Founded in 1937, the Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private, Indianapolis-based philanthropic foundation that supports initiatives in education, community development, and religion. The Endowment is known for making large, long-term investments that strengthen institutions, expand opportunity, and improve quality of life—particularly in Indiana, while also supporting select national efforts. Through its grantmaking, Lilly Endowment partners with K-12. colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, and community-based entities to advance educational attainment, workforce readiness, and community vitality.
Examples of the Endowment’s work include:
- College and Community Collaboration (CCC)
- Awarded hundreds of millions of dollars to Indiana colleges and universities to support projects that intentionally link institutional growth with regional community and workforce needs.
- Projects often include design and technical training centers, applied learning environments, and employer-connected workforce development programming. For example, Trine University received a $17.2 million grant to establish a design and technical training center that integrates academic programs with hands-on workforce preparation aligned to local and regional labor demand.
- Hispanic Career Pathways Initiative
- In 2019, Lilly Endowment awarded approximately $30.7 million to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to support Hispanic students’ pathways from college enrollment through employment.
- Focuses on expanding access to career exploration tools, mentoring, internships, and work-based learning opportunities, with the goal of improving degree completion and labor market outcomes for Hispanic students nationwide.
- Charting the Future for Indiana’s Colleges and Universities
- Launched in response to demographic shifts, enrollment pressures, and changing workforce needs, Charting the Future supports Indiana colleges and universities in rethinking institutional strategy, academic program alignment, and student success models.
- Emphasizes innovation in teaching and learning, improved retention and completion, stronger connections to regional employers, and sustainable institutional practices.
- Many projects focus on aligning academic offerings with labor market demand, expanding experiential and work-based learning, and strengthening data-informed decision-making to better serve both students and communities.
- Indiana Youth Programs on Campus (IYPC)
- Supports partnerships between Indiana colleges and universities and local community organizations to deliver high-quality out-of-school-time programs for K–12 students.
- Grants fund academic enrichment, mentoring, STEM learning, college and career exposure, and youth development activities—often located on higher education campuses.
- By connecting young learners early to postsecondary environments and community resources, IYPC strengthens long-term education-to-career pipelines and reinforces the role of colleges as anchor institutions in regional talent development.
- Strengthening Indianapolis Through Education (SITE)
- Place-based initiative focused on improving educational outcomes for K–12 students in Indianapolis through coordinated investments in schools, community organizations, and cross-sector partnerships.
- Supports efforts such as career awareness, student supports, educator development, and pathways that connect secondary education to postsecondary credentials and workforce opportunities. SITE reflects Lilly Endowment’s emphasis on systems-level change—aligning K–12 education, higher education, and community assets to support student success and economic mobility.
Resources
Lilly Endowment Inc. (2025). Lilly Endowment Inc. Lilly Endowment. Retrieved November 10, 2025, from https://lillyendowment.org.
