Current endowment funds have been created through the generous philanthropic support of friends, families, congregations, LHS staff, corporations, foundations, and fraternal benefit societies such as Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Donors may either fund an existing endowment or create a new named endowment fund to underwrite a special program or service or fulfill a critical LHS need. With the guidance of LHS Foundation staff, you may choose the fund's name, designation, restrictions, and other use criteria. In the past, donors who have created named endowment funds have designated annual distributions be used to fund scholarships, purchase special equipment, or help underwrite a specific affiliate ministry or essential service area.

You can create a named endowment fund with a gift of $25,000 or more. This amount may be given as one outright gift or as a pledge payable over a period of three-to-five years. All installment gifts are invested until the endowment is fully underwritten at the minimum level. At that time, the fund will begin annual distributions after one full year of investment. Planned gifts and bequests are often used to grow the fund corpus significantly. Donors often enjoy creating their funds while living to see the results of their giving and may add to them later through bequests or other deferred gifts.

Several restricted endowed funds exist and are listed and described more fully above according to their purpose, namely, whether they support youth, elderly, staff, or the larger LHS organization. These include:

• Celia & Jim Findlay Endowment for Youth
• Youth Assistance Endowment
• Florence S. & Arnold F. Bunge Sr. Endowed Scholarship Fund
• Lawrence & Adele Youngbauer Youth Endowment
• R.A. & F.D. Stranahan Endowment
• LINCS Endowment

We always welcome and encourage charitable gifts to the general endowment. This endowment is critical to sustaining the mission and subsidiary ministries of Lutheran Homes Society in the future. Your gifts to this fund will provide the necessary flexibility and financial resources to underwrite our subsidiary ministries so they can address the changing needs of the children, youth, and elders in our care. Indeed, your gift will continue in perpetuity and the impact of your original gift will grow over time.

The general (unrestricted) endowment, as well as all restricted endowment funds, are managed by the investment committee of the LHS Foundation Board. The Foundation Board is responsible for determining investment and spending policies, as well as providing continuing oversight of the investment portfolios and asset allocation strategies. The Board also manages risk to preserve and grow the principal over time, thereby assuring a stable but growing endowment.

Each year, LHS Foundation Board distributes 5% of the fair market value of the fund as averaged over the prior three years. This approach further lessens the impact of annual market volatility while providing more stable funding of LHS programs and services. The general endowment is funded directly through donor-designated gifts and through Board designation of a specific percentage of any undesignated gift or bequest received above $5,000.

Restricted Endowment Funds

Several restricted endowed funds exist and are listed and described more fully above according to their purpose, namely, whether they support youth, elders, staff, or the larger LHS organization. These include:

• Celia & Jim Findlay Endowment for Youth
• Youth Assistance Endowment
• Florence S. & Arnold F. Bunge Sr. Endowed Scholarship Fund
• Lawrence & Adele Youngbauer Youth Endowment
• R.A. & F.D. Stranahan Endowment
• LINCS Endowment