B esides approving grants, the Endowment also seeks to make available resources and opportunities that complement and enhance the impact of the work we fund and further our aims in our areas of interest. For example, we often fund organizations to coordinate grant initiatives and provide relevant research and analysis, evaluation support, and opportunities for sharing experiences and insights among grantees. We also support various organizations to conduct and disseminate research on key issues and best practices and connect people and organizations to helpful resources.
Community Development
Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention works to mobilize, advocate for and empower community collaboration toward ending homelessness among individuals and families. It seeks to foster an effective system of homelessness prevention and intervention in greater Indianapolis. LEARN MORE
Community foundations across Indiana are catalysts for community development in the counties they serve. Since 1990, the Endowment has forged a special relationship with community foundations through the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative, which makes endowment, operating and project challenge grants to community foundations. The number of community foundations and affiliate funds has grown from fewer than a dozen in 1990 to more than 92 in 2017. The Indiana Philanthropy Alliance supports the GIFT initiative by providing technical assistance to community foundation staff and board leadership across Indiana. LEARN MORE
Domestic Violence Network provides technical support to organizations that serve survivors of domestic violence and leads educational and advocacy efforts to address domestic violence in central Indiana. Domestic Violence Network conducts all of its work under the collaborative framework of the Community Wide Plan to End Domestic Violence. LEARN MORE
Indiana Association of United Ways (IAUW) works to build and strengthen local United Ways across Indiana. Its 60 member organizations serve 95 percent of the state’s population. Indiana United Ways – excluding the United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI) – raised $54 million in 2016 to support human services across the state. These programs grew out of a 1990 Lilly Endowment-funded study of the United Way movement in Indiana documenting that many counties were unserved and that most smaller United Ways lacked the means to serve their communities effectively. IAUW provides technical assistance, capacity building and training to support the United Way system across Indiana. LEARN MORE
Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP) partners with neighborhood-based community development corporations and other nonprofits that work to expand sustainable housing opportunities and support neighborhood development and revitalization. INHP’s comprehensive lending, mortgage and credit advising and home buying education services are designed to help homebuyers become long-term, successful homeowners. LEARN MORE
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Indianapolis works to strengthen Indianapolis neighborhoods in the areas of housing, economic development, education and livability. Formed in 1992 to respond to a crisis of substandard housing, LISC provides technical assistance and financial support to community development corporations, community centers, small-business owners, and arts and cultural organizations working to revitalize neighborhoods. LEARN MORE
United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI) is essential to the region’s efforts to deliver human services to people in need. The Endowment makes annual grants to support UWCI’s work with 85 member agencies and more than 15,000 volunteers, 840 companies and 55,000 donors, plus several funding and collaborative partnerships that include the Endowment. During its long history of service, UWCI has adapted how it does its work to reflect changing community needs and the fundraising environment. The Endowment also makes grants to support additional efforts at UWCI, such as its Homelessness Targeted Initiatives Fund, Capital Projects Fund and the Facilities Maintenance Fund. LEARN MORE
Education and Youth Programs
Center for Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL), a program at the University of Indianapolis, serves as a convener, catalyst and collaborator for innovation in education to strengthen student achievement throughout Indiana. CELL’s efforts are rooted in the principle that students, regardless of background, should graduate from high school prepared for postsecondary education, training and success in the 21st-century global economy.LEARN MORE
Education Workforce Innovation Network (EWIN), a program coordinated by the Center for Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis, offers a competitive grant program to support innovative practices that will address the education needs in the workforce. During the past two years, EWIN has provided financial support and technical assistance to programs in 14 counties, reaching 32 school corporations that represent 130,000 students. LEARN MORE
Independent Colleges of Indiana is the collective voice for excellence and choice in higher education for all students, representing Indiana’s 31 private, nonprofit, regionally accredited colleges and universities. ICI specializes in public policy advocacy, public information and research, corporate and foundation fundraising, development of collaborative services, and administration of scholarships and grants, including the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program. Learn more
Indiana Youth Institute provides technical assistance and financial support to youth-serving organizations across Indiana. This support includes capacity-building programs, research and data, and other resources to help Indiana’s youth workers and youth-serving organizations be more effective in promoting the healthy development of Indiana youth. IYI’s vision is that all Indiana youth will attain physical health and safety, emotional fulfillment, academic achievement, civic engagement and economic self-sufficiency. LEARN MORE
Marion County Commission on Youth (MCCOY) leads community efforts in central Indiana that strive to help all youth have high-quality opportunities to thrive, learn, engage and contribute. MCCOY provides research, data and other information about youth, serves as an advocate for youth needs, and provides education, training and capacity-building support for youth service professionals. LEARN MORE
The Mind Trust works to improve K-12 education in Indianapolis and seeks to make Indianapolis the nation’s foremost destination for transformative leaders, organizations and ideas in education. Endowment grants support The Mind Trust’s coordination of Teach for America programs in Indianapolis and the Innovation Network Schools program within the Indianapolis Public Schools.LEARN MORE
Religion
The Association of Theological Schools (ATS), located in Pittsburgh, is a membership organization of more than 270 U.S. and Canadian theology schools. With Lilly Endowment support, ATS conducts leadership programs for theological school administrators and faculty, engages in research and supports innovative educational projects at member schools.Learn More
Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, located at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich., provides grants to congregations to enhance worship practices. It produces resources for congregational worship, hosts symposia on the arts in worship, and supports research on the history, theology and practice of worship.LEARN MORE
Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE), located in Atlanta, is a leadership incubator for young people seeking to lead within Christian communities. FTE offers grants that support vocational discernment and engages organizations that work with young leaders. It provides fellowships to students of color pursuing academic doctorates in theological disciplines.Learn More
In Trust Center for Theological Schools, located in Wilmington, Del., is a membership organization that works to strengthen the institutional capacities of theological schools. It connects schools with resources to address organizational challenges, hosts educational events and publishes a journal.LEARN MORE
Indianapolis Center for Congregations helps Indiana congregations through consulting, educational events and grants. It works with congregational leaders by listening to their concerns and helping them find resources for specific needs. It also produces the web-based Congregational Resource Guide to help congregations across the U.S. find high-quality resources.Learn More
Leadership Education at Duke Divinity (LE@DD) works to strengthen the leadership of Christian institutions. LE@DD provides educational programs, develops intellectual and theological resources on leadership, offers grants for leadership development, and facilitates networks that cultivate Christian institutional leaders. LEARN MORE
Lilly Fellows Program in the Humanities and the Arts, at Valparaiso University in Indiana, seeks to strengthen the quality of church-related higher education institutions. Programs include a national network of schools; a postdoctoral teaching fellowship to prepare future leaders; and a fellowship for future teacher-scholars in church-related higher education.LEARN MORE
Louisville Institute, at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky, seeks to enrich the religious life of North American Christian communities by connecting those who lead religious institutions with those who study them. It provides grants to researchers and religious leaders to pursue projects that explore the character, challenges, contributions and prospects of churches.Learn More
The National Fund for Sacred Places, a partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Partners for Sacred Places, provides grants, consulting and training to Christian congregations that have buildings valued for their architectural, historical and religious significance. It helps congregations restore and preserve structures so historic churches can continue to be community assets.LEARN MORE
Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education is a national network of colleges and universities that enriches the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation among undergraduates. A program of the Council of Independent Colleges in Washington, D.C., it offers grants to member schools, organizes conferences and produces resources about vocational exploration.Learn More
Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, at Wabash College in Indiana, seeks to strengthen the quality of teaching in undergraduate religion departments in colleges and universities and in theological schools. The center hosts faculty workshops, offers grants to religion departments and theological schools, and produces a journal about teaching and learning.LEARN MORE