Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Member Fund
Chicago, IL 60631
United States
Women of all ages, in more than 7,000 congregational and special units in the United States and the Caribbean, carry out the mission of Women of the ELCA: mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ.
Women of the ELCA offers local and global programs, resources, and events that support women and girls at all stages of their Christian lives. Its diverse community is committed to helping women and girls grow spiritually and emotionally, helping them find their place in the world as Christian women. Lutheran women and girls affirm each others gifts, support one another in their callings, engage in ministry and action, and promote healing and wholeness in the church, the society, and the world.
Mobilizing women to act boldly on their faith in Jesus Christ.
Grantmaking: Our grants program supports not-for-profit organizations, both domestic and international, that support healing and wholeness for women of all ages through the affirmation and advancement of women's emotional, physical, and spiritual health. In our 20+ years, we have made grants in excess of $3 million dollars.
Anti-racism: Our organization is committed to developing an anti-racist identity, and anti-racism programming is a priority. Today's Dream: Tomorrow's Reality is our network of anti-racism educators that offer workshops throughout the country.
Health initiative: Raising Up Healthy Women and Girls, our health initiative, was launched in 2005 to promote women's complete and total health: physical, spiritual, and emotional. The initiative has a particular emphasis on heart health.
Trafficking: We address commercial sexual exploitation by providing education, resources, and networking opportunities.
2009 Domestic Grant Recipients
Transitions
Spokane, WA
Women’s Hearth Support Program
Program provides a variety of services to homeless and low income women that foster growth and wholeness in order to help them move towards stability.
Violence Free Crisis Line
Kalispell, MT
PEACE Peer Education Project
Project provides education for the prevention of dating and sexual violence to teen girls grades 8-11 by peer youth volunteers.
Fresno Rescue Samaritan Women Mission
Fresno, CA
Life Skills and Education Program
The program assists women who are ex-inmates providing literacy/GED education, basic computer skills, employment education and recovery life skills classes.
Casa Cornelia Law Center
San Diego, CA
Domestic Violence Program
This project offers free legal representation and social services to battered immigrant women and children, enabling them to receive their visa and work authorization cards so they can escape domestic violence.
Valley Youth Organization, Inc.
Prescott Valley, AZ
Stepping Stones Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency Program
Works with women one-on-one on service planning to help them set and achieve empowerment and self sufficiency goals.
World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task-Force, Inc (WHEAT)
Phoenix, AZ
Mentoring & Training Program
Program empowers women in need to self sustenance through job training, skill building, social support and positive guidance.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Glacial Lakes Region
Watertown, SD
Mentor Moms & Crib Program
Program promotes healthier pregnancies and healthier families including life style and life skills counseling, educational services and health care services.
Family Connection
Sioux Falls, SD
Hospitality House for Families of Prisoners
Project provides shelter and support for families visiting incarcerated loved ones.
House of Hope Minnesota
Marshall, MN
Camp Ophelia
An arts-based curriculum day camp for teen girls centered around healthy relationships.
Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches
Minneapolis, MN
Community Justice Project
Project recruits, trains, matches and provides support for women who work with women seeking to escape their lives of prostitution, domestic violence, and chemical dependency.
Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc.
Omaha, NE
Building Families Boutique
Project offers parenting education classes, support groups, health care education and referral services for low-income families.
Family Promise of East Bell County
Temple, TX
Make a House a Home
Project provides all the basic furniture & items needed to set up a house for previously homeless families now moving into their own home.
Lutheran Social Services of the South
Canyon Lake, TX
Packaging our Spiritual Gifts to Share
ELCA members will identify and use their spiritual gifts to volunteer & minister to formerly abused teen girls living and receiving treatment at New Life Children’s Center.
Bright Endeavors
Chicago, IL
Employment and Personal Achievement for Young Women
Assists young women in making positive life changes that lead to a strong sense of self, independence and direction, accomplished through paid transitional employment.
New Moms, Inc.
Chicago, IL
New Moms Program
Ministry offers shelter and self-sufficiency services to pregnant and parenting homeless and near-homeless teen girls.
Churches United of the Quad Cities
Rock Island, IL
Winnie’s Place
Homeless shelter for women providing food, clothing, support services, medicine and counseling.
Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
Peoria, IL
Missionary to Prisons Ministry
Re-entry prison ministry that recruits, trains and supports teams of volunteers from local ELCA congregations who partner with women returning home from prison.
Breast Cancer Recovery Foundation, Inc.
Madison, WI
Infinite Boundaries Retreats
Retreats provide emotional support for women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
Madison, WI
Backyard Mosaic Women’s Project
Offers support and spiritual care for formerly incarcerated women through spiritual reflection arts projects.
Center for Lay Ministries, Inc.
Jeffersonville, IN
The Bliss House
Offers medical care to low income women who are in a six to nine month residential program recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.
Redeemer Hospitality Mission
Indianapolis, IN
Families in Touch
Offers health information and classes for women and teen girls on weight loss, blood pressure, heart disease, family planning, child care and first aid.
Flower Hospital
Sylvania, OH
Prevention is the Walk of Life
Project provides educational and spiritual activities for women to broaden and deepen their understanding of cancer and the importance of prevention and early detection.
Over-the-Rhine Learning Center
Cincinnati, OH
Inner City Volunteer Development Project
Project provides an inroad for women of differing demographics to develop relationships through community service in an inner city ministry context.
Trinity Healing Center, Inc.
Brooklyn, NY
Daughters of the Lotus
This project offers teen girls, subject to domestic violence, the freedom to express their feelings openly through group discussion, journaling and poetry.
Upper Darby Community Outreach Corporation
Philadelphia, PA
Women’s Health Advocacy Program
A monthly lunch and lecture health series for the community on health education.
Bridge of Hope Lancaster & Chester
Lancaster, PA
Rental Assistance for Homeless Single Mothers
Provides rental assistance to single mothers who have experienced domestic violence so they and their children can move into a safer and more stable home environment.
NOVACO, Inc. (Northern Virginia Coalition of Churches)
Fairfax, VA
Peace of Mind Project
Offers counseling services, psychiatric consultations, and access to mental health resources to women and children survivors of domestic violence.
Verona Community Food Pantry
Verona, VA
Feeding Infants Program
Purchases baby food and formula for infants whose family’s household income is below the federal poverty line.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Chapel Hill, NC
Women Climbing Higher Outreach Ministry
Will provide for the installation of computers and cost of computer training for Latino women in need of job skills assessment and computer skills training.
Anderson Interfaith Ministries
Anderson, SC
Women and Children Succeeding
Provides financial support for childcare, life skills training, mentoring and career counseling.
Southeastern Synod of the ELCA
Atlanta, GA
Discernment Relationships for Inquiry of Vocation and Empowerment (DRIVE)
This synod-led program connects young adult women of color with mentors who journey alongside them as they discern their vocational call.
2009 International Grant Recipients
Bangladesh
Development Society: Nutrition Project for Women
Develops a comprehensive nutrition program to reduce malnutrition in women and children through food security, food intake, infant feeding and growth monitoring.
Dominican Republic
ODEMIHF: Reproductive and Sexual Health Education for Women
Health education for women Haitian immigrants and their families.
India
Arcot Lutheran Church Women’s Fellowship Desk: Income Generating Project
Offers three income-generating programs and skills training for marginalized women coping with alcoholism and domestic violence in their homes.
Israel
Israel Family Planning Association: Bridge to Communication Project
Provides communication, counseling and problem solving skills that encourage women to make informed choices about their sexual reproductive health and rights in Israel.
Ghana
Dekaworwor Community Group: Malaria Project
Provides mosquito netting and medicine for pregnant women and children under the age of five to help minimize malaria related sickness and death.
Kenya
Community Initiatives for Rural Development in Kenya: Campaign against FGM
Project creates awareness on the dangers of FGM and promotes healthy alternative rites of passage options.
Sudan
MADRE: Women Farmers Unite
Works with a women farmer’s union to enable women farmers in eastern Sudan to grow more food for their families and improve their status within their communities.
Uganda
Foundation for Uganda Women Development: Hope for Mothers and Babies
Project trains traditional local birth attendants and other medical workers in basic medical labor birth skills and basic home hygiene for mothers and newborns.
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