Mission/Giving Statement: Lilly Endowment exists to support the causes of community development, education, and religion.
Grantmaking Program Areas: Education; Religion; Community Improvement
Grantmaking Program Area Descriptions:
Education: Supports on an invitational basis efforts to improve higher education opportunities throughout the country for African-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Our education grantmaking revolves primarily around our interest in improving education in Indiana, with special emphasis on higher education and on programs designed to increase the percentage of Indiana residents with bachelor's degrees. We support a number of invitational grant programs, many of which are aimed at Indiana's colleges' and universities' abilities to increase the state's educational attainment level.
Religion: Primarily aims to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians, principally by supporting efforts to encourage, support and educate a new generation of talented pastors and to strengthen current pastors in their capacities for excellence in ministry. Grantmaking in this area is national in scope and done through the National Clergy Renewal Program. The maximum award is $50,000.
Community Improvement: Efforts concentrated in Indianapolis and Indiana. Grantmaking is focused on building and sustaining community foundations statewide and in building capacities of the state's United Way chapters. In Indianapolis, the Endowment supports causes important to quality of life, from museums to homeless initiatives, the zoo to affordable housing programs, and arts organizations to public parks.
Types of Funding/Funding Restrictions: The Endowment does not fund health-care projects, libraries, mass media projects, or endowments. Additional restrictions listed online.
Application Instructions: RFPs posted in the fall. LOI instructions online. The Endowment does not accept LOIs via email or fax.
