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
Charting the Future for Indiana’s Colleges and Universities is an Endowment initiative designed to help leaders of the state’s 38 colleges and universities engage in thoughtful discernment about the future of their institutions and advance strategic planning and implementation efforts to address key challenges and opportunities. The Endowment allocated $108.2 million for the initiative, which included planning grants, implementation grants and the opportunity to apply for additional funds on a competitive basis to support large-scale projects. The Endowment encouraged college and university leaders to consider collaborative approaches to help address challenges and opportunities facing higher education. Challenges identified by the colleges and universities include declines in enrollment, the need to more effectively serve increasingly diverse student bodies, increased use of and demand for online learning and competition from job-training programs. 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 was launched in 2019 by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) with the support of a $30.8 million Endowment grant. The initiative is designed to help Hispanic students navigate each step of their path from college to career and equip them with the knowledge and skills to find and succeed in meaningful, high-quality jobs. It will involve four key strategies that will be implemented during the course of six years, which include a robust online platform called HSF University that features career discernment tools, access to work-based learning opportunities, and mentoring. HSF University is expected to launch in 2021.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 is allocating 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 are eligible to participate. 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 4,700 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 Office of Career Coaching and Employer Connections 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 18 campuses across the state. LEARN MORE
American Indian College Fund’s Employable Graduate Pathways Program, supported in part by a $1.5 million grant from the Endowment, is strengthening student support at tribal colleges and universities with the goal of improving student retention and graduation and career readiness. In addition to scholarships, participating students receive dedicated counseling and other support to help achieve education success and career outcomes. LEARN MORE