1521 Foundation Grant

1521 Foundation Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: 1521 Foundation LLC
Last Updated: February 02, 2026

Summary

The 1521 Foundation Grant aims to continue Martin Luther's vision of promoting gospel freedom and service to the neighbor. With a mission rooted in the Lutheran Confessional tradition, it supports ministries that teach justification by faith and charitable organizations that provide relief to those in need, regardless of their background. Please note that the foundation has suspended grant requests for the year 2025.

Overview

In the year 1517, the reformer Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, marking what is considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.  Luther envisioned a church where the on-going proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ would establish people in the freedom of a living faith.  Luther further encouraged that such faith would free the Christian to be active in service to the neighbor. Our Purpose Continuing Luther’s vision, the purpose of 1521 Foundation LLC is to carry forward this dual legacy of supporting the proclamation of the freedom of faith in Christ and encouraging service on behalf of the neighbor. Therefore, the mission of 1521 Foundation LLC is to promote gospel freedom and service to the neighbor in two mission fields. One mission field advances the Great Commission of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:16–20) through the support of ministries falling within the Lutheran Confessional tradition that believe, teach, and confess justification by faith apart from any merit in works—relying solely on the freedom of forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ alone.  To inform and interpret this understanding of the Christian faith, we rely especially—though not exclusively—on the books of the Old and New Testaments and the published writings of Martin Luther and Gerhard O. Forde. The other mission field supports charitable organizations that serve the public benefit by providing for the relief and assistance of people in need regardless of race, religion, or creed.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.