Lilly Endowment: Religion Grants

Lilly Endowment: Religion Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Lilly Endowment Inc
Last Updated: December 10, 2025

Summary

Lilly Endowment Inc. focuses on enriching the religious lives of Christians in the U.S. by supporting diverse congregations and theological education. It aims to foster community development, youth education, and public understanding of religion. The Endowment prioritizes initiatives that improve life quality in Indiana while considering national projects that align with its mission. Notably, it emphasizes nurturing the faith of young people and ensuring all congregations have capable leaders to meet contemporary challenges.

Overview

Our Work: Religion A primary aim in religion is to deepen and enrich the religious lives of Christians in the United States, principally by supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations. We value the broad diversity of Christian traditions and congregations today and endeavor to support them in a wide variety of contexts. We seek to ensure that all types of congregations have a steady stream of wise, faithful, diverse and well-prepared leaders. We work to strengthen theological schools as well as religious institutions and networks that nurture pastors and support the ministries of congregations. We support efforts that help Christians draw on the wisdom of their theological traditions as they strive to understand and respond to contemporary challenges and live their faith more fully. We are especially interested in efforts that nurture the religious lives of children, youth and young adults and share the beauty and vibrancy of Christian faith with a new generation.We also work to foster public understanding about religion. While we seek to lift up the contributions that people of all religious faiths make to our greater civic well-being, we also encourage fair and accurate portrayals of both the negative and positive effects of religion on the world. Areas of Interest We consider proposals in three main program areas: community development, education and youth, and religion. Detailed descriptions of these area of interest can be found here.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Our interest in higher education extends to Indiana colleges and universities and nationwide to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Native American colleges and programs to increase access to college for Latino Americans. Grants to institutions of higher learning outside Indiana are restricted to programs offered by the Endowment on an invitational basis.Our grantmaking in religion is national in scope, as is our support relating to philanthropy and the nonprofit sector, which is provided on an invitational basis. Grants for international purposes are limited to a few United States-based economic and public policy programs affecting North and South American countries.

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 preexisting debts of individuals or organizations. Healthcare projectsMass media projectsThe Endowment does not typically fund mass media projects and limits consideration to projects that fall squarely within our specific program areas. Endowments or endowed chairsThe Endowment targets its grants for specific purposes.Except in unusual cases involving longstanding grantees or special initiatives, we do not contribute to endowments or endowed chairs. Public librariesExcept for special initiatives, the Endowment regularly declines grants to public libraries outside Marion County, Ind.Requests from organizations outside of Indianapolis that involve building campaigns, elementary/secondary education, arts and culture, human services, general operations or neighborhood development usually are declined, except as part of special initiatives.