The LaGrange County Community Foundation has received a grant of $500,000 as part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s seventh phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative. With GIFT VII, the Endowment is making up to $125 million available to help Indiana community foundations strengthen the towns, cities and counties they serve.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation can use this matching fund grant to build its financial assets and support its charitable activities. The Endowment will provide $2 for every $1 contributed to LaGrange County Community Foundation unrestricted endowments during the matching period, October 1, 2018, through December 31, 2020.
“We are thankful to Lilly Endowment and excited about what the match opportunity could mean for our community,” said Octavia Yoder, LaGrange County Community Foundation Associate Director. “These funds will help our mission to inspire and sustain generosity, leadership and service in our community, and help us address our community’s greatest needs.”
Created in 1991, the LaGrange County Community Foundation connects people to charitable causes and provides opportunities for donors to leave a lasting legacy. Through the generosity of donors, the community foundation provides scholarship opportunities to local students and makes grants to nonprofits working to improve LaGrange County. To learn more, visit www.lccf.net.
The GIFT initiative is part of Lilly Endowment’s grantmaking to strengthen Indiana communities and has been a priority of the Endowment since the first phase of GIFT in 1990. The initiative’s primary aim is to help Indiana community foundations develop the philanthropic capacity to identify, prioritize and address local opportunities and challenges.
Starting in 2019, LaGrange County Community Foundation will have the opportunity to apply for more funds through GIFT VII’s community leadership grants. This component includes both planning and implementation grants, which are available to help the foundation deepen its understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing its community; convene key local stakeholders and explore how it can effectively play a leadership role in implementing initiatives and strategies that enhance the quality of life in LaGrange County.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family – J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli – through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly & Company. The Endowment exists to support causes of community development, education and religion. Lilly Endowment’s community development grantmaking is designed to support efforts that enhance the quality of life in Indianapolis and Indiana.
