June 24, 2024
Contact: Judith Cebula
317.916.7327 | cebulaj@lei.org
Grants Will Help Strengthen Sustainability of Legal Services Organizations
INDIANAPOLIS – Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved $12.5 million in grants to three legal aid organizations serving Indiana residents to help the organizations strengthen their long-term financial sustainability. All three organizations provide an array of assistance to individuals from low-income households facing challenges in areas that include housing, employment, domestic violence and family law, immigration and reentry following incarceration.
The grants are the latest in a series of grants the Endowment has made to various Indianapolis-based charitable organizations to help enhance their ability to serve their constituents on into the future. 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 $2.5 million to $7.5 million. All three organizations will dedicate a majority of their grants to permanently restricted endowments that support long-term financial sustainability efforts. Funds also will be used for special projects that bolster financial sustainability, including strengthening staff professional development, improving fundraising capacity and upgrading technology.
Indiana Legal Services Inc. will receive a $7.5 million grant. The organization is Indiana’s only statewide provider of civil legal aid services in the areas of family law, immigration and housing. With offices in Indianapolis and seven other Indiana cities, it serves more than 15,000 individuals annually.
Indianapolis Legal Aid Society will receive a $2.5 million grant. The organization provides legal assistance in areas such as family law, housing, transportation and employment. It handles approximately 8,000 cases annually.
Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic will receive a $2.5 million grant. The faith-based organization is focused on providing legal education, advice and representation in areas such as housing, employment, immigration and reentry following incarceration. Each year it serves approximately 10,000 individuals.
“These grants are designed to help the organizations build long-term financial strength so they can better weather unexpected funding challenges as they continue to provide vital legal assistance to Indiana residents,” said Ronni Kloth, the 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 legal aid organizations.”
This is the eighth group of grants the Endowment has made since 2015 to support the long-term sustainability plans of a variety of charitable organizations based in central Indiana. Including this round of funding, the Endowment has made grants totaling $461.5 million to 79 organizations.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private 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. Although the Endowment maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana, it funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion.