Lilly Endowment invites organizations that are participating in the Thriving Congregations Initiative whose grant periods end on or before December 31, 2026, to submit proposals for new grants for one of two purposes:

  1. Sustainability Grants: grants of up to the lesser of $500,000 or half of the original grant amount to give organizations more time to garner the financial resources needed to continue their Thriving Congregations programs at their current level of activity, embed them into their ongoing operations and sustain them into the future.
  2. Scaling Grants: grants of up to the lesser of $1 million or the original grant amount to help organizations expand their Thriving Congregations programs to reach new groups of congregations and/or add new activities for congregations currently participating in their programs in ways that are sustainable into the future.

In both options, Endowment grant funds may cover up to 50 percent of program and other related expenses for up to five years beyond the end of the grant period for the organization’s current Thriving Congregation’s grant. The deadline for submitting proposals is June 1, 2026. The Endowment anticipates announcing grant awards in fall 2026.

For more information about this invitational opportunity, please review the Request for Proposals.

How to Submit a Proposal

Invited organizations must submit proposal materials as described in the Request for Proposals as a single PDF through the online Proposal Submission Form below. Please note that a confirmation email will be sent after submission. If you do not receive a confirmation, please email thrivingcongregations@lei.org to confirm receipt of your proposal submission.

Proposal Submission Form

NOTE: The Endowment is only accepting proposal submissions from invited organizations that have received funding in previous rounds of this initiative.

Initiative Resources
Request for Proposals Information Form Guide to Budget Preparation Exempt Status and Charity/Foundation Status Information Form Sample IRS Exempt Status Determination Letter
All Open Initiatives