Community Foundation of Randolph County has received a $50,000 planning grant as part of the eighth phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s initiative, Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII). With the grant, the community foundation will develop a Master Trails Plan for Randolph County.
Community Foundation of Randolph County is one of 92 community foundations and affiliate funds in Indiana receiving planning grants through GIFT VIII. These grants are designed to help community foundations collaborate with local partners to engage broad and diverse stakeholders in their communities and deepen their understanding of their communities’ highest-priority challenges and opportunities. In 2024, Community Foundation of Randolph County will have the opportunity request funding to implement strategic initiatives and activities developed during the planning period that address especially compelling needs in Randolph County.
Building upon the efforts of the Trails Committee formed through the Cultivating Community initiative in the coordination of multi-use trail development throughout Randolph County, the Community Foundation will partner with an engineering firm to develop a Trails Master Plan. The process of creating the Trails Master Plan will include an initial meeting, data collection on existing and planned projects, stakeholder meetings, a public workshop, a public open house, and a final plan presentation. The creation of the Trails Master Plan will support various entities within the county as they seek additional funding to enhance the network of trails available to residents and visitors of Randolph County.
“This GIFT VIII planning grant will allow us to continue the momentum that has been created by the Trails Committee established through the Cultivating Community initiative, which is a partnership between RCU, the Community Foundation, and Indiana Communities Institute,” said Lisa Jennings, Executive Director of the Community Foundation of Randolph 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 to help their communities thrive. Through GIFT VIII, Lilly Endowment has allocated up to $210 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.