By Kallie Sulanke—
Muncie, Ind. – The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County has received a Community Leadership Grant of $150,000 as part of the seventh phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VII) initiative. With the grant, The Community Foundation will embark on an innovative partnership designed to empower nonprofits to focus on their mission work in order to turn the curve and collectively measure community-wide quality of life goals.
The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County is one of 84 foundations in Indiana receiving grants through this round of GIFT VII grantmaking. Lilly Endowment created GIFT in 1990 to help local communities in Indiana develop the philanthropic capacity to identify local needs and challenges. It launched GIFT VII in 2018 and made available a total of $125 million to help foundations strengthen their leadership capacities in the towns, cities and counties they serve. Lilly Endowment expects to make additional GIFT VII grants in the coming months.
“Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in resolving the community’s social challenges,” said Kelly K. Shrock, president of The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County. “We provide financial support to many of these organizations, but we desire to be more than a check-writing institution. With the support of this grant, we hope to enhance the effectiveness of nonprofits in our community.”
As part of GIFT VII, The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County was awarded a planning grant of $75,000 in 2019 to convene local stakeholders to identify, prioritize and assess opportunities and challenges in Muncie and Delaware County. In March 2020, the Foundation was invited to apply for a GIFT VII Community Leadership Grant to implement strategies and activities identified during the planning period.
Utilizing this Community Leadership Grant, the Foundation will work with community partners to develop a holistic approach to support and strengthen nonprofit organizations, as well as support the development and measurement of community-level goals utilizing Results-Based Accountability framework.
About the Community Foundation
The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. encourages philanthropy, assists donors in building an enduring source of charitable assets, and exercises leadership in directing resources to enhance the quality of life for residents of Muncie and Delaware County.Since 1985, community members and businesses have helped the Foundation grow our endowment to $62 million. Using the earnings on the endowment, the Foundation distributes grants to nonprofit organizations, including scholarships to support students through post-secondary education. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $54 million to enhance the quality of life of the residents of Muncie and Delaware County.
About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
