ELCA Foundation

What ELCA Foundation does

The ELCA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), founded in 1988 and headquartered at 8765 W. Higgins Road, Chicago, Illinois. It provides planned giving, gift planning, and endowment management services to individual ELCA members, congregations, synods, camps, campus ministries, and other ELCA-affiliated entities across the United States, operating through a network of regional gift planners who deliver personalized, face-to-face consultations at no cost as a ministry of the church.

The foundation offers a comprehensive suite of planned giving vehicles including charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, donor advised funds, named endowment funds, wills and living trusts, beneficiary designations, IRA qualified charitable distributions, real estate gifts, appreciated securities gifts, life insurance gifts, and grain and marketable commodities. Supporting tools include the Gift Illustrator online calculator, the Personal Estate Planning Kit, the Planned Giving Resource Hub for congregations, and a partnership with Giving Docs providing free estate planning documents across all 50 states. Investment vehicles include the Ministry Growth Fund, a long-term socially responsible endowment fund requiring a $25,000 minimum investment, invested alongside endowments of more than 1,000 ELCA congregations, synods, and ministries.

The foundation manages over $1 billion in gifts and assets on behalf of the ELCA. It does not charge donors for its gift planning services and does not publicly disclose revenue. Its customer base spans individual donors at every asset tier from under $25,000 to $1 million or more, congregations and synods seeking endowment and planned giving infrastructure, and professional advisors (attorneys, financial advisors, CPAs) supporting client charitable strategies. Strategic partners include Global Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) and regional Lutheran foundations serving Texas/Louisiana, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

Name

ELCA Foundation

Legal name

Endowment Fund of the ELCA

Website

https://foundation.elca.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The ELCA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that provides free planned giving services, endowment management, and estate planning resources to individual donors, congregations, synods, and ministries across the United States, managing over $1 billion in gifts and assets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Gift Planning Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Charitable gift planning
• Planned giving services
• Endowment management
• Donor advised funds
• Charitable gift annuities

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Endowment Management Services: The ELCA Foundation manages endowment funds and provides investment management services as a fiduciary for ELCA-related entities. The foundation oversees over $1 billion in gifts and assets.
2. Gift Planning Services: Provides gift planning, processing, and administration services to individual donors and organizations. Services are offered free of charge as a ministry of the ELCA.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The ELCA Foundation is a nonprofit ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that delivers free, personalized planned giving and gift planning services to individual donors and manages endowment funds on behalf of ELCA congregations, synods, camps, campus ministries, and seminaries. It administers over $1 billion in gifts and assets, operates the Ministry Growth Fund (a socially responsible endowment fund), and offers charitable giving vehicles including gift annuities, remainder trusts, lead trusts, donor advised funds, and beneficiary designations. All donor-facing services are provided at no cost as part of its ministry mission.

Product overview

The ELCA Foundation offers a comprehensive suite of charitable giving and planned giving products designed to help individuals support ELCA ministries. The core offerings include gift vehicles that provide income (Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts) and those that transfer assets at death (Wills/Living Trusts, Beneficiary Designations, Charitable Lead Trusts). The Foundation manages investment products including Donor Advised Funds, Named Endowment Funds, and the Ministry Growth Fund. Additional services include real estate and securities gifts, IRA qualified charitable distributions, life insurance gifts, and grain/commodity donations. The organization provides supplementary tools including the Gift Illustrator calculator, Personal Estate Planning Kit, and a partnership with Giving Docs for estate planning document creation. Recognition is offered through the ELCA Legacy Society. The Planned Giving Resource Hub assists congregations in developing their own planned giving programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Charitable Gift Annuities A contract vehicle where donors make a gift and receive fixed annual payments for life, with the remaining balance used to support ELCA ministries after the donor's lifetime. Rates reach up to 10.1% for single recipients age 90+.
• Charitable Remainder Trusts Trusts that provide donors or named beneficiaries income each year for life or up to 20 years, with remaining assets supporting ELCA ministries at the end of the term.
• Charitable Lead Trusts Trusts that make payments to ELCA ministries for a set period, after which remaining assets pass to family or other beneficiaries.
• Donor Advised Funds Charitable investment accounts managed by the ELCA Foundation where donors recommend grant distributions to charities over time, with tax-free growth.
• Named Endowment Funds Perpetual funds established in a donor's name or memory to provide ongoing annual support for specified ELCA ministries.
• Wills and Living Trusts Estate planning tools allowing donors to include bequests to ELCA ministries through wills or revocable living trusts.
• Beneficiary Designations Designations allowing donors to name ELCA ministries as beneficiaries of IRAs, retirement plans, life insurance, or investment accounts.
• IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) Tax-free distributions from IRAs (up to $111,000 annually for donors 70½+) directly to qualified charities, satisfying required minimum distribution (RMD) requirements.
• Real Estate Gifts Donations of appreciated property including homes, farms, and land, potentially providing tax deductions at appraised value.
• Appreciated Securities Donations of stocks or mutual funds held over one year, eliminating capital gains taxes and providing charitable deductions.
• Life Insurance Gifts Donations of existing or new life insurance policies as charitable gifts, providing income tax deductions.
• Grain and Marketable Commodities Donations of unsold inventory such as corn, wheat, or cattle, allowing producers to make gifts while potentially deducting production expenses.
• Donor-Directed Distribution Agreements Agreements allowing donors to allocate bequest percentages across up to 10 beneficiaries, with flexibility to modify designations without amending estate plans.
• Ministry Growth Fund A socially responsible long-term endowment fund for ELCA congregations, synods, and ministries requiring a $25,000 initial investment with $2,000+ subsequent deposits. Provides stable quarterly distributions and follows ELCA guidelines for socially responsible investing. Previously known as Fund A.
• Gift Illustrator Free online calculator tool that allows donors to instantly calculate deductions, tax savings, and benefits across various gift types without obligation.
• Giving Docs Estate Planning Platform Free estate planning platform (partnership with Giving Docs) providing will creation, beneficiary designations, power of attorney, and healthcare directive tools in all 50 states. The ELCA Foundation covers the cost of this service.
• Personal Estate Planning Kit Comprehensive estate planning resources including a lesson book and record book to help donors organize their estate and establish their legacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1 billion in gifts and assets managed on behalf of the ELCA
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ELCA Foundation is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This is the primary parent organization, with the foundation working to support and sustain ELCA ministries through enhanced gifting capacity and resource stewardship.
• Global RefugecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Refuge (formerly Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service) is a national ministry partner. The foundation helps donors create legacy gifts that support Global Refuge's international outreach programs.
• Lutheran Foundation of the SouthwestminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional ministry partner serving Louisiana and Texas through the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod, providing gift planning services to donors in those areas.
• Lutheran GivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional ministry partner serving Nebraska, providing gift planning support through the Nebraska Synod.
• Lutheran Planned Generosity of South DakotaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional ministry partner serving South Dakota through the South Dakota Synod, assisting with gift planning for ELCA ministries.
• ELCA Ministry Growth FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn endowment fund specifically designed for ELCA congregations, synods, camps, campus ministries, and other affiliates. Provides socially responsible investment options following ELCA guidelines, with stable quarterly distributions.
• United Lutheran SeminaryminorOthersELCA seminary partner that may receive legacy gifts and endowment support through the foundation's services.
• Wartburg Theological SeminaryminorOthersELCA seminary partner serving as a beneficiary for endowed gifts facilitated through the foundation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Philanthropic Trust: One of the largest independent DAF sponsors in the U.S., serving individual donors, advisors, and institutions with giving accounts and planned-giving resources. A scale competitor in the donor-advised fund and planned-giving space.
• Fidelity Charitable: The largest sponsor of donor-advised funds in the U.S., offering low-cost, religion-agnostic giving accounts. Competes for the same charitable dollars but at much larger scale and via a secular, digital-first model.
• Schwab Charitable: A major donor-advised fund sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab, providing investment-focused giving accounts to a national donor base. Represents the secular, scale-driven competitive alternative to faith-based foundations.

Direct peers

• Episcopal Church Foundation: An Episcopal denomination foundation that offers planned-giving resources, endowment management, and stewardship education to congregations and individual donors. Operates the same member-supported, faith-aligned planned-giving model as the ELCA Foundation.
• Catholic Community Foundation: A Catholic-affiliated foundation providing donor-advised funds, planned-giving vehicles, and endowment services to Catholic parishioners and parishes. Comparable faith-based donor-advised fund and endowment management model.
• Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing: The charitable-giving arm of Thrivent, a Lutheran-aligned financial services organization. Offers donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, and endowment services to a Lutheran and broader Christian donor base — a particularly close Lutheran-aligned peer.
• National Christian Foundation: One of the largest Christian donor-advised fund sponsors in the U.S., providing giving accounts, planned-giving advisory, and grantmaking services to faith-motivated donors. Directly competes for charitable contributions from Christian donors.
• United Methodist Foundation: The planned-giving and endowment arm of the United Methodist Church, providing similar services including gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and donor-advised funds to church members and congregations. Directly comparable denomination-affiliated foundation model.
• Evangelical Covenant Church: A Lutheran-adjacent Protestant denomination with congregational planned-giving and endowment programs. Shares the faith-based giving infrastructure and target donor demographic that defines the ELCA Foundation's moat.
• Presbyterian Foundation: A denominational planned-giving and endowment foundation for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), offering a comparable suite of gift annuities, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds to its members. Closely analogous operating model, customer base, and revenue structure to the ELCA Foundation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elca-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ELCA Foundation