Richmond, Ind. — The Wayne County Foundation has received a grant of $1.5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Community Support Grant component of the ninth phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT IX) initiative. This is one of 92 Community Support Grants being awarded through GIFT IX, a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative designed to support the efforts of community foundations to strengthen the quality of life in the communities they serve.
The Community Support Grant is designed to provide the Wayne County Foundation with flexible funding to enhance its grantmaking capacity to address compelling, near-term needs in its county. The Foundation will have up to three years to use its grant to address community-driven priorities.
“We are deeply grateful for the continued support of Lilly Endowment,” said Rebecca Gilliam, Executive Director of the Wayne County Foundation. “GIFT IX will allow us to build upon the incredible work underway across the county and provide transformative opportunities for our communities to thrive.”
With the grant, the Foundation, through Forward Wayne County, will be able to create positive change in communities throughout Wayne County. This includes investing in recreational amenities, improving the appearance of downtown areas, developing placemaking strategies, and strengthening nonprofit Main Street organizations.
“Through recent countywide strategic planning and strong community feedback, we were able to quickly identify areas of focus to utilize our grant dollars,” said Acacia St. John, Program Director for Forward Wayne County. “The next three years will continue to transform our communities around Wayne County.”
Lilly Endowment created the GIFT initiative in 1990 to help local communities in Indiana develop the philanthropic capacity to identify local needs and challenges and work with other organizations and residents to help their communities thrive. Through GIFT IX, Lilly Endowment has allocated up to $271.5 million to support Indiana’s community foundations in growing their financial resources and further strengthening their ability to address their community’s highest-priority challenges and opportunities.
Article from Haley Hokey, with the Wayne County Foundation.
