Lilly Endowment Gives $300+ Million To 13 Indiana Colleges & Universities

The Lilly Endowment Inc. has announced it’s awarded more than $300 million to 13 colleges and universities in Indiana. The funds will be used to support projects developed by the institutions with local stakeholders to improve the quality of life in their communities.

The five-year implementation grants, ranging from more than $12 million to $32 million each, are part of the Lilly Endowment’s College and Community Collaboration program. Last December, that program granted a total of $145.8 million to six Indiana colleges and universities to support similar local community development projects.

The grants are awarded through a competition “designed to encourage Indiana’s colleges and universities to work closely with community stakeholders to envision and jointly undertake significant community development efforts—beneficial to both the institution and community—to create more vibrant places in which to live, learn, work and play.”

Here is a summary of the 13 projects receiving the new round of grants.

• Butler University in Indianapolis received a $22.5 million grant to partially fund enhancements to the quality of life and place in Midtown Indianapolis, a 12-square-mile area that includes Butler and surrounding neighborhoods.
• Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting was given a $15 million grant to strengthen economic opportunities and quality of life in northwest Indiana. The grant will help support efforts to create new community gathering places, enhance recreational and athletic facilities, and improve public transportation connections for students, faculty, staff and residents in the area.
• DePauw University in Greencastle will use a $32 million grant to support a mixed-use development that includes a public square for community events, establish a business incubation fund connecting local entrepreneurs and business professionals to university resources, and construct a new aquatics center at the local YMCA.
• Grace College in Winona Lake received $27 million for various projects including creation of orthopedic and business innovation centers, development and renovation of wellness facilities, and renovation of a performing arts and event space and a building that will house a childcare training center.
• Hanover College in Hanover was awarded $30 million to help improve connections between the campus and Hanover and the city of Madison. The grant will support improvements to trails and roads between these communities and Clifty Falls State Park; rehabilitation of buildings, green spaces and community amenities in Hanover; and expansion of a child development center.
• Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne was given a $21 million grant to help create a space dedicated to STEM education and training, innovation and entrepreneurship in the Electric Works development near downtown.
• Indiana University in Bloomington will use a $16 million grant to partially fund redevelopment of a former industrial area into an innovation district less than one mile from the Bloomington campus.
• Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion received a grant of $24.3 million to partially fund construction of a new YMCA close to campus; develop a multi-modal trail in downtown Marion that will connect to the regional Cardinal Greenway; and expand early childhood education and daycare capacity at several locations, including a new YMCA.
• Manchester University in North Manchester was awarded a grant of more than $12.1 million to support efforts to develop Eel River Commons Park in the downtown area, construct a multi-modal path connecting Eel River Commons with the campus, and renovate two campus facilities to enhance arts and culture programs.
• Marian University in Indianapolis will receive $25 million to establish the Riverside Education Innovation District. The grant will help fund renovation of buildings in the former LaRue Carter hospital campus; relocation of university education programs and offices to the district, and relocation of various Indianapolis-based education and youth-serving nonprofit organizations to the REID.
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute was granted $30.5 million to develop a community innovation hub on Rose-Hulman’s south campus. It will use the funds to construct a building that will house Rose-Hulman Ventures and support STEM education. It will also build a solar farm to generate sustainable energy for the hub and other entities in the area.
• Trine University in Angola will use a $17.2 million grant to partially fund a design and technical training center, an e-sports facility for the campus and Angola communities, and a new community park.
• University of Notre Dame in South Bend was awarded $30 million to create a downtown tech and talent district. The grant will help fund renovation of an historic downtown building to be the centerpiece of the district. In collaboration with Holy Cross College, the district will become the home of a new Center for Leadership and Professional Excellence.

“While varied in scope and reach, the proposed initiatives and projects reflect a commitment by stakeholders, inclusive of faculty, staff and students from these institutions, business leaders, government officials, and community leaders, to create vibrant communities where all residents can thrive,” said Jennett M. Hill, president of the Endowment, in its news release. “The Endowment looks forward to seeing all the projects in the CCC initiative evolve. We are enthusiastic about the prospects for both the institutions and communities and are eager to see these institutions and their community stakeholders collaborate to breathe life into their promising projects.”