$1 MILLION MATCH OFFERED THROUGH THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF HOWARD COUNTY
Funds from Lilly Endowment Inc. support Indiana community foundations
Dec. 3, 2018 -- The Community Foundation of Howard County has received a grant of $1 million as part of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s seventh phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative. With GIFT VII, Lilly Endowment is making up to $125 million available to help Indiana community foundations strengthen the towns, cities and counties they serve.
The Community Foundation of Howard County can use this matching fund grant to build its financial assets to support charitable activities. At least two-thirds of the matching fund grant must be designated to support the growth of the Foundation’s unrestricted community endowment funds, which provide flexibility to help to meet community needs. Lilly Endowment will provide $2 for every $1 contributed through the Community Foundation of Howard County’s unrestricted endowments during the matching period, October 1, 2018, through December 31, 2020.
Included in GIFT VII is the option to designate up to one-third of the matching fund grant to support other types of endowed funds. Lilly Endowment will provide 50 cents for every $1 that donor’s give to the Foundation’s other types of endowed funds during the match period.
“GIFT VII is an unexpected opportunity to build endowed funds that will serve the community now and for future generations,” said Greg Aaron, President of the Community Foundation of Howard County. “Grants awarded through our unrestricted community endowment funds meet current needs and support the essential work of nonprofits in the community. Recent grants from our unrestricted funds include support to Ivy Tech Community College for its Kokomo campus renovation and the Kokomo Rescue Mission’s shelter home for single women. This match gives the Foundation the potential to increase funds available for grants.”
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.
To encourage the engagement of the Community Foundation of Howard County’s Board of Directors, the Endowment also will award an additional $100,000 unrestricted grant if the Foundation achieves 100 percent financial support from its board members through June 30, 2020.
Starting in 2019, the Community Foundation of Howard County 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 Howard 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.
The Community Foundation of Howard County Inc. was formed as a not-for-profit public charity in
March 1991. The Foundation seeks to serve donors and make grants to benefit the citizens of Howard County. For more information about the Community Foundation, contact Greg Aaron at 765-454-7298 or greg@cfhoward.org. The Web site www.cfhoward.org contains information about making gifts to endowment funds, scholarships and grantmaking.
