SIEBERT LUTHERAN FOUNDATION
2023 Community Impact Report
Since its inception, Siebert has granted over $152.6 million to Lutheran-affiliated ministries and agencies, impacting people and communities throughout Wisconsin. We give glory to God for the opportunity to contribute an additional $4.5 million to this ongoing impact in 2023.
To fulfill a key pillar of listening to our grantee partners, Siebert conducted a survey to determine the most impactful ways to support and engage with the organizations we serve. Responding to the need for capacity building in fundraising, Siebert launched a successful Major Gifts Coaching Cohort to enhance fundraising efforts and diversify revenue streams. One participant said, “The cohort training has now equipped our organization with the necessary tools needed to increase our fundraising efforts." Building on this success, five more organizations are already engaged in a 2024 cohort.
Building capacity was also the goal of a grant to Concordia University Wisconsin to develop a curriculum for pastors and church workers to enhance their management and leadership skills. In 2024, Concordia University Wisconsin expanded this pilot program with an additional workshop and year-long learning cohort for pastors and church workers to build financial and management acumen. We are excited to see this pan-Lutheran effort, which began in 2022, grow and strengthen the Body of Christ!
We are filled with profound gratitude for each of you who have shared the love of Christ and made a meaningful difference for countless individuals, families, and communities. With the grace of God and your support, we will serve and glorify God more with each new granting opportunity He bestows on us.
In Christ,
Joan Prince
Dr. Joan Prince, Ph.D.
Chair, Board of Directors
Charlotte John-Gomez
Charlotte John-Gomez
President
$4.5 million
Granted
(reflects the total amount granted from Siebert's funding and donors' gifts)
97 Unique
Organizations Funded
$118 million
in Year-end Assets
while Sharing the Gospel
of Jesus Christ
By funding high-performing Lutheran-affiliated schools and other education programs that provide children and youth in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities a path to Christ-centered academic success, empowerment, and hope for themselves and future generations.
Capacity Building
Being part of this cohort has helped me put into action many of the principles I knew but was not investing in. Having a more detailed and specific learning opportunity connected with accountability for action has helped grow my capacity for fundraising.
~ 2023 Major Gifts Coaching Cohort Participant
Major Gifts Coaching Cohort
In 2023, Siebert launched its first yearlong Major Gifts Coaching Cohort, an initiative to build capacity among Siebert's grantee partners. The cohort's goal was to develop an organization's fundraising structure to more successfully secure funds from individuals while ultimately deepening its impact. Participants identified top prospects, developed a case for support, and learned about creating an integrated fundraising model and plan.
The timing of the 2023 cohort was perfect for Dan Hudson, LINC Milwaukee's City Director. He applied the strategies he picked up through his participation in the cohort to launch an individual giving campaign to build support for a new LINC Resource HUB. After successfully making his case for support to several partner Lutheran congregations, LINC surpassed its goal by raising over $100,000 for a Resource HUB to provide much-needed pastoral and lay-leader training to ministry leaders.
This story strengthens our belief in the power of strategic support beyond grantmaking. Join us as we celebrate the start of a second Major Gifts Coaching Cohort where we hope to see more stories like LINC’s where capacity building translates directly into growing the Kingdom of God!
Who We Are
The Siebert Lutheran Foundation was created in 1976 after Albert F. Siebert, the founder of Milwaukee Tool, designated 35 million dollars, which was his entire ownership in the company, to a trust. As stated in his last will, these funds were dedicated to “spreading the gospel, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and alleviating human suffering.”
Today, the Foundation is governed by an independent Board of Directors. Pan-Lutheran in nature, the Foundation accepts funding requests from ministry programs associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Our geographic focus is Wisconsin, especially Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Kenosha counties.
The Siebert Lutheran Foundation's mission is to maximize collaboration, relationships, and funding to strengthen and grow organizations in the Lutheran Christian community that share the Gospel, educate children and youth, and serve the needs of our neighbors.