ELCA Fund for Leaders Direct Full-Tuition Scholarship
Offered by Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Fund for Leaders
About this scholarship
The ELCA Fund for Leaders Direct Full-Tuition Scholarship covers required seminary coursework for students preparing to become rostered ministers in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The 2027 application is scheduled to open December 1, 2026 and close February 19, 2027 in the official ELCA GrantMaker portal. The program is primarily for new students entering an ELCA seminary in the upcoming fall semester. A current student may also qualify if no more than one semester of coursework will be completed by that fall. Applicants must be pursuing ELCA rostered ministry and must have begun the candidacy process through their ELCA synod. The official application calls for a written essay, video essay, recommendation letters, verification of synod candidacy, and an admission offer from an ELCA seminary. Because the award follows the required seminary curriculum rather than promising a fixed cash sum, this listing accurately describes it as full tuition without inventing a dollar value. Prospective applicants should register in GrantMaker, coordinate candidacy documentation with their synod, and allow time for recommenders and the seminary admission letter before the February deadline.
Eligibility
- Seek to become a rostered minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
- Have begun the candidacy process in an ELCA synod
- Be admitted to an ELCA seminary for the upcoming fall semester
- Be a new student or have completed no more than one semester by the upcoming fall
- Provide a written essay and video essay
- Submit recommendation letters, synod candidacy verification, and an ELCA seminary admission letter
- Complete the GrantMaker application by February 19, 2027