June 22, 2022
Contact: Judith Cebula
317.916.7327 | cebulaj@lei.org
Endowment makes grants to strengthen sustainability of eight human service agencies
Indianapolis – Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved $34 million in grants to eight human services organizations to help them strengthen their long-term financial sustainability plans.
The Indianapolis-based organizations provide a variety of services. Two of the organizations work with individuals who are re-entering their communities after incarceration. Two organizations provide an array of services and programs for youth and young adults – one focused on LGBTQ youth and the other on youth aging out of the foster care system. One organization serves primarily senior citizens and their caregivers. One works with individuals at risk of or suffering from HIV/AIDS. Another works with women in recovery for substance use disorder. The final organization runs a variety of programs to help individuals who are re-entering their communities after incarceration, pregnant women with substance use disorder, and veterans, among others.
The grants are designed to help these organizations build stronger financial futures so they can have a lasting impact on the lives of those they serve. The amounts of the grants – which vary depending on the annual operating budget of each organization, the number of individuals each organization serves and other factors – range from $1 million to $7.5 million.
Grant funds will be used to help organizations implement a variety of approaches to enhance their long-term sustainability, including:
- Establishing endowments or building reserves to provide financial resources for the long term.
- Updating technology to improve operational efficiency and effective use of data.
- Strengthening staff and volunteer recruitment, training and retention.
- Improving communications, marketing and fundraising efforts to better engage donors and collaborators.
The grants reflect the Endowment’s long-standing commitment to help charitable organizations improve quality of life for all residents in Indianapolis.
“These grants are designed to help organizations build long-term financial strength so they can better weather unexpected funding challenges,” said Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for community development. “The grants are not intended to fund ongoing operating support, which organizations must have to meet the day-to-day needs of the people they serve. In fact, we hope these grants can inspire others to invest in the important work of these agencies.”
This is the sixth group of grants the Endowment has made since 2015 to support the long-term sustainability plans of charitable organizations based in central Indiana. Including this round of funding, the Endowment has made grants totaling $416.7 million to 70 organizations.
The following eight organizations are receiving the latest financial sustainability grants:
- CICOA Aging & In-home Solutions, Inc. | $5 million
- Damien Center, Inc. | $5 million
- Dove Recovery House for Women Inc. | $2.5 million
- Foster Success, Inc. | $5 million
- Indiana Youth Group, Inc. | $1 million
- Public Advocates in Community Re-entry (PACE) | $3 million
- Volunteers of America Indiana, Inc. | $7.5 million
- Workforce Inc. (dba RecycleForce) | $5 million
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education, and religion, and it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.