Fund for Leaders Scholarships Open December 1, 2025
Make your calling more affordable — and your ministry journey possible.
The ELCA Fund for Leaders is more than a scholarship program. It’s a community of future leaders, congregations, and faithful supporters investing in the next generation of the church. Each year, Fund for Leaders awards millions in scholarships to seminary students like you—students who are answering God’s call to serve and lead with courage, compassion, and faith.
At the LSTC, we see Fund for Leaders scholars every day: our Fund for Leaders students become pastors, chaplains, and mission developers preparing to serve in diverse contexts, from urban congregations to rural parishes, hospitals, and new ministries. Their work, and the support that makes it possible, embodies what it means to be a public church.
The Application Window
Applications for most Fund for Leaders full-tuition scholarships open December 1, 2025, and close February 20, 2026. Other specialized scholarships have unique timelines (see below). Whether you’re just beginning your seminary journey or continuing your studies, we encourage you to explore the full range of opportunities and apply early.
ELCA Fund for Leaders Full-Tuition Scholarship
Application period: December 1, 2025 – February 20, 2026
For students beginning a degree program at an ELCA seminary and discerning a call to become a rostered minister of Word and Sacrament or Word and Service, this is the premier Fund for Leaders award. The full-tuition scholarship covers the entire cost of seminary coursework for the duration of your program.
Recipients are chosen for their promise of leadership, academic excellence, and commitment to the mission of the church. Through this support, Fund for Leaders partners with you in preparing for a lifetime of ministry rooted in Word, Sacrament, and community.
ELCA Fund for Leaders Federal Chaplaincy Ministries Scholarship
Application period: February 9 – March 13, 2026
In partnership with the ELCA Federal Chaplaincy Ministries, this scholarship supports seminary students preparing to serve as military, Veterans Administration, or federal prison chaplains. It offers both tuition support and vocational guidance, forming leaders called to accompany people in times of service, transition, and need.
ELCA Fund for Leaders Mission Developer Scholarship
Application period: December 1, 2025 – February 2, 2026
Do you feel called to create or reimagine new faith communities? This scholarship is for rising seniors or TEEM (Theological Education for Emerging Ministries) candidates who are identified by their seminary and the ELCA Christian Community and Leadership (CCL) team as potential mission developers. Mission developers are innovators and bridge-builders—those called to plant and nurture new ministries where the Spirit is leading.
ELCA Fund for Leaders Synod or Congregation Scholarship
Application period: May 15 – June 5, 2026
These scholarships are offered to students identified by synods or congregations that have established their own scholarship fund through the ELCA Fund for Leaders. Eligible students are nominated locally and affirmed by their seminary and the ELCA. It’s a partnership that strengthens the ties between seminary education and the congregations that make it possible.
The Core of Fund for Leaders
At the heart of the Fund for Leaders are values that mirror the formation at the center of LSTC’s mission. Rooted in faith, the Fund for Leaders invites students to grow in the Word, in prayer, and in the sacraments as they mature into leaders of the church. Faith formation is not simply an academic pursuit—it is a spiritual journey shaped by community, reflection, and the rhythms of grace.
Fund for Leaders scholars are marked by curiosity. They recognize that faithful leadership is grounded in listening—to God, to Scripture, and to one another. This humility cultivates leaders who are open to new insights and who carry a posture of wonder rather than certainty.
They also embody resilience. Ministry is full of moments of joy and struggle, of success and setback. The Fund for Leaders supports students who persevere not by their own strength, but by leaning into God’s sustaining presence. Through prayer and community, they learn to meet challenge with courage and hope. Another defining value is empathetic presence. Fund for Leaders scholars understand that ministry begins in compassion—being attuned to the needs of others, walking alongside those who suffer, and seeing Christ in every neighbor. In an increasingly fragmented world, this empathy becomes a radical act of love.
Finally, these leaders are called to live with integrity and authenticity. They are invited to align their actions with their deepest convictions, to speak truth with love, and to serve with honesty even when doing so requires sacrifice. Authentic leadership invites trust, and through that trust, transformation becomes possible.
Together, these values form the living foundation of Fund for Leaders—a movement that equips leaders to serve God’s people with wisdom, resilience, and joy.
Why Apply?
Because the call to ministry shouldn’t come with unmanageable debt. The Fund for Leaders exists to make seminary accessible to all who are called—whether you’re preparing to serve a congregation, found a new ministry, or bring the Gospel into spaces beyond traditional walls.
At LSTC, we’re proud to walk alongside Fund for Leaders scholars as they grow in knowledge, deepen their faith, and prepare to serve God’s world with courage and compassion.
Visit elca.org/fundforleaders to learn more and apply.
Questions? Contact the LSTC Admissions Office at admissions@lstc.edu or the Fund for Leaders team at fundforleaders@elca.org.