Lilly Endowment: Community Development Grant

The Lilly Endowment Community Development Grant aims to enhance the quality of life in Indianapolis and across Indiana, supporting initiatives that foster strong neighborhoods, arts, and human services. With a focus on charitable entities, the Endowment prioritizes projects that address societal challenges, especially for communities of color. Organizations interested in funding must submit a preliminary letter detailing their project and funding needs, adhering to guidelines that emphasize local community impact.

NOTE: If you believe your charitable organization has a request that fits within our guidelines, we suggest that you send us a preliminary letter of no more than two pages. The letter should tell us about your organization, the project you have in mind, the issue or need you seek to address and the amount of support you will need from us. In cases that warrant further consideration, we may ask you to furnish a full proposal. Preliminary letters should be sent only by regular or overnight mail. We do not accept unsolicited requests through our website’s Contact Us form.
Lilly Endowment Inc. was founded in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. for the “promotion and support of religious, educational or charitable purposes.” When once asked what the main purpose of the Endowment should be, Eli Lilly said, “I hope we could help improve the character of the American people.”
Our Work: Community Development
We also provide funding for compelling causes throughout the country that are consistent with the values and interests of our founders. That commitment has extended across the state through grantmaking that supports Indiana’s community foundations and its United Ways.
Strengthening Indianapolis
We make grants to a wide range of organizations that improve the overall quality of life in Indianapolis and expand the city’s economic, cultural and recreational opportunities. We support programs that contribute to strong neighborhoods, provide services to at-risk residents, and encourage the creation and expansion of amenities that attract and retain individuals, families and businesses.
Areas of Grantmaking
Strong neighborhoods help ensure that Indianapolis is a safe, livable community for all of its residents. Intellectual capital and community economic development resources are essential to Indianapolis’ efforts to be a place where people want to live, work and contribute to their community. Effective and sustainable human service organizations are critical to helping Indianapolis be a caring community, where all residents are supported in overcoming challenges, such as food insecurity, homelessness, unemployment and underemployment, domestic violence and various disabilities. Arts and culture organizations strengthen Indianapolis by fostering a creative and energized community and a quality of life that is appealing to individuals and families.
Strengthening Indiana
Through helping to strengthen and supporting the efforts of community foundations and United Ways, and by encouraging and funding select strategic collaborations, we aim to enhance the quality of life and future prosperity of Indiana’s communities. Recognizing the diversity of our state’s people and their range of needs, we help local communities identify the issues that matter most to their residents and find solutions to the challenges they face.
Compelling other causes
Through helping to strengthen and supporting the efforts of community foundations and United Ways, and by encouraging and funding select strategic collaborations, we aim to enhance the quality of life and future prosperity of Indiana’s communities. Recognizing the diversity of our state’s people and their range of needs, we help local communities identify the issues that matter most to their residents and find solutions to the challenges they face.
Grant Guidelines: Community Development
Our community development grantmaking focuses primarily on enhancing the quality of life in Indianapolis and Indiana. We grant funds for human and social needs, city and neighborhood revitalization, low- and moderate-income housing, and arts and culture in Indianapolis.
Nationally, the Endowment provides support on an invitational basis for compelling other causes that are consistent with our areas of interest, such as disaster relief and recovery efforts, programs for veterans’ affairs and their families, and selective research projects and educational programs focused on efforts to promote the effectiveness of charitable organizations and enhance and increase charitable giving.

Eligibility

In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment gives priority to efforts that improve the quality of life in Indianapolis and Indiana. This priority applies especially to grants for community development and elementary/secondary education.Most grant money is awarded to charitable entities.

Ineligibility

The Endowment generally does not support the following:loans or cash grants to private individuals. We do not assist individuals with personal or business-related finances.requests to discharge pre-existing debts of individuals or organizations.healthcare projects.mass media projects. The Endowment does not typically fund mass media projects and limits consideration to projects that fall squarely within our specific program areas.endowments or endowed chairs. The Endowment targets its grants for specific purposes, except in unusual cases involving longstanding grantees or special initiatives.libraries. Except for special initiatives, the Endowment regularly declines grants to public libraries outside Marion County, Ind.outside Indianapolis: Requests usually are declined for building campaigns, elementary/secondary education, arts and culture, human service projects, general operating funds and neighborhood projects (except as part of invitational grant programs).