What Lutheran Legacy Foundation Inc does

Lutheran Legacy Foundation Inc (LLF), DBA "LLF," is an Illinois-domiciled nonprofit (EIN 20-3142622) headquartered at 513 South Main Street, Paris, Illinois. Formally established in 2005 and evolved from the Clara & Spencer Werner Foundation, the organization provides endowment management services to Lutheran congregations, schools, ministries, and individuals nationwide. Its core offering centers on permanent endowment funds built through a simplified application process, with annual distributions of 4-5% of a rolling three-year average balance, designed to provide recurring revenue to ministries while preserving principal.

Investment management is delivered through a partnership with Alpha Investment Consulting Group under Investment Committee oversight, offering two primary portfolios: a Growth Fund (equity-tilted, 9.34% annualized since December 31, 2015) and a Traditional Fund (60/40, 7.2% annualized since August 1, 2017). LLF augments its core endowment product with a tiered Matching Grants Program (50% startup match on first $10,000; 20% accelerator match up to $500,000; $175,000 Milestone Gift Match for $1M+ gifts over three years), Donor Advised Funds, and Named Family Funds for generational stewardship.

The business model is a managed-services nonprofit. Revenue is generated through fees on AUM (stated at $90M+ on the homepage, $80M+ in third-party coverage), supporting 250+ active organization funds and 100+ active family funds. Go-to-market is community-led within Lutheran church networks and Lutheran school associations, supplemented by a professional advisor referral channel (financial planners, estate attorneys) and direct consultation. The workforce is 1-10 employees. No revenue, app, API, patents, or external funding rounds are disclosed.

Name

Lutheran Legacy Foundation Inc

Legal name

Lutheran Legacy Foundation Inc

Website

https://lutheranlegacyfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lutheran Legacy Foundation is a Paris, Illinois-based nonprofit that manages endowment, donor-advised, and matching grant funds for Lutheran churches, schools, ministries, and individuals nationwide, with $90M+ AUM across 350+ funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Endowment Fund Management: LLF charges fees for managing endowment funds on behalf of Lutheran organizations and individuals. The fees support professional investment management, administrative services, and the matching grant program.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lutheran Legacy Foundation helps Lutheran churches, schools, ministries, and individuals/families establish and grow permanently invested endowment funds, donor-advised funds, and named family funds. Funds are professionally managed in partnership with Alpha Investment Consulting Group across Growth and Traditional portfolios, with annual distributions of 4-5% of the rolling three-year average balance. A tiered matching grant program (Startup 50% match on first $10,000, Accelerator 20% match up to $500,000, Milestone Gift Match $175,000 for $1M+ gifts) accelerates fund growth for participating organizations.

Product overview

Lutheran Legacy Foundation offers a comprehensive endowment management platform for Lutheran organizations and individuals. The core offering centers on endowment fund management with professional investment services through two portfolio options: the Growth Fund (aggressive, 9.34% annualized returns) and Traditional Fund (conservative, 7.2% annualized returns). Their Matching Grants Program provides Startup Grants (50% match), Accelerator Grants (20% match), and Milestone Gift Match ($175,000 for $1M+ gifts). Additional products include Donor Advised Funds for simplified charitable giving and Named Family Funds for generational stewardship education. The foundation provides fundraising support resources and partners with Alpha Investment Consulting Group for professional portfolio management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Endowment Funds Permanently invested funds that provide steady annual revenue streams (4-5% of rolling three-year average balance) for Lutheran churches, schools, and ministries while preserving principal. Endowments are professionally managed with clear spending policies to protect the corpus.
• Donor-Advised Funds Charitable giving vehicle allowing donors to make one contribution and then distribute to multiple Lutheran and other organizations over time, simplifying tax preparation while the fund earns market returns.
• Named Family Funds Family endowment funds that allow extended families to review grant requests, vote on distributions, and teach generational stewardship tied to Lutheran values.
• Matching Grants Program Matching grant program providing Startup Grants (50% match on first $10,000), Accelerator Grants (20% match on additional fundraising up to $500,000), and Milestone Gift Match ($175,000 match for $1M+ contributions over 3 years) to accelerate endowment fund growth for participating Lutheran organizations.
• Professional Investment Management Partnership with Alpha Investment Consulting Group and Investment Committee oversight providing diversified portfolio management across asset classes using active and passive strategies, with two portfolio options: Growth Fund and Traditional Fund.
• Fundraising Support & Resources Assistance with fundraising campaigns including Galas, Days of Giving, and special campaigns, with cost offsetting and custom materials provided to promote endowments for participating organizations.
• Legacy Planning Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Growth Fund has produced 9.34% average annualized return since inception December 31, 2015
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alpha Investment Consulting GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationLLF partners with Alpha Investment Consulting Group to screen thousands of investments and shape a balanced portfolio combining active and passive strategies diversified across asset classes. Alpha works with the Investment Committee to drive optimal, enduring performance for endowment funds.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: The largest US donor-advised fund sponsor, offering investment management and giving accounts. A broad incumbent in the same DAF/endowment space where LLF competes for faith-aligned donor dollars.
• Schwab Charitable: Major national donor-advised fund provider affiliated with Charles Schwab, offering investment options and giving accounts. Broad incumbent competing for the same donor-advised fund and endowment dollars as LLF.
• Thrivent Charitable Impact & Investing: Faith-based charitable giving and donor-advised fund provider affiliated with Thrivent Financial, offering investment management and giving services to Lutheran and broader Christian audiences at greater scale.
• National Philanthropic Trust: Independent national donor-advised fund sponsor providing DAF and giving services at scale, including investment management and grantmaking administration—a broader incumbent in the same donor-advised fund category.

Direct peers

• Christian Community Foundation: Faith-aligned community foundation providing donor-advised funds, endowment management, and giving services to Christian individuals, families, and ministries across multiple regions of the US.
• ELCA Foundation: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's denominational foundation, providing planned giving, endowment, and gift planning services to Lutheran congregations, institutions, and individuals nationwide.
• Presbyterian Foundation: Denominational foundation providing endowment management, planned giving, and investment services to Presbyterian churches, schools, and ministries—comparable mission-aligned endowment business model.
• National Christian Foundation: Faith-based donor-advised fund and giving services platform serving Christian donors, ministries, and churches—comparable business model with similar endowment/DAF products targeting a faith-aligned customer base.
• National Lutheran Foundation: Faith-based foundation serving the Lutheran community with endowment management, planned giving, and donor-advised fund services—directly comparable in mission, customer base, and product mix to Lutheran Legacy Foundation.
• United Methodist Foundation: Faith-based foundation offering planned giving, endowment, and investment services to United Methodist churches and institutions, with a comparable operating model to LLF in supporting denomination-affiliated entities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lutheran-legacy-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Lutheran Legacy Foundation Inc