A printable PDF can be found at the end of this article.
A primary object of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League is to gather mite offerings for mission grants, including those directly sponsored or approved by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS).
FUNDING
- Mite offerings fund the grants.
- Districts retain seventy-five (75) percent or less of the mite offerings received; twenty- five (25) percent or more is sent to the LWML.
- Major portions of these funds are allocated for district and national mission grants.
SELECTING GRANT RECIPIENTS
- The Mission Grants Selection Committee reviews and evaluates grant proposals before they are placed on the convention ballot, with recommendations from representatives of the LCMS.
- LWML members, through their certified delegates to LWML conventions, choose the mission grants to be funded.
CRITERIA FOR LWML GRANT PROPOSALS
- The grant is mission-focused and will share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- There is a governing unit, such as a partner church, LCMS district, or Recognized Service Organization (RSO) to which the ministry project regularly reports.
- The ministry has provided a financial statement or budget as part of the mission grant proposal.
- The ministry will be able to implement the project when funds are disbursed within the biennium in which they were voted upon or the biennium following.
- The ministry is ongoing in nature, with assurance of continuing after the grant monies have been expended.
- The ministry reflects the vision and mission priorities of the LCMS.
SUBMITTING GRANT PROPOSALS
Proposals may be submitted by LWML members, local groups, zones, districts, and LCMS offices, according to guidelines prepared by the Vice President of Gospel Outreach. Please check the LWML website, www.lwml.org (“Missions” tab), for current updates and specific information on submitting proposals each biennium. Current procedures are generally posted in the Spring of even-numbered years. All proposals are to be submitted electronically in even-numbered years by the date specified in the LWML Mission Grant Guidelines. General steps for submitting grant proposals can be found in the LWML Bylaws, Article XVII – Mission Grants.
Electronic Signature Approval of each grant proposal will be used in place of hard-copy signature forms.
For grants located within the United States: It is the grant submitter’s responsibility to advise their LWML District President and the LCMS District President in which the grant recipient is located, that an email requesting electronic signature approval will be sent within three business days following submission to the LWML Office. An alert email will be sent to the grant submitter and to the LWML Vice President of Gospel Outreach when these parties have signed the documents electronically.
For grants for a ministry or service agency outside of the submitter’s district (including a non-geographic RSO, for example) or a ministry, service agency, or mission project outside of the United States: The grant submitter should advise the LCMS Chief Mission Officer (CMO) that a mission grant needing LCMS review is being submitted. The CMO does not “approve” the grant but provides a recommendation to the LWML Mission Grants Selection Committee on behalf of the LCMS. The CMO will receive an email with the proposal attached within three business days following submission to the LWML Office.
It is imperative that grant proposal writers plan ahead before attempting to fill in the electronic forms on the website. Please check the LWML website for current, specific instructions, as the procedure may vary slightly from biennium to biennium.
For questions or additional information, please send an email to the Vice President of Gospel Outreach here.
View printable PDF of this article, National Mission Grants
