Community Foundation of Randolph County has received a grant of $750,000 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 community foundation with flexible funding to enhance its grantmaking capacity to address compelling, near-term needs in its county. The community foundation will have up to three years to use its grant to address community-driven priorities.
“This GIFT IX Community Support Grant will allow us to further enhance our support of local nonprofits as we continue to partner in strengthening the quality of life for the residents of Randolph County,” said Lisa Jennings, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Randolph County. “We hope that nonprofit organizations will attend our informational session scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, 2026, to learn more about the opportunities that this grant will enable.”
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 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.
About the Community Foundation of Randolph County
Community Foundation of Randolph County partners with donors to leverage their philanthropy in ways that transform lives. Since 1993, the Community Foundation has helped generous donors to meet community needs, provide scholarship opportunities to local students, and made grants to nonprofit organizations working to improve Randolph County. The Community Foundation strives to be a local entity known for inspiring good and impacting success by bringing people and resources together. To learn more, go to www.randolphcountyfoundation.org.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private 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.