About Lss Foundation
Build a long-term legacy to support the mission work of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan by investing gifts, making regular distributions to LSS, and funding innovative initiatives, capital projects and special needs of LSS programs.
Focus Areas
Children and FamiliesMental HealthSubstance Use Disorder TreatmentHousing and Rapid RehousingAdoption and Foster CareResidential and Disability ServicesBehavioral Health
Funding Style
general operating supportorganizational/programmatic supportunrestricted supportsupport of exempt-purpose activities
Topics
About Lss Foundation
A defining feature of Lss Foundation Inc is its repeated support for Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Inc through exempt-purpose grants in the seven-figure range. The three largest recent grants listed all went to the Milwaukee-based organization, including $1,285,066 in 2024, $1,251,760 in 2023, and $989,672 in 2025. That pattern fits the foundation’s stated mission to build a long-term legacy for Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan by investing gifts, making regular distributions, and funding innovative initiatives, capital projects, and special needs. The foundation’s giving is tied to LSS programs serving children and families, mental health, substance use disorder treatment, housing and rapid rehousing, adoption and foster care, residential and disability services, and behavioral health. Its active giving mechanisms also show how donors can direct support through beneficiary designations, named endowments, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and legacy recognition structures. Patricia Wesner leads the foundation, which reports annual grants of $3,526,498 and total assets of $35,517,944.
What Lss Foundation Funds
Lss Foundation Inc supports a defined set of LSS service lines rather than a broad grant portfolio. In behavioral health, its strategic initiative seed funding is used to start innovative programs, and the examples provided include School-Centered Mental Health and LSS Connections/IRIS. The same seed-funding mechanism also supports long-term care supports and addiction treatment. Planned giving is another major theme. The foundation’s beneficiary-designation program covers IRAs, retirement plans, life insurance policies, donor-advised funds, and commercial annuities, while its charitable remainder trust and charitable gift annuity options are designed to channel future support back to LSS. For legacy recognition, the Pastor Homme Legacy Society honors bequests and other estate gifts. The foundation also maintains a named endowment structure for ongoing support of LSS programs, with gifts that can be endowed in a donor’s name or in memory or honor of a loved one.
How Lss Foundation Gives
Recent grants cluster tightly around the same scale, with typical grant size at p25 $1,260,086, median $1,268,413, and p75 $1,276,740. The recent record also shows continuity: the same recipient appears across 2023, 2024, and 2025, indicating recurring support rather than isolated awards. The foundation operates as a mission-support vehicle for LSS, using regular distributions, endowment support, and planned-giving structures to fund the organization’s exempt-purpose work. Several giving mechanisms accept unsolicited participation, including beneficiary designations, gift agreements, IRA gifts, charitable remainder trusts, the Pastor Homme Legacy Society, and charitable gift annuities.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$990K
Total Assets
$35.5M
Total Revenue
$2.1M
Total Expenses
$1.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $1.3M and $1.3M, with a median of $1.3M.
25th Percentile
$1.3M
Median
$1.3M
75th Percentile
$1.3M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in WI.
Intensidad de financiamiento
BajaAlta
Sede
Leadership
PATRICIA WESNER
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