describe the work of the Fund in other publications.

Contact: Kim Callahan at kcallahan@standrewlu.org

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