(Franklin County, IN) – Franklin County Community Foundation announced its intent to apply for a $750,000 Matching Fund Grant through the eighth phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII). This grant is one of three funding opportunities available to the community foundation through GIFT VIII for which Lilly Endowment has allocated up to $210 million to support Indiana’s community foundations in their efforts to enhance the quality of life across the state.
Franklin County Community Foundation will be able to use its Matching Fund Grant to further develop its unrestricted assets. At least 60 percent of the grant must be allocated to support the growth of Franklin County Community Foundation’s unrestricted endowment, which over time will provide financial resources that enable the community foundation to respond to both present and future community needs. Lilly Endowment will provide $2 for every $1 contributed to the Franklin County Community Foundation’s unrestricted endowment during GIFT VIII’s matching period, October 1, 2023, through December 31, 2025.
Franklin County Community Foundation may also propose designating up to 30 percent of its Matching Fund Grant to support community projects and/or programs that are addressing important local needs and up to 10 percent of its grant to invest in the Foundation’s internal capacity. Lilly Endowment will provide $1 for every $1 that Franklin County Community Foundation raises during the matching period that are designated for the projects, programs and/or capacity building activities approved for these purposes.
“Previous Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Matching Fund Grants have enabled the Franklin County Community Foundation to grow our unrestricted assets tremendously,” said Shelly Lunsford, Executive Director of the Franklin County Community Foundation, “Every dollar contributed to unrestricted funds helps to increase grants made to the Franklin County community.”
GIFT is a series of statewide initiatives and programs that began in 1990 as part of Lilly Endowment’s efforts to help establish and strengthen community foundations in Indiana and build their capacity to address the needs of their local communities. The primary aim of GIFT is to help Indiana community foundations in all 92 of Indiana’s counties develop the philanthropic capacity to identify, prioritize and address local opportunities and challenges.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
