About Charitus - Charitus

We believe that generosity grows at the crossroad of faith and finance. Our mission is growing generosity among the members, supporters, congregations and institutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.

Charitus has a three-fold mission:

to help congregations take care of and grow investments
to help individuals leave gifts to the Church
to grant money to Lutheran charities and other church-related projects.

Charitus has been managing church investments and helping people set up legacy gifts since 2008 (formerly under the name ELFEC). In those few short years our investment portfolio has grown to just over $85 million, and our investment partners have received handsome returns on their investments. Not only that; they’ve done so secure in the knowledge their money is invested in socially responsible ways.

Our other job as a charitable foundation is to grant money to organizations doing the hands-on work of making the world a better place. In our case we support charities and organizations associated with Canada’s Lutheran community. This money goes to congregations in need, youth and young adult ministries, scholarships, international aid projects, and much more. In fact, through the generosity and far-sightedness of our donors and investment partners, we’ve been able to give away over $30 million.

To meet each our missional objectives, Charitus operates in three different areas:

Lutheran Planned Giving

Established in 1997
Mandate: Encourage and assist people in making gifts to the Church
The most common form of planned gift is a gift in your will
Most estates can easily support a bequest gift, even after families are taken care of
So far we’ve helped donors give $8.4M to the Church

Investment Management

Fiera Capital is our Investment Manager
There are 2 options for investment: Growth or Income and Security accounts
Responsible investment policies
Focus is on preserving capital, generating income and growing funds
Over 70 congregations, families and faith institutions partner with us in investing

Grants

Granting funds to support Canada’s Lutheran community.
Funding congregations, youth ministries, scholarships, and international aid projects.
Total donations exceeding $30 million.
Fostering generosity and far-sighted investment partnerships.
Making a positive impact on the world.

For more details about Charitus, please visit our link to our Annual Charity Return (T3010). Donor’s and investment partners are always at the centre of our organization, please read more for a full understanding of our commitment to services and our code of ethics we hold ourselves too.

Our Journey from ELFEC to Charitus

The story of Charitus began in the mid-1990s, when the Eastern Synod of the ELCIC began looking into ways to encourage its members to make planned gifts to the church. At that time the Synod considered, but ultimately rejected, the idea of creating a separate charitable foundation. Charitus (LPG) began operations on January 1, 1997. Even in the early days, a few congregations began inquiring about the possibility of pooling their investment assets with those belonging to the Eastern Synod, but the Synod lacked the corporate power to accept assets from others for investment purposes. The question of a foundation lay dormant for almost ten years.

In 2006 a report prepared for the Synod explored the feasibility of establishing a foundation. In that same year the report’s conclusions were presented to the biennial Eastern Synod Assembly, and a motion gave approval to proceed with the necessary steps.

Charitus was incorporated as ELFEC under federal legislation in late 2006 and registered by the Canada Revenue Agency as a public charitable foundation in 2007. The board of directors did the necessary preliminary work so that, on January 1, 2008, the Eastern Synod could transfer most of its investment portfolio to the new foundation. Charitus began managing a significant asset base on that date.

By 2009 Charitus was ready to accept transfers of assets from other parties. Two congregations entered into partner fund agreements by the middle of that year. Ten+ years later, Charitus has established over 90 additional funds with both congregations, individuals and families, bringing our assets under management to over $70 million.

Our dedicated Board of Directors is a team of seasoned professionals, deeply committed to upholding Charitus’ mission, vision, and values. With their wealth of experience and unwavering dedication, they steer our organization towards a brighter, more compassionate future.

For information on our Board of Directors, please email us.