$143,000+ in Synod Grants Launched: Thank You for Making This Possible
The Grand Canyon Synod has awarded over $143,000 in grant funding to congregations, ministries, and partners across Arizona, southern Nevada, St. George (Utah), and the Navajo Nation.
This funding is not abstract. It is the living expression of a circle of generosity — gifts received through bequests, congregational tithes of estate gifts, the sale of closed congregations, support from the West Valley Lutheran Thrift Shop, and unrestricted gifts entrusted to the synod. Because of that generosity, ministries are now expanding outreach, strengthening discipleship, and deepening community impact.
Thank you. Your mission support makes this possible.
Where the Grants Are Going
This year’s grants support 27 ministries and initiatives, including:
1st Place Community Center – Outreach and support in the Mesa community
Children of Hope (Esperanza) – Outdoor classroom promoting whole-person and spiritual development
Desert Cross, Tempe – Partnership with Borderlands Produce Rescue addressing food waste and food access
Emmanuel Sudanese – Dinka Youth Faith and Culture Growth Program
Faith, Yuma – Healing After Loss
Fiercely & Wonderfully Made (Central) – LGBTQIA+2s community gatherings rooted in the Triune God
First Evangelical Lutheran Church – Youth faith formation
GCS Growing in Faith – Diakonia – Christian Nationalism Symposium
Grace, Kingman – Worship technology improvements
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Evangelism: God’s Love in Action
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Casa Grande – Faith and Friends
Inside Out Network – Transforming Arizona Re-entry Project
LAMA #1 – Legislative Bill Tracking Software
Lutheran Campus Ministry – UofA – Website updates
Lord of Grace – Preschool fellowship hall licensing
Lutheran Church of the Foothills – Deepening Community Bonds
Lutheran Church of the Foothills – Star Village Food Service Program
Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest – Partners in Action
Martin Luther King (King of Glory) – MLK Celebrations in Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas
Mountain View and Esperanza – “Welcome Home” Marketing Campaign
Native American Urban Ministry – Compassionate Connections
New Spirit – Homeless Blessings and Connections
Our Savior’s, Glendale – Popcorn, Pets, and Prayers in the Park
Prince of Peace – Arcadia Cares Food for Kidz Packathon
San Juan Bautista, Tucson – Perfect Parsonage Hosting Project
St. Andrew, Las Vegas – Inclusivity Formation and Education
Trinity Lutheran Church – Trinity Food Pantry
Together, these initiatives embody the breadth of our synod’s mission — from food security to youth formation, from re-entry ministry to evangelism, from legislative advocacy to worship and technology upgrades.
How the Grant Works
The Grand Canyon Synod Grant supports new or continuing projects that serve one, two, or three goals of the Synod Strategic Plan.
Maximum award: $15,000
Preference given to collaborative proposals with other ELCA ministries
Priority for demonstrably innovative and new initiatives
Continuing projects may receive reduced funding from previous years
Eligible applicants include organized congregations, Synodically Authorized Worshipping Communities (SAWCs), Strategic Ministries of the synod, and organizations in good standing with the ELCA or the Grand Canyon Synod.
A Lutheran Expression of Shared Mission
As Lutherans, we confess that the Holy Spirit gathers, enlightens, and sends us. These grants are one tangible way we live into that calling — stewarding gifts entrusted to us for the sake of the gospel in our communities.
This is what shared ministry looks like.
When a bequest becomes a preschool playground.
When a closed congregation’s assets become food on the table.
When mission support becomes youth formation, re-entry ministry, or legislative advocacy.
Thank you for your faithful generosity. Together, we are investing in God’s ongoing work across the Grand Canyon Synod.
