The South Wisconsin District in an effort to generate endowment and charitable gift planning recently received a $100,000 grant designed to generate thousands more in financial gifts to urban based congregations and inner city missions and ministries. Focusing on the great commission, these gifts will continue to build and uplift these congregations and support them in the work that they are doing to reach out to the lost in their neighborhoods. The grant is one of 62 awarded by the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation as part of its $4 million charitable gifting initiative program.

“It is our hope that this grant will strengthen the South Wisconsin District’s ability to inform potential donors of various options available to them to financially support the mission work of the church,” said Brad Hewitt, president of the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation. “As people come alongside the South Wisconsin District with charitable gifts, they will become increasingly effective in carrying out their ministry and mission.”

The 2007 charitable gifting initiative grants ranged from $7,000 to $100,000. The 62 grants are expected to generate a total of more than $177.6 million in immediate or deferred monetary gifts to Lutheran institutions.
“Helping organizations communicate the benefits of tax-advantaged charitable giving to their potential donors is what this grant is all about,” said Karen Coonen, executive director of the Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation. “We are delighted to support the urban-based congregations and ministries that the South Wisconsin District through this grant will utilize in helping to multiply the support it receives from those who believe in this work.”

President John Wille agrees: “We are very thankful to Thrivent Financial for their support in helping us to fund this initiative, which will in turn bring many more resources to those ministries. There has been an ongoing movement within the SWD since the beginning of 2007 to connect our inner city ministries with both our suburban congregations and other resources. This movement focuses on a shared vision that incorporates competencies of both people and organizations as they walk alongside each other within a partnership arrangement. We praise God for this special gift which he has entrusted to us for Kingdom work.”

The Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Foundation is a private foundation funded by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. As a 501(c)(3) organization with its own board of trustees, the foundation is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary and educational purposes and makes grants and gifts to 501(c)(3) exempt organizations. The foundation does not provide grants to individuals. To learn more about the foundation and its programs, visit: thrivent.com/foundations.