More than $300 million in awards to Indiana institutions are approved by Lilly Endowment

Indianapolis, Indiana – According to a press statement on Friday, Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. has authorized contributions totaling more than $300 million to 13 Indiana schools and universities.

• Butler University in Indianapolis, which encompasses Butler and the neighboring neighborhoods within a 12-square-mile area known as Midtown Indianapolis, will use a $22.5 million grant to help fund its joint efforts to improve the quality of life and place. These initiatives include partial funding for the construction of a new wellness center at the Martin Luther King Center, a community center in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood of Indianapolis; the construction of a new safety and transit hub; and the improvement of open-access green areas like Tarkington Park and Holcomb Gardens on the Butler campus.

• A $15 million award will be used by Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting to improve the economic prospects and standard of living in northwest Indiana. The award will partially fund initiatives to improve recreational and athletic facilities, provide new community meeting spots, and strengthen public transportation links for local residents, faculty, staff, and students.

• A $32 million award will be used by DePauw University in Greencastle to increase community facilities creation and enhancement, downtown vibrancy enhancement, and campus-to-downtown connectivity. The grant will help with the construction of a new aquatics center at the neighborhood YMCA, the creation of a business incubation fund that will link local business professionals and entrepreneurs to university resources, and the construction of a mixed-use development that will include a public square for community events.

• A $27 million award will be used by Grace College in Winona Lake to help fund its multifaceted program to foster innovation and enhance placemaking, so creating a more vibrant community. The development and renovation of wellness centers, the construction of orthopedic and business innovation centers, the refurbishment of a performing arts and event space, and the renovation of a building that will house a childcare training center are just a few of the projects underway.

• A $30 million award will be used by Hanover College, located in the town of Hanover, to strengthen ties between the university and the Madison, Wisconsin, community. The money will be used in part to assist the construction of a child development center, the renovation of Hanover’s buildings, green areas, and community amenities, and the maintenance of the roads and trails that connect these villages to the neighboring Clifty Falls State Park.

• The Indiana Institute of Technology, located in Fort Wayne, will use a $21 million grant to assist in the establishment of a facility devoted to entrepreneurship, innovation, and STEM teaching and training in the expanding Electric Works complex close to downtown. The award will help with the expansion of affordable housing units, the refurbishment of an abandoned industrial building and other property improvements, and the execution of various activities aimed at bringing life to the newly created area.

• Less than a mile from the Bloomington campus, Indiana University in Bloomington will transform a former industrial area into an innovation hub, primarily funded by a $16 million grant. The district will have housing complexes, public art, and arts programming in addition to classrooms, a coworking space for innovation, and a community gathering place.

• A grant worth more than $24.3 million will be used by Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion to support a project aimed at improving wellness and increasing early education and childcare services in the area.

• 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 project will partially fund construction of a new YMCA close 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. The award will help with the construction of a multimodal walkway connecting Eel River Commons with the university, the development of Eel River Commons Park along the Eel River in the downtown area, and the renovation of two campus buildings to improve arts and culture programs.

• The Riverside Education Innovation District (REID) will be established by Marian University in Indianapolis with the help of a $25 million grant. The grant will help with the partial cost of renovating some of the buildings on the former LaRue Carter hospital campus, moving university offices and educational programs to the district, and collaborating with a number of nonprofits that serve youth and education in Indianapolis to relocate to the REID.

• A $30.5 million award will be used by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute to establish a community innovation hub on the school’s south campus. Construction of a multimodal trail connecting the hub to the main Rose-Hulman campus and to a wider network of trails and parks, the building of a solar farm to generate a sustainable source of energy to serve the hub and other organizations and businesses in the area, and the construction of a building at the hub to house Rose-Hulman Ventures and support STEM education, new technology development, and entrepreneurship will all be partially supported by the grant.

• A $17.2 million grant to Terine University in Angola will be used to fund a program that helps students and adult learners get ready for new and growing high-demand employment opportunities in the area. A new community park, an e-sports facility for the campus and the Angola towns, and a design and technical training center will also be partially funded by the funding.

• The $30 million grant will be used by the University of Notre Dame in South Bend to establish a tech and talent district in the downtown area. The district’s focal point, a historic downtown structure, will be partially renovated thanks to the award. Along with employees, researchers, and entrepreneurs from the business sector, including human services companies, the area will welcome back university faculty and personnel. The district will house the new Center for Leadership and Professional Excellence, which will provide certifications in ethics and leadership, in partnership with Holy Cross College.

The Endowment authorized grants to Ball State University, Earlham College, Indiana State University, Purdue University, Taylor University, and Wabash College through the prior round of implementation funds under the CCC program.

To support this program, the Endowment has granted grants totaling more than $458 million for planning and implementation.