January 2025

Due to the number of grants this biennium, this month there are two grants featured!

A Legacy of Love for Special Needs Children

2023–2025 Mission Grant 23 — $100,000

old black and white photo of happy children running next to the school's brick sign "Lutheran School for the Deaf"

In 2023, Lutheran Special Education Ministries is celebrating 150 years of serving God's children with special needs. They have a rich and full history which began as an orphanage for children after the Civil War, turned into Lutheran School for the Deaf, and has grown into Lutheran Special Education Ministries now serving children with all kinds of learning needs across the country and internationally.

One in five children in the United States has a learning need. Each child is unique, they all learn at a different pace, and some require different approaches to learning. Parents often must make the choice between public school that addresses their learning needs or Christian education that develops their spirituality.

Lutheran Special Education Ministries (LSEM) serves schools, churches, and families to advance the success of children who have learning needs by providing resources to benefit them in the classroom but also in their church communities. They have served God’s children with special needs for 150 years.

This grant will allow LSEM to continue to develop and research tools and techniques so they can provide resources to Lutheran churches to welcome, integrate, and support children with specialized needs and their families in their church bodies.

Resources for Grant #23

Large Print Resources for Grant #23

Learn more about this mission grant and view more photos here.

Donate to the LWML Mission Goal

Growing Our Place: Care for Special Needs Students

2023–2025 Mission Grant 28 — $20,000

woman helping teen girl measure oil for baking

Terri Siebrass (left) and Heidi (right) measure ingredients during activity time at Our Place After School Care Inc.

Our Place After School Care (Our Place) is a caring Christian community for special needs students between the ages of 13 and 20 years old, who are unable to be safe when home alone and have aged-out of the Hastings area daycare facilities. Our Place benefited from the generosity of Faith Lutheran Church which provided space in its existing facilities for their operations.

To expand the outreach and activities of Our Place, the Advisory Board recommended locating a new space to rent. A space has been located which will require little or no modification.

This grant will serve as a funding bridge to cover the monthly rent, allow them to purchase software to open a store, and allow for scholarship aid to students.

Resources for Grant #28

Large Print Resources for Grant #28