Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation is a private foundation based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. Its 2025 filing reports grants to Michigan organizations for purposes including Christian ministry, church outreach, food and clothing, shelter expenses, and equipment.
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation at a glance
In short: Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation gave $94K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Michigan. 36% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $93,716
- +98.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $6,248
- +98.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,000
- Total assets
- $502,358
- -1.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 36% first-time grantees (5 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The 2023 filing says to contact Robert Hughes for an application. It states that the foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and lists award restrictions as ELCA congregations and S E MI Synod projects.
- Review Cycle
- The 2023 filing lists “JANUARY 152025 2025.” The entry’s formatting is unclear; it refers to 2025 and is a past deadline.
- Deadline
- The 2023 filing lists “JANUARY 152025 2025.” The entry’s formatting is unclear; it refers to 2025 and is a past…
- Contact
Application contact: Robert Hughes
Mailing address: 42681 Jason Court, Sterling Hts, MI 48313
Phone: (586) 739-9219
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Trinity Lutheran Church ($15K across 2 grants). Together the top 10 received $89K.
Grant Size Distribution
81 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 81 grants of 81 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Michigan.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation open to new grantees?
36%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 14 grantees (36%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $7K; repeat grants $7K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $6K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 80% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 122% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $35K (2020) to $94K (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $94K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Love for a Child Oxford, MI | Christian Ministry | $15,000 |
| NIA Purpose for Life Agency Detroit, MI | Christian Ministry | $15,000 |
| Samartian House Washington, MI | Christian Ministry | $12,000 |
| Trinity Lutheran Church Utica, MI | Outreach Ministry | $12,000 |
| Family of God Detroit, MI | Christian Ministry | $12,000 |
| Living Waters Ministry New Era, MI | Purchase Equipment | $6,000 |
| American Lutheran Church Clinton Township, MI | Equipment for Portable Foodstation | $5,972 |
| Shepherds of the Lakes Lutheran Walled Lake, MI | Provide Food Clothing to Community | $4,000 |
| Trinity Lutheran Church Richmond, MI | McRest Shelter Expenses | $3,000 |
| Genisis Lutheran Church Detroit, MI | VBS Program | $2,500 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $502,358 | $93,162 | $98,673 | $93,716 | 15 | $93,716 | $81,155 | $76,858 |
| 2024 | $508,519 | $57,897 | $51,992 | $47,324 | 15 | $47,324 | $46,758 | $60,189 |
| 2023 | $503,618 | $85,917 | $50,670 | $43,958 | 19 | $43,958 | $72,237 | $46,608 |
| 2022 | $469,800 | $112,896 | $57,457 | $52,168 | 15 | $52,168 | $102,785 | $49,494 |
| 2021 | $415,814 | $114,524 | $71,584 | $65,737 | 17 | — | $104,534 | $51,128 |
| 2020 | $373,741 | $53,860 | $40,295 | $34,715 | 16 | — | $43,337 | $40,972 |
| 2019 | $360,725 | $66,336 | $59,533 | $52,186 | 17 | — | $54,933 | $38,290 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation reported a distributable amount of $77K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants list purposes including Christian ministry, outreach ministry, food and clothing for the community, shelter expenses, a vacation Bible school program, and equipment purchases.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 15 grants totaling $93,716. Grant amounts ranged from $822 to $15,000, with a median of $4,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $15,000 each to Love for a Child and Nia Purpose for Life Agency; $12,000 each to Samartian House, Trinity Lutheran Church in Utica, and Family of God; and $6,000 to Living Waters Ministry. The reported purposes included Christian ministry, outreach ministry, and equipment purchases.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David Fox as president and treasurer; Robert Hughes and Diane Rotha as vice presidents; Evelyne Russell as financial secretary; Nancy Kaminski as corresponding secretary; and Gustav Jensen, Harold Schlachtenhoufen Pastor, Jenny Pelkey, and James Pelkey as directors.
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation is led by David Fox, President Treasurer since 2020 (on filings since 2019); none of the 9 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David Fox
President Treasurer
President - Treasurer → President Treasurer, 2020
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Gustav Jensen
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Harold Schlachtenhoufen Pastor
Director
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
James Pelkey
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Jenny Pelkey
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Diane Rotha
Vice President
V President → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Evelyne Russell
Finanical Secretary
Finanical & Membership Secretary → Finanical Membership Secretary, 2020
Finanical Membership Secretary → Finanical Secretary, 2021
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Nancy Kaminski
Corresponding Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Robert Hughes
Vice President
V President → Vice President, 2024
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Arlene Kangas (2019–2023) — Secretary
- Former: Kathy Brodie (2019–2022) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation
How much does Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation give each year?
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation gave $94K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $47K across 15 grants.
What is Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation's typical grant size?
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,000, and its average grant was $6,248, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation that year got $7K on average.
Where does Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation give grants?
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Detroit, MI (3 grants).
Does Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Christian Ministry" (4 grants).
Who are Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation's largest grantees?
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Trinity Lutheran Church ($15,000 across 2 grants), Love for a Child ($15,000) and NIA Purpose for Life Agency ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 48% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation?
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation reported $502K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $94K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $77K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants list purposes including Christian ministry, outreach ministry, food and clothing for the community, shelter expenses, a vacation Bible school program, and equipment purchases. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation?
The 2023 filing says to contact Robert Hughes for an application. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation's EIN?
Mt Zion Lutheran Church Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 38-3364539. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 1, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS January 30, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS January 18, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS January 20, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS January 18, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS January 16, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS January 27, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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