Grants Will Help Children’s Museums Nationwide Foster Character Development

November 26, 2024
Contact: Judith Cebula
317.916.7327 | cebulaj@lei.org

Grants will help children’s museums nationwide foster character development

INDIANAPOLIS – Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded grants to 15 children’s museums to support innovative and creative efforts to nurture character through exhibitions, public programs and community collaborations.

The grants were made through Fostering Character Through Children’s Museums, a national initiative designed to help children’s museums develop new or expand existing efforts that explore character traits such as curiosity, empathy, compassion, integrity, kindness, teamwork, respect, responsibility, courage and community awareness, among others. From the earliest days of its grantmaking, the Endowment has supported projects to encourage character development, especially among young people.

Totaling nearly $38.5 million, the grants provide funds to support a variety of approaches to fostering character at the museums in ways that are consistent with their missions. They include developing a new interactive exhibit to help children and families explore and practice curiosity, perseverance and mindfulness; updating existing exhibits and programs by infusing in them a focus on traits such as respect, kindness and autonomy; and building a new traveling exhibit focused on interdependence and peacemaking that will be shared through partner organizations. The museums will work to amplify the impact of their character forming experiences through community outreach and resources for parents and caregivers. See the grants list here.

“Children’s museums are places where children of all ages can learn informally, discovering new ideas through play, multi-sensory experiences and self-expression,” said Ted Maple, the Endowment’s vice president for education and youth programs. “We are excited to see how the museums funded through this initiative will help children and their families to explore various character traits and reflect together on ways these traits can be practiced and strengthened.”

Children’s museums receiving funding through the initiative include, among others:

The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, which will partner with Fred Rogers Productions to develop permanent and traveling exhibits that explore kindness, generosity, compassion, respect, bravery, resilience and other character traits. The exhibits will be based on three television series, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie and Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and will include resources to extend learning and character education beyond the walls of museums.
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, which will work to broaden, deepen and sustain its long-term, museum-wide approach to character development, focusing on civility, community awareness, critical thinking, reflection and curiosity.
Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum of Albuquerque, which will develop a series of science exhibits focused on different character traits. For example, the Science of Kindness exhibit will explore how dopamine and serotonin are released when someone is kind or experiences the kindness of others.
The Strong National Museum of Play, located in Rochester, New York, which will redevelop Reading Adventureland, an exhibit that invites guests to step inside storybooks. The new project will bring to life featured stories that include characters who model positive character traits, such as kindness, courage, curiosity, respect and responsibility, among others.
Thanksgiving Point Institute, located in Lehi, Utah, which will work within its Museum of Natural Curiosity to enhance major exhibits to focus on character traits. For example, a rainforest exhibit will be transformed to emphasize curiosity and compassion. The project will include resources to help children, parents and caregivers practice at home the traits they explore at the museum.

In addition to Fostering Character Through Children’s Museums, the Endowment is supporting projects that encourage character formation among young people in various other settings. In 2023, the Endowment made a $30.7 million grant to Wake Forest University to support the Educating Character Initiative (ECI). The aim of ECI is to provide a wide range of U.S. public and private colleges and universities with the resources, funding and other support needed to develop and implement efforts to integrate character education at their institutions.

In 2023, the Endowment approved a $45.5 million grant to the American Camp Association to support the creation of Character at Camp, a multiyear initiative to grow, improve, and celebrate character development among young people at camps across the United States. Also, new Endowment grants in 2024 are supporting eight national youth-serving organizations as they develop their efforts to enhance character formation practices in their programs (learn more about these grants here).

About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.