We believe that post-secondary education is foundational for meaningful employment and for a satisfying quality of life. Accordingly, we help colleges, universities and other organizations in Indiana develop and conduct programs to foster success in college and increase college graduation rates. We also assist them in helping their students to identify good careers and meet job requirements of employers while educating them to live full and meaningful lives and become informed, ethical and engaged citizens.
The Endowment also helps African American students throughout the country gain access to and be prepared for success in college and employment through national invitational initiatives for historically Black colleges and universities administered by UNCF. We also support on an invitational basis programs to enhance higher educational outcomes for Native American and Hispanic students throughout the United States.
Related Grants
Ascend Indiana, an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, seeks to ensure that Indiana employers have access to the skilled workforce necessary to thrive and that Indiana residents have attractive opportunities to pursue meaningful careers. Through a $12.8 million Endowment grant in 2019 to the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Foundation, Ascend is working across industry sectors to help connect diverse, early-in-career talent to employers through scalable recruitment strategies and custom talent pipeline solutions. In addition, Ascend is committed to strengthening Indiana’s workforce by informing key stakeholders – including K-12 educators, leaders in higher education and employers – about Indiana’s labor market and the skills required for meaningful employment. LEARN MORE
Career Pathways Initiative, a nationwide initiative of UNCF, is helping four-year historically Black colleges and universities and predominately Black institutions strengthen institutional career placement outcomes with the goal of increasing the number of graduates who immediately transition to meaningful jobs in their chosen fields. Launched in 2015 with a $50 million Endowment grant, the initiative encourages participating schools to enhance what their students gain from the liberal arts with specific preparation, training and experiences they need to be employable and successful early in their chosen careers. LEARN MORE
Conexus Indiana, an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, works to strengthen the advanced manufacturing and logistics sector in Indiana. Efforts include motivating and preparing high school and college students and adults through programming and curricula for employment in the sector. Supported by Endowment grants to the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Foundation, Conexus annually reaches more than 2,500 students and adults throughout Indiana with career exploration programs, curricula, case competitions, networking events and internships. LEARN MORE
Hispanic Career Pathways Initiative (HCPI) was supported by a grant to Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) in December 2018. Through the HCPI, HSF is developing the capacity and infrastructure to connect college-bound Latinos with excellent career opportunities which suit their educational preparation. The grant has now entered its final stage. The current work is three-part: completing an updated HSF 4.0 web site, technology setup and curriculum development for HSF University (formerly HSF Academy), and development of the specific learning modules and tools available through these enhanced communication vehicles, including a career discernment tool and career supports. HSF efforts transform the way that scholars from Hispanic backgrounds approach higher education and their job search. LEARN MORE
Indiana Youth Programs on Campus (IYPC) is a Lilly Endowment initiative designed to help Indiana colleges and universities in their efforts to create new or expand and enhance existing high-quality, on-campus programs for Hoosier youth, ages 5-18. Through this initiative, the Endowment allocated a total of $28.8 million for planning grants and program implementation grants. Indiana public and private colleges and universities that have a physical campus in the state were eligible to participate. In 2022, the Endowment awarded program implementation grants to 35 Indiana colleges and universities. The Endowment approved an allocation for a second round of IYPC grants in 2024 and expects to award up to 35 new grants in 2025 and 2026. LEARN MORE
Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, launched in 1998, is designed to raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana and increase awareness of the potential of Indiana’s community foundations to improve the quality of life of the state’s residents. The program offers four-year, full-tuition scholarships to at least one Indiana student from each of Indiana’s 92 counties to pursue a baccalaureate degree at any accredited public or private college or university in Indiana of their choosing. This program is administered by Independent Colleges of Indiana, with the assistance of Indiana community foundations, which nominate students from their counties for the scholarship. More than 5,000 students have received the scholarships since the program’s inception, and many of them have formed the Lilly Scholars Network. With Endowment support, the network is connecting scholars to each other to encourage and facilitate efforts to improve quality of life through philanthropy and volunteerism in Indiana communities, learn about the state’s strengths and challenges and develop leadership skills. LEARN MORE
TechPoint, an initiative of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, works to promote and accelerate the growth of the technology sector in central Indiana. Endowment grants to Central Indiana Corporate Partnership Foundation have supported the creation and sustainability of education programs for college and university students and recent graduates that help them prepare for and build tech careers in central Indiana. TechPoint include Xtern and Jobs in Tech 101. LEARN MORE
Ivy Tech Community College through a grant for Ivy Plus Career Link is reimagining the school’s approach to preparing its students for careers in high-demand industries in Indiana. Ivy Tech is using new technology, more intentional career advising and partnerships with Indiana employers to help students start school and graduate with career plans in mind. An Endowment grant of $8 million is helping Ivy Tech implement the new programming on all of its campuses across the state. LEARN MORE
American Indian College Fund received a $38 million grant to support nearly every Tribal College and University (TCU) in the United States. This initiative, Cultivating Native Student Success (CNSS) (formerly Culture at the Heart), will enhance native student success and indigenize strategic enrollment management (SEM) at TCUs. CNSS provides tribal colleges and universities the opportunity to examine their current approaches and design long-term strategies that include culturally relevant and collaborative student supports on campus. The College Fund efforts will promote transformative and systemic change that impacts native student success. LEARN MORE
UNCF, which supports historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the country, has received support from the Endowment since UNCF’s inception. Notably, UNCF was awarded a $50 million grant in 2015 to launch its Career Pathways Initiative, with the goal of increasing the number of HBCU graduates who immediately transition to meaningful jobs in their chosen fields. In 2023, UNCF was awarded a $100 million grant from the Endowment for UNCF’s capital campaign, which has the goal of raising $1 billion to support HBCUs in various ways.