The St. John’s Foundation provides the congregation opportunities to extend its outreach, engage our members and our community, and to take appropriate risks in seeking to lead in fearless and spiritually fulfilling ways.
We will seek to allocate between 10-50% of the foundation’s annual allocations to each of three categories:
1) support of current operations
2) support of greater Northfield community
3) support of world community
Goals for undesignated funds include:
● Opportunities to extend the mission of St. John’s Church
● Inspiration for concurrent member engagement and volunteer effort from members of our congregation
● Provide St. John’s visibility with the hopes of attracting like-minded people as fellow congregants
The foundation board will also ensure that expenditures are:
● aligned with donor intent,
● aligned with fund designations, and are
● approved by both the church council and the foundation board
INDIVIDUAL FUND NOTES: PURPOSES AND DONOR INTENTS
1. Designated Funds: Support of Current Operations
● Building and Property Fund
● ELCA College Scholarship Fund
● Media Programs Fund
● Youth Fund
Allocations from these funds should generally be allocated to ongoing operations at St. John’s, with preference for extra-budgetary needs and opportunities.
Council has traditionally served as a pass-through body for ELCA scholarship recipients; funds are usually divided evenly among all eligible students.
2. Designated Funds: Support of Greater Northfield Community
● Community and Social Ministry
3. Designated Funds: Support of World Community
● Soli Seminary Fund
● World Mission Fund
Council has traditionally served as a pass-through body for Soli Seminary scholarship recipients; funds are usually divided evenly among all eligible students.
4. Named Funds Guidelines
● Ruth and John Ferguson Fund for Music
Initially funded by gifts from the Ferguson family; the Fergusons requested that the Worship and Arts Board seek to use these resources to enhance or expand St. John’s mission.
● Donald H. Nelson Fund
Established by a bequest from Donald H. Nelson; his interests lay in supporting efforts to preserve our environment and in funding new initiatives. This fund is undesignated but the foundation board will give preference to requests that meet his wishes.
5. St. John’s Fund
The largest of the foundation’s funds, resources from the St. John’s Fund should be leveraged following the guidelines outlined above. Multi-year requests are allowed and in some cases encouraged. The foundation can provide support both to immediate needs, annual opportunities, and to sustaining initiatives over a longer term.
Last updated: April 18, 2025