SIEBERT LUTHERAN FOUNDATION
2024 Community Impact Report
Welcome to our 2024 Community Impact Report!
In 2024, Siebert Lutheran Foundation deepened its commitment to fostering meaningful change within the Lutheran community. Through innovative initiatives, dynamic partnerships, and impactful grantmaking, we advanced our mission to strengthen organizations that share the Gospel, educate youth, and serve the needs of our neighbors.
$4.1 million
Granted
(reflects the total amount granted from Siebert's funding and donors' gifts)
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94 Unique
Organizations Funded
$127.8 million
in Year-end Assets
A Message from Our Board Chair and President & CEO
“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”
- Proverbs 11:24-25
In 2024, Siebert Lutheran Foundation launched its first-ever Endowment Fund Match Campaign. For over seven decades, the Foundation has served as a cornerstone of support in the Lutheran community, and this campaign reflects our continued commitment to fostering impactful philanthropy. We are thrilled with the response to this call to leave a legacy by creating endowment funds that provide grantee partners with a vital and perpetual stream of support. This window of opportunity will remain open through May 2025.
Like a river gaining momentum, this meaningful journey gathered further strength at our fifth annual Collaborators’ Event. Over 100 donors came together to raise more than $350,000 to support 14 Lutheran churches, schools, and nonprofit organizations that are making a profound impact in Wisconsin.
Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the partnerships forged in 2024. In collaboration with Luther Seminary, we launched a year-long cohort for pastors and lay leaders to explore Fresh Expressions, which are new and creative forms of sharing the Gospel. This critical initiative is helping to strengthen and grow the Lutheran Christian community in transformative ways.
With $4.1 million in grantmaking in 2024, the Foundation has remained true to Mr. Siebert’s legacy and mission to support organizations that strengthen and grow the Lutheran Christian community. Each grantee has a unique story of transformation—changing lives, uplifting communities, and nurturing individuals in their journey of faith.
Join us as we continue to embody Christ’s boundless love and extend His light to those who need it most!
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In Christ,
Joan Prince
Dr. Joan Prince, Ph.D.
Chair, Board of Directors
Charlotte John-Gomez
Charlotte John-Gomez
President & CEO
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.
Building Capacity to Combat Burnout
and Foster Sustainable Leadership
Burnout is a significant and growing challenge, particularly in the nonprofit sector, where leaders and teams are often tasked with doing more with limited resources. At Siebert Lutheran Foundation, we partner with over 100 Lutheran nonprofit organizations, churches, and schools each year, and we asked ourselves: How can we better support leaders to remain strong, healthy, and passionate in their roles? How can we help minimize burnout and leadership turnover in such a demanding field?
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In response, we invited Amanda Sattler, CFRE, to lead a workshop equipping nonprofit leaders with spiritual and practical tools to address burnout and build a sustainable path toward recovery and flourishing. Grounded in hope and timeless truths from Scripture, participants explored actionable strategies to recognize early signs of burnout, prevent its onset, and create environments where passion for mission, goal achievement, and personal well-being can thrive together.
Excerpts from Amanda Sattler's powerful presentation at the "Hope for Burnout" workshop
“Amanda did an incredible job presenting, sharing her personal stories, and helping others take action to improve their work-life balance. This topic was timely and essential for nonprofit professionals to understand where they stand on the burnout scale. It’s especially important for department leads and CEOs to recognize how resource limitations can drive burnout.” - Workshop Participant
Who We Are
Siebert Lutheran Foundation is an independent, private foundation established to advance the Lutheran church and its ministries. Pan-Lutheran in nature, the Foundation accepts funding requests from ministry programs associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Our geographic focus is Wisconsin, especially Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine and Kenosha counties.
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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.
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The seeds of the Foundation were sown when Mr. Albert Siebert set up a trust in 1952 to dedicate his entire interest in Milwaukee Electric Tool (now known as "Milwaukee Tool"), the company he founded, to be left to “advance the Lutheran church” after his death. When his family sold Milwaukee Electric Tool to Amstar Corporation in 1976, Siebert Lutheran Foundation, set up as an independent private foundation, received its first major capital infusion of $35 million. As stated in Mr. Siebert's last will, these funds were dedicated to “spreading the Gospel, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and alleviating human suffering.” ​​​