April 28, 2025
Contact: Judith Cebula
317.916.7327 | cebulaj@lei.org

 Lilly Endowment initiative seeks to help Indiana residential youth camps improve experiences through capital projects

Indianapolis  – Lilly Endowment Inc. is launching a new initiative to help Indiana residential youth camps enhance and expand their facilities, which are integral to their work to provide high-quality programming and experiences that contribute to positive outcomes for youth.

Recognizing that camps play important roles in connecting youth with nature and the outdoors and fostering their social, educational, character and spiritual development in youth, the Endowment is allocating up to $166 million for this three-phase initiative called the Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps. It is open to eligible organizations that operate residential (overnight) youth camp programs in Indiana

Through the initiative, the Endowment will make available in Phase 1 planning grants of up to $150,000 each to help eligible organizations assess and prepare for a potential capital project or projects.

In Phase 2, eligible organizations will be able to apply for grants to support projects to upgrade or renovate existing facilities and/or construct new facilities. In this phase, the Endowment will make available grants ranging from  up to $750,000 to up to $1.5 million, based on the average number of youth served during the previous three-year period and other factors.

In Phase 3 of the initiative, eligible organizations  can apply on a competitive basis for large-scale Phase 3 grants to help them partially fund the construction of new facilities, major facility upgrades, new land acquisition to expand camp properties, or some combination of those or similar large-scale projects. In this phase, the Endowment will make available grants ranging from up to $2.5 million to up to $10 million depending on the average number of youth served during the previous three-year period and other factors.

More details about eligibility, timelines, phases and grant proposal guidelines for the initiative can be found on the Endowment’s website here.

“To attract youth and families to their programs, camps must have up-to-date buildings and amenities,” said Ted Maple, the Endowment’s vice president for education. “Safe, well-designed and welcoming facilities, such as cabins, dining halls, meeting and worship spaces and recreational facilities are essential to offering high-quality camp experiences, which can have a profound and lasting impact on the future lives of young campers.”

The Endowment expects that it will make Phase 1 grants in June 2025, Phase 2 grants in December 2025 and Phase 3 grants in April 2026.

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. Although the Endowment maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana, it also funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion.