INDIANAPOLIS — Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded three grants that together amount to more than $11 million to extend effective programs managed by United Way of Central Indiana on behalf of the region’s human care system. The grants are in addition to the Endowment’s support of United Way’s annual campaign.
The grants are significant because they “will help people who are teetering on the brink of a human cliff in our own community during a time of great demand for nonprofit services, strained resources, and uncertainty about government funding,” said Ellen K. Annala, president and chief executive officer of United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI).
The largest award — $10 million — continues Endowment support begun in 2000 for United Way’s Capital Projects Fund used to enhance the delivery of human service programs in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion and Morgan counties. Total Fund support is now $127.5 million, more than double the original $60 million grant.
Funds have also been made available for community initiatives that address UWCI’s priorities such as the Avondale Meadows Health and Wellness Center and redevelopment of former IPS School 37, both currently underway.
The 37 Place project in historic Marindale-Brightwood includes a community center located in the renovated former IPS School 37, which closed in 2007. The school is considered an icon in the neighborhood, and improvements are being made to make it fully accessible to the public.