What is Lutheran Disaster Response?
Since 1973, we have remained grounded in our mission to share God’s hope, healing and renewal with people impacted by disasters. We recognize that every disaster is local and that community leaders and organizations are best equipped to address needs following a disaster. We accompany partners worldwide across the disaster cycle—response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness—providing financial support, technical assistance, advocacy and networking. This work is relational: we stand with communities, congregations, and synods, social ministry partners, community-based organizations, tribal nations, companion churches and ecumenical partners.
Through the faithful work of our network, the Community of Practice, LDR is a trusted and dependable partner. We work with everyone and stay as long as needed, often for years. Key work includes providing emotional and spiritual care for affected people and leaders who respond, assisting communities holistically to meet varied needs, promoting disaster risk reduction by helping communities mitigate impacts through stronger infrastructure and preparedness planning and providing long-term recovery by addressing unmet needs months or years after a disaster strikes.
Accompaniment, Trainings and Coordination
Every disaster begins and ends locally, with neighbors caring for each other. In a crisis, local leadership and community networks are the first and last lines of care. Because every community and disaster is unique, our approach is accompaniment: LDR walks with communities before, during and after.
LDR provides a variety of no-cost learning opportunities delivered by subject matter experts and open to the public. Trainings include: long-term recovery, disaster case management, emotional and spiritual care, preparedness, clean-up and rebuilding, volunteer coordination and advocacy.
LDR provides ongoing mentorship and collaboration to synods, congregations, social ministry organizations and community partners working in disaster response and recovery, coordinating communication between your team and an experienced member of the LDR team to support you in your work.
Where We Work and How You Can Support
Before, During, and After a Disaster
Working with Global Ecumenical Partners
Support a Current Response
ELCA Disaster Grants
Lutheran Disaster Response awards grants to ELCA synods, global companion churches, Lutheran social ministry organizations, ecumenical partners and community organizations to develop responses that address local needs of impacted communities. Please note that Lutheran Disaster Response does not provide grants to individuals. All funding provided by LDR is done in the context of a relationship with a partner organization, directly or as a fiscal partner.
A solidarity grant is a small (typically $5,000-$20,000) grant that LDR offers to local partners shortly after a disaster event occurs to help with immediate needs, such as food, shelter, medical, roof tarps, etc. These short-term grants are designed to be flexible and responsive to the often-changing situations on the ground that occur after a disaster or crisis event, putting resources into the hands of those impacted as quickly as possible.
LDR also provides larger grants to support a community’s recovery after a specific disaster or crisis event. Examples include funding for a chaplaincy presence after a disaster, support for disaster case management and funding for unmet needs related to survivor and community recovery.
Lutheran Disaster Response also invests in building resilient communities. Resiliency grants aim to help communities build their capacity to address the root causes of disasters and reduce their negative impacts. These grants may focus on climate justice, disaster risk reduction and hazard mitigation/preparedness.
Before applying, contact LDR by email. More than a funder, LDR aspires to be a partner. We will meet, hear your community’s needs, and through dialogue and reflection, identify how we might best support your work in your community. Our team is experienced, resourceful and creative, and we will work with you to brainstorm possible solutions addressing the challenges your community is experiencing. Our staff then assists partners in navigating the grant partnership process.
LDR is committed to working in and through relationships with partners across the U.S. and around the world. We work hard to cultivate and nurture these connections before, during and after disasters, recognizing that mutual learning and collaboration are transformative.
Preparation, Response and Spiritual Care
Preparedness saves lives, limits damage and reduces physical, economic and emotional impacts. Prepared communities recover faster. Grounded in faith, LDR helps individuals and congregations prepare.
Contact your church or synod first; they can reach LDR. Do not self-deploy or send unsolicited goods; ask local responders or emergency management. The best way to help is with financial support.
LDR’s robust emotional and spiritual care ministry supports people through every stage of disaster, mitigating impacts, speeding recovery, tending emotional needs and drawing on faith for healing.
Worldwide Impact
spaces In 2024, LDR supported work in 53 countries (including the United States) and 36 U.S. states and territories. Over this landmark year, you helped us raise over $37 million for ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response.
Order your materials to help spread the word about LDR’s impact when disaster strikes.
Stay up to date about disaster situations and our work with LDR on Facebook or follow @ELCA_LDR on Instagram.
For information about consultation or to request a training workshop, please contact our Training and Networks team.
This manual assistscongregations in preparing for disaster.
