LCMS Foundation

What LCMS Foundation does

The LCMS Foundation is a non-profit (501(c)(3)) stewardship ministry established in 1958 and affiliated with the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, headquartered at 1333 S. Kirkwood Rd., Saint Louis, Missouri. It operates two integrated service lines for the LCMS ecosystem: (1) Gift Planning Services, delivered through the Transfer the Blessings partnership program, the four-step Lifetime Plan for Giving process, and a deployed field force of 20+ gift planning counselors active across 18+ LCMS districts, supporting bequests, charitable remainder trusts, donor-advised funds, personal endowments, real estate and appreciated-asset donations, and charitable gift annuities; and (2) Investment Services for approximately 660 LCMS ministries (congregations, schools, RSOs, seminaries, and Concordia universities) managing nearly $1.7 billion in pooled assets via NEPC as investment advisor and 11 external fund managers across four Preference Funds (domestic equity, international equity, core bonds, high yield bonds) and five pre-set Standard Fund allocations.

Revenue is generated through tiered investment management fees (0.55% on the first $1M, 0.45% on the next $9M, 0.35% on the next $15M, negotiable thereafter), annual ministry partnership fees of approximately $10,000–$11,000, donor-advised fund administration at 1.1% per year, and gift annuity reserve income. The go-to-market motion is field-sales-led and ecosystem-embedded: pastors and ministry leaders refer members to the Foundation, counselors conduct discovery and design sessions, and the Foundation opens individual and ministry accounts. Governance is provided by a 57-member board representing every LCMS District, Concordia Universities, seminaries, and 11 other LCMS entities, with annual SOC 1 audits conducted by Armanino and Brown Smith Wallace over investment and account services. Customer outcomes include an average gift plan value of ~$250,000 and approximately $125–$150 million in future planned gifts generated annually for LCMS organizations.

Name

LCMS Foundation

Legal name

LCMS Foundation

Website

https://lcmsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

LCMS Foundation is a non-profit (501(c)(3)) stewardship ministry of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod providing gift planning and pooled investment management services to 660 LCMS congregations, schools, RSOs, seminaries, and Concordia universities managing nearly $1.7 billion in assets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Fees: Monthly ministry expense on custodial investment accounts based on total portfolio value. Annual fees: 0.55% for first $1,000,000; 0.45% for next $9,000,000; 0.35% for next $15,000,000; negotiable thereafter. No transaction or redemption fees.
2. Ministry Partnership Fees: One-year partnerships for gift planning services starting at about $10,000-$11,000. Offsets cost of having a gift planner dedicate time each month to work with ministry leaders, members and supporters.
3. Donor-Advised Fund Administration: 1/12 of 1.1% charged monthly to administer DAF accounts. First 10 distributions annually are free; $25 fee for each additional grant.
4. Gift Annuity Reserve Income: Gift annuity payments funded from reserve accounts invested for growth. Approximately half of original deposit becomes gift to ministry upon donor's death.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LCMS Foundation delivers two core service lines: (1) planned giving services to LCMS members, guiding individuals through charitable estate planning vehicles such as gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, donor-advised funds, endowments, and bequests; and (2) investment management services to LCMS ministries, pooling assets across 660+ congregations, schools, RSOs, seminaries, and Concordia universities to access institutional-quality investment management under NEPC advisory with 11 professional fund managers, currently overseeing approximately $1.7 billion in assets.

Product overview

The LCMS Foundation operates as a faith-based financial services organization offering two primary service lines: Gift Planning Services (including the Transfer the Blessings partnership program, Lifetime Plan for Giving process, and various planned giving vehicles such as bequests, charitable remainder trusts, donor-advised funds, personal endowments, real estate and appreciated asset donations, and gift annuities) and Investment Services (including Preference Funds across five asset classes, five Standard Funds with different risk profiles, investment accounts, endowments, and separate foundations). The organization manages approximately $1.7 billion in investments for 660 LCMS ministries using NEPC as investment advisor and 11 professional fund managers. Additional offerings include gift planning calculators, financial reporting, ministry partner training, advocate training, and marketing resources. The Foundation is not a software/SaaS product but rather a non-profit financial planning and investment management organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Transfer the Blessings: A gift planning partnership program for LCMS ministries where the Foundation works with congregations to help members create gift plans to benefit their families and the ministries they hold dear.
• Lifetime Plan for Giving

Products and services

• Transfer the Blessings (TTB) Partnership Program Annual gift planning partnership program for LCMS ministries providing a dedicated gift planning counselor who works with ministry leaders, members, and supporters to identify gift planning opportunities, set goals, host seminars, and conduct discovery meetings with individual donors.
• Lifetime Plan for Giving Four-step structured gift planning process (Discovery, Design, Summary, Implementation) that guides individual LCMS members through creating Christian estate and gift plans to benefit family and ministry.
• Charitable Gift Annuity Contract providing donors with lifetime fixed income payments, a partial charitable income tax deduction, and the remaining balance gifted to designated LCMS ministries upon the donor's death. Approximately half of the original deposit becomes the residual gift.
• Charitable Remainder Trust (CRT) Irrevocable trust structure that provides income tax deductions, avoids capital gains on appreciated assets, and ultimately distributes remaining assets to designated LCMS ministries, offered as Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts (CRATs) or Charitable Remainder Unitrusts (CRUTs).
• Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Charitable investment account allowing donors to recommend which LCMS ministries receive grants, with immediate tax deduction, tax-free growth, and a minimum opening balance of $25,000; first 10 annual distributions free, $25 per additional grant.
• Personal Endowment Fund Donation set aside and invested by the Foundation to provide ongoing annual funding to designated LCMS ministries, with a minimum starting balance of $25,000 and flexible structuring options.
• Bequests Gift made through a will or trust that directs assets to LCMS ministries after the donor's death, often the simplest way to leave a charitable legacy.
• Real Estate Donation Donation of real property that provides income tax deductions at fair market value, avoids capital gains tax on appreciation, and can be liquified by the Foundation to benefit donor-designated LCMS ministries.
• Appreciated Assets Donation Donation of appreciated securities, stocks, or other assets that avoids capital gains tax, provides an immediate income tax deduction, and allows donors to make larger gifts to LCMS ministries.
• Preference Funds Core building block investment funds spanning Money Market, Core Bond (JP Morgan, PGIM), High Yield Bond (Credit Suisse, Loomis Sayles), Domestic Equity (BlackRock, Rhumbline, Peregrine, Segall Bryant & Hamill), and International Equity (BlackRock, Global Alpha, Pzena, RBC).
• Standard Funds Five pre-set asset allocation models (Fixed Income 100%, Conservative Balanced 75/25, Moderate Balanced 50/50, Aggressive Balanced 75/25, Equity 100%) rebalanced monthly, built from Preference Funds.
• Investment Accounts Basic market fund investment accounts for LCMS ministries with a minimum opening balance of $10,000, managed through NEPC with 11 professional fund managers.
• Ministry Endowments (Foundation-Owned and Ministry-Owned) Endowment services for LCMS ministries in two structures: Foundation-Owned Endowments managed and gift-administered by the Foundation, and Ministry-Owned Endowments owned by ministries but professionally managed by the Foundation with investment oversight.
• Separate Foundations Fully separate foundation entities for LCMS ministries that require independent governance of gifted assets, with the Foundation providing investment management and additional legal and tax support.
• Investment Performance Reporting Services Monthly, quarterly, and annual investment performance reporting for ministry account holders, including monthly market analysis, quarterly fund summaries with top holdings and sector analysis, and annual ministry reports prepared with NEPC.
• Ministry Partner Training Professional development training for LCMS development staff on gift planning best practices, including surfacing potential planned gifts, present and future gift options, and stewardship strategies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average gift plan value of $250,000 per plan through ministry partnerships
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NEPCcoreTechnology or IntegrationNEPC serves as the Foundation's investment advisor, providing portfolio design, asset class selection and weighting, and monitoring of 11 external fund managers. NEPC is a Boston-based firm with 400+ clients and $1.9 trillion in assets under advisement.
• Concordia Plan ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConcordia Plan Services, which manages the LCMS church worker retirement plan, also uses NEPC for investment advisory functions, providing shared infrastructure and expertise.
• JP Morgan (Core Bond Fund Manager)coreTechnology or IntegrationOne of 11 professional fund managers contracted to invest in specific asset classes. Manages core bond portfolio investing in government issues, mortgage-backed securities, and investment grade corporate bonds.
• PGIM (Core Bond Fund Manager)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for core bond portfolio alongside JP Morgan. Core bond fund invests in government issues, mortgage-backed securities and investment grade corporate bonds with wide range of maturities.
• Credit Suisse (High Yield Bond Fund Manager)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for high yield bond portfolio investing in short-term bank loans and lower quality bonds paying higher interest rates than investment grade bonds.
• Loomis Sayles (High Yield Bond Fund Manager)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for high yield bond portfolio alongside Credit Suisse.
• BlackRock (Domestic and International Equity)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for both domestic equity and international equity portfolios. Domestic equity provides exposure to entire US equity market; international equity covers developed and emerging markets.
• Rhumbline (Domestic Equity)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for domestic equity portfolio alongside BlackRock, Peregrine, Segall Bryant & Hamill.
• Peregrine (Domestic Equity)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for domestic equity portfolio.
• Segall Bryant & Hamill (Domestic Equity)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for domestic equity portfolio.
• Global Alpha (International Equity)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for international equity portfolio investing in securities of both developed and emerging markets.
• Pzena (International Equity)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for international equity portfolio.
• RBC (International Equity)coreTechnology or IntegrationFund manager for international equity portfolio.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Thrivent: Lutheran-affiliated financial services organization (successor to Aid Association for Lutherans) offering investment, insurance, and retirement products to Lutheran Christians. Directly overlaps with LCMS Foundation for the same Lutheran demographic and donor pool.
• Vanguard Charitable: Large DAF sponsor offering donor-advised funds with low-cost Vanguard investment options. Direct competitor for individual charitable dollars and a frequent alternative considered by LCMS members evaluating where to place charitable accounts.
• Schwab Charitable: Major DAF provider with $25B+ AUM offering donor-advised funds and investment management to individual donors. Competes with LCMS Foundation on DAF minimums (Schwab's $5K vs. Foundation's $25K), digital experience, and menu breadth.
• The Signatry: National Christian giving foundation offering donor-advised funds, planned giving services, and charitable strategies for faith-aligned individuals and families. Highly comparable operating model to LCMS Foundation with a broader evangelical footprint.
• GuideStone Financial Resources: Southern Baptist-affiliated financial services organization providing investment, retirement, and planned giving services to Baptist pastors, churches, and ministries — the denominational analog to the LCMS Foundation for an adjacent faith community.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest donor-advised fund sponsor in the U.S. with over $60B AUM. Offers giving accounts, investment management, and planned giving tools that compete head-to-head with the LCMS Foundation for charitable dollars from individual donors, including those within LCMS families.
• American Endowment Foundation: Faith-friendly donor-advised fund sponsor with low minimums and broad investment menus. Competes with LCMS Foundation for charitable dollars from faith-motivated donors seeking institutional-quality DAFs.
• National Christian Foundation: Largest faith-based giving foundation in the U.S., serving evangelical Christian donors with DAFs, planned giving, and investment services. Closest analog in mission and model to LCMS Foundation; operates with a similar denomination-aligned franchise approach.

Others

• Crescendo Interactive: Provider of planned giving software, marketing services, and donor cultivation tools used by faith-based and nonprofit organizations. Adjacent technology/services peer that powers planned giving programs at many denominational foundations comparable to LCMS Foundation.

Emerging players

• FreeWill: Online estate planning platform that has rapidly scaled free will-writing and has expanded into charitable giving workflows. Emerging threat to traditional planned giving services like those offered by LCMS Foundation, particularly with younger donors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lcmsfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheLCMSFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lcms-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LCMS Foundation