In the Mission Expansion Fund market value appreciation on investment may also be transferred. In this way gifts are completely used over a nine-year period. The WELS Gift Fund supports the Budgetary Fund expenditures. The WELS Gift Fund has been the beneficiary of a large annual gift to the synod. The Mission Expansion Fund is a beneficiary of the Lift High the Cross program.
Current projections show the fund is likely to diminish rapidly over the next two to four years.
Endowment Funds Endowment Funds receive gifts and bequests in which the principal may not be withdrawn, and the earnings are distributed according to the fund's purpose. Other amounts may be added to the endowment funds at the request of the Synodical Council. The synod's four major endowment funds include the Student Assistance Fund, WELS Endowment Fund, Educational Development Endowment Fund, and Mission Expansion Endowment. Student Assistance Endowment Fund earnings provide grants to students at the ministerial education schools. Earnings of the WELS Endowment Fund are distributed to the Budgetary Fund to support general operations of the synod.