About First Lutheran Church Foundation
The First Lutheran Church Foundation primarily supports First Lutheran Church and local faith‑based community services in the Fargo/Cass Clay area, focusing on direct, tangible needs such as facility upgrades, furnishings, and program supplies. A large share of funding goes to congregational operations and neighborhood ministries, with the remainder directed to emergency social services, food security, and youth/family supports often through repeat local partners.
Focus Areas
Operating and program support for First Lutheran Church and affiliated neighborhood ministriesEmergency shelter and homelessness services in Fargo/Cass Clay (e.g., YWCA Cass Clay, Churches United for the Homeless)Food security and meal programs (local food pantry support, Feed My Starving Children)Small capital and equipment grants for nonprofit facilities and program delivery (security fences, mattresses, sound systems, medical supplies)Faith‑based campus and youth programs (Lutheran campus ministry, youth development equipment)
Who They Fund
people experiencing homelessness / shelter residents
About First Lutheran Church Foundation
The largest recent grant from First Lutheran Church Foundation went to First Lutheran Church in Fargo for support of church programs, and that pattern repeats across multiple years. Three consecutive awards — $172,298 in 2025, $157,443 in 2024, and $152,323 in 2023 — show the foundation as a steady backer of its core congregation rather than a one-off sponsor. Around that anchor, it funds local ministries and practical service needs in the Fargo/Cass Clay area, including emergency shelter, food access, school supplies, and facility improvements. Its grantmaking is closely tied to church life and neighborhood service. Grants have supported emergency funding for Churches United for the Homeless in Moorhead, window blinds and shelter upkeep at YWCA Cass Clay, and remodels, bedding, and equipment for New Life Center and Down Home. The foundation also backs faith-based programming, such as Crossroads Lutheran Campus Ministry at NDSU and Peace Lutheran Church neighborhood ministry work. The overall picture is of a local foundation that uses relatively focused awards to sustain congregational operations and meet immediate community needs.
What First Lutheran Church Foundation Funds
A major theme is shelter and housing stability. The foundation gave $15,000 to Churches United for the Homeless for emergency funding, $12,087 to YWCA Cass Clay for an intake office remodel, and $10,000 to Down Home for move-in costs and empowerment training. Food security is another clear area. It awarded $14,500 to Emergency Food Pantry for food baskets and $10,000 to the same organization for food purchases, while also directing $8,500 to Feed My Starving Children for Fargo mobile pack support. It also funds school-readiness and youth support. United Way received $12,500 for backpacks and school supplies, and United Way of Cass Clay received $10,000 for the same purpose. On the faith-and-campus side, Crossroads Lutheran Campus Ministry at NDSU received $10,000 for a Justice Journey to Ethiopia.
How First Lutheran Church Foundation Gives
Typical awards cluster tightly around the same size: the 25th percentile is $9,392, the median is $10,000, and the 75th percentile is $11,050. That distribution fits a grantmaker making frequent, modest checks alongside a few much larger operating gifts to its core church. The recent record also shows recurrence: First Lutheran Church appears in 2023, 2024, and 2025 with the year’s largest awards, and several local partners appear in more than one year as well. The foundation is structured around church-linked grantmaking, with active grant programs for FLC Foundation Grants and a Request for Grant Support process. One active program, Global Mission Committee Financial Support, is listed as accepting unsolicited requests.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$265K
Total Assets
$6.6M
Total Revenue
$470K
Total Expenses
$357K
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $9K and $11K, with a median of $10K.
25th Percentile
$9K
Median
$10K
75th Percentile
$11K
Geographic Reach
Local2 states funded
About 84% of grants go to recipients in ND.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
SINDY KELLER
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