News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Lilly Endowment Inc. has recently approved grants to 13 colleges and universities in Indiana totaling more than $300 million to support community development projects jointly envisioned by the institutions and local stakeholders to improve quality of life and place in their communities.

The Endowment awarded the five-year implementation grants, which range from more than $12 million to $32 million each, through its initiative, College and Community Collaboration.

The competitive initiative is designed to encourage Indiana’s colleges and universities to work closely with community stakeholders to envision and jointly undertake significant community development efforts—beneficial to both the institution and community—to create more vibrant places in which to live, learn, work and play.

As expressed by many college and university leaders, a vibrant local community is increasingly important to the institutions’ efforts to attract and retain faculty, staff and students.

These new grants were approved in the competitive second and final round of CCC implementation proposals that were received by the Endowment earlier this year. The Endowment launched the CCC initiative in early 2023.

Eligible Indiana colleges and universities could apply for and receive planning grants to help them identify and assess compelling needs and promising opportunities in their communities; develop plans to address the needs and opportunities; and prepare proposals to seek funding in support of those plans.

The first round of implementation grants, which totaled $145.8 million, were announced in December 2023.

The latest implementation grants in the CCC initiative, like those in the first round, will provide partial support for a variety of projects that the colleges and universities and their community stakeholders expect will enhance the quality of life and place on campuses and in their surrounding communities.

Project highlights of the 13 colleges and universities that are receiving grants are described below.

• Butler University in Indianapolis will use a $22.5 million grant to partially fund its collaborative efforts to enhance the quality of life and place in Midtown Indianapolis, a 12-square-mile area that includes Butler and surrounding neighborhoods.  These efforts include partial support to construct a new wellness facility at Martin Luther King Center, a community center in Indianapolis’ Butler-Tarkington neighborhood; build a new safety and transit hub; and enhance publicly accessible green spaces such as Holcomb Gardens on the Butler campus and nearby Tarkington Park.
• Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting will use a $15 million grant to help strengthen economic opportunities and quality of life in northwest Indiana. The grant will partially support efforts to create new community gathering places, enhance recreational and athletic facilities, and improve public transportation connections for students, faculty, staff and residents living in the area.
• DePauw University in Greencastle will use a $32 million grant to enhance downtown vibrancy, improve downtown and campus connectivity, and create and enhance community amenities. The grant will partially support construction of a mixed-use development that includes a public square for community events; establishment of a business incubation fund connecting local entrepreneurs and business professionals to university resources; and construction of a new aquatics center at the local YMCA.
• Grace College in Winona Lake will use a $27 million grant to partially support its multi-faceted initiative to advance innovation and create a more vibrant community through enhanced placemaking. Various projects include the creation of orthopedic and business innovation centers; the development and renovation of wellness facilities; and renovation of a performing arts and event space and a building that will house a childcare training center.
• Hanover College in the town of Hanover will use a $30 million grant to help improve connections between the campus and communities in Hanover and the city of Madison. The grant will partially support improvements to trails and roads between these communities and nearby Clifty Falls State Park; rehabilitation of buildings, green spaces and community amenities in Hanover; and an expansion of a child development center.
• Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne will use a $21 million grant to help create a space dedicated to STEM education and training, innovation and entrepreneurship in the growing Electric Works development near downtown. The grant will partially support the renovation of a vacant industrial structure and other improvements around the property; the expansion of affordable housing units; and implementation of various programs to activate the new space.
• Indiana University in Bloomington will use a $16 million grant to partially fund the redevelopment of a former industrial area into an innovation district less than one mile from the Bloomington campus. The district will include a coworking space to foster innovation, classrooms, and a community convening space; housing developments; and public art and arts programing.
• Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion will use a grant totaling more than $24.3 million to support an initiative designed to enhance wellness and expand early education and childcare services in the region. The grant will partially fund construction of a new YMCA in close proximity to its campus; development of a multi-modal trail in downtown Marion that will connect to the 62-mile regional Cardinal Greenway; and expansion of early childhood education and daycare capacity at several locations, including the new YMCA.
• Manchester University in North Manchester will use a grant totaling more than $12.1 million to support an initiative to improve community assets and amenities. The grant will partially support efforts to develop Eel River Commons Park along Eel River in the downtown area; construct a multi-modal path to connect Eel River Commons with the campus; and renovate two campus facilities to enhance arts and culture programs.
• Marian University in Indianapolis will use a $25 million grant to establish the Riverside Education Innovation District. The grant will partially fund renovation of certain buildings located on the former LaRue Carter hospital campus; relocation of university education programs and offices to the district; and engagement with various Indianapolis-based education and youth-serving nonprofit organizations to relocate to the REID.
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute will use a $30.5 million grant to develop a community innovation hub on Rose-Hulman’s south campus. The grant will partially support construction of a building at the hub to house Rose-Hulman Ventures and support STEM education, new technology development and entrepreneurship; construction of a multi-modal trail connecting  the hub with the main Rose-Hulman campus and to a broader network of trails and parks; and construction of a solar farm to generate a sustainable source of energy to serve the hub and other organizations and companies in the area.
• Trine University in Angola will use a $17.2 million grant to support an initiative to help prepare students and adult learners for current and emerging in-demand job opportunities in the region.  The grant will partially fund the development of a design and technical training center; an e-sports facility for the campus and Angola communities; and a new community park.
• University of Notre Dame in South Bend will use a $30 million grant to create a tech and talent district in the downtown area.  The grant will partially fund the renovation of an historic downtown building as the centerpiece of the district. University faculty and staff will relocate to the district along with employees, researchers and entrepreneurs from private sector entities, including human services organizations. In collaboration with Holy Cross College, the district will be home to the new Center for Leadership and Professional Excellence, which will offer credentials in leadership and ethics.

“While varied in scope and reach, the proposed initiatives and projects reflect a commitment by  stakeholders, inclusive of faculty, staff and students from these institutions, business leaders, government officials, and community leaders, to create vibrant communities where all residents can thrive,” said Jennett M. Hill, president of the Endowment. “The Endowment looks forward to seeing all the projects in the CCC initiative evolve. We are enthusiastic about the prospects for both the institutions and communities and are eager to see these institutions and their community stakeholders collaborate to breathe life into their promising projects.”