Grants will help strengthen regional denominational organizations and church networks that support Hoosier churches

Dec. 12, 2025
Contact: Judith Cebula
317.916.7327 | communications@lei.org

Grants will help strengthen regional denominational organizations and church networks that support Hoosier churches

INDIANAPOLIS – Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved 37 grants to help strengthen the capacities of regional denominational organizations and church networks in Indiana to help their congregations thrive and contribute to quality of life in the local communities they serve.

The grants, made through the Endowment’s Supporting Hoosier Churches Initiative, range from $400,000 to $1.2 million and total nearly $26 million. Individual grant amounts were based on the number of local churches each organization serves in Indiana. The regional denominational organizations and church networks serve a broad spectrum of Christian congregations in Indiana, including mainline Protestant, Catholic, Pentecostal, evangelical, non-denominational, Black church, Hispanic and historic peace church traditions.

The Endowment invited regional denominational organizations and church networks that support at least 20 congregations in Indiana to participate in the two-stage initiative. In the first stage, organizations received planning grants of up to $50,000 to help them explore the most pressing challenges facing churches in their care; assess current programs and operations; and design capacity-building projects to strengthen their abilities to support local churches. In the second stage, the organizations applied for implementation grants to execute their plans.

“Regional denominational organizations – including dioceses, synods, regional offices, districts, presbyteries, conferences, state conventions and associations – and church networks play critical roles in supporting the ministries of more than 9,000 local congregations across Indiana,” said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We are pleased that these grants will support a wide variety of thoughtful capacity-building projects that will enhance the ways that they help the congregations they serve to thrive.”

Grants through the Supporting Hoosier Churches Initiative are funding different approaches for supporting pastors and congregational leaders that include, among others:

Improving leadership training and other professional development programs for pastors and lay leaders.
Strengthening financial literacy among pastors and lay leaders and better equipping them for effective stewardship campaigns and strategic planning.
Hiring additional staff at regional denominational and church network offices to support work with local churches.
Constructing new or renovating existing facilities for regional denominational organizations and church networks so they can better serve congregations.
Improving technology and data management systems to serve congregational leaders more efficiently and effectively.
Establishing endowments that will fund ongoing efforts to support clergy and laity through leadership development and renewal programs.
Increasing the capacity of local churches to encourage and support the development of new churches and to launch or enhance community-based outreach ministries.
Creating or enhancing digital platforms to provide training and resources for pastors and lay leaders.

A complete list of this round of grants can be found here.

The Supporting Hoosier Churches Initiative complements the Endowment’s wider efforts to enhance the vitality of Christian congregations and strengthen pastoral leadership in Indiana and throughout the country. The initiative also furthers the Endowment’s ongoing interest in the quality of life of local communities throughout Indiana.

About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic 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. While those gifts of stock remain the 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 and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of religion and lift up in fair, accurate and balanced ways the roles that people of all faiths and various religious communities play in the United State and around the globe.