Open Foundations · Indiana

Lilly Endowment Inc

Indianapolis, Indiana · EIN 350868122. Its Form 990-PF says giving is not restricted to organizations picked in advance, which is how a private foundation files that it accepts unsolicited requests. It paid $3.8B across 2,237 grants in 2025, a median of $100K each.

All Indiana foundations · All states

$3.8B
paid in 2025
2,237
grants paid
$100K
median grant
34%
to first-time recipients
$105.9B
assets on file

How to apply, as filed

Straight off Part XV of the return. Where the foundation left a line blank, this says so rather than guessing.

Send requests to
PROGRAM OFFICE
Address
LILLY ENDOWMENT INC, INDIANAPOLIS, IN, 46208
Phone
3179245471
Email
Not stated in the filing
Form the request should take
GRANT GUIDELINES & PROCEDURES THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES, FORMULATED OVER THE YEARS BY OUR FOUNDERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS, GOVERN OUR GRANTMAKING DECISIONS. WE CONSIDER PROPOSALS IN THREE MAIN PROGRAM AREAS: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, EDUCATION AND YOUTH, AND RELIGION. AREAS OF INTEREST COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OUR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GRANTMAKING HAS A KEY FOCUS ON ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIANAPOLIS AND INDIANA. WE GRANT FUNDS FOR HUMAN AND SOCIAL NEEDS, CITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION, LOW- AND MODERATE-INCOME HOUSING, AND ARTS AND CULTURE IN INDIANAPOLIS. WE SEEK TO ADVANCE THE PROSPERITY OF ALL RESIDENTS, INCLUDING RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY POVERTY AND OTHER SOCIETAL CHALLENGES. ON A STATEWIDE LEVEL, WE ROUTINELY OFFER INITIATIVES TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONS AND UNITED WAYS. NATIONALLY, THE ENDOWMENT PROVIDES SUPPORT ON AN INVITATIONAL BASIS FOR COMPELLING OTHER CAUSES THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH OUR AREAS OF INTEREST, SUCH AS DISASTER RELIEF AND RECOVERY EFFO
Submission deadline
APPLICATION PROCESS IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION HAS A REQUEST THAT FITS WITHIN OUR G
Restrictions on awards
LIMITATIONS THE ENDOWMENT GENERALLY DOES NOT SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING: - LOANS OR CASH GRANTS TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS. VIRTUALLY ALL GRANT MONEY IS AWARDED TO CHARITABLE ENTITIES. WE DO NOT ASSIST INDIVIDUALS WITH PERSONAL OR BUSINESS-RELATED FINANCES. - REQUESTS TO DISCHARGE PRE-EXISTING DEBTS OF INDIVIDUALS OR ORGANIZATIONS. - HEALTHCARE PROJECTS. - MASS MEDIA PROJECTS. THE ENDOWMENT DOES NOT TYPICALLY FUND MASS MEDIA PROJECTS AND LIMITS CONSIDERATION TO PROJECTS ON AN INVITATIONAL BASIS THAT FALL SQUARELY WITHIN OUR SPECIFIC PROGRAM AREAS. - ENDOWMENTS OR ENDOWED CHAIRS. THE ENDOWMENT DOES NOT FUND ENDOWMENT OR ENDOWED CHAIRS, EXCEPT IN SPECIAL INITIATIVES OR IN UNUSUAL CASES INVOLVING LONGSTANDING GRANTEES. - PUBLIC LIBRARIES. EXCEPT FOR SPECIAL INITIATIVES, THE ENDOWMENT REGULARLY DECLINES GRANTS TO PUBLIC LIBRARIES OUTSIDE MARION COUNTY, IND. REQUESTS FROM ORGANIZATIONS OUTSIDE OF INDIANAPOLIS THAT INVOLVE BUILDING CAMPAIGNS, ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY EDUCATION, ARTS AND CULTURE, HUMAN SE

As filed on the Form 990-PF for tax year 2025, IRS filing object id 202641359349103099. Printed word for word, including the entries that only say to see a website or an attachment.

What it funds, in its own words

The words that come up most often across the purposes it wrote on its 2025 grants. These are the foundation's own words, not a category we assigned.

employee matchingsummer youthindiana communitycommunity init-giftpathways tomorrowcamp ythcapital proj-resdntlproj-resdntl camp

Biggest grants in 2025

The 15 largest of the 2,237 grants paid in 2025, with the purpose the foundation wrote for each.

#RecipientStateAmountPurpose as filed
1Indiana Community DevelpmntprojectsIN$400,000,000STATEWIDE COMMUNITY PARKS INITIATIVE
2Indiana Lifelong Learning ProjectsIN$400,000,000INDIANA K-12 SCHOOLS INITIATIVE
3Feeding AmericaIL$75,000,000CAPACITY BUILDING FOR NATL NETWORK
4National Geographic SocietyDC$57,036,726ARCHIVES PRESERVATION
5University of Notre Dame Du LacIN$50,868,725DELTA NETWORK: AN AI PROJECT
6Indiana Youth Institute IncIN$48,000,000STRENGTHENING YOUTH PROGRAMS IN IN
7Cicp Foundation IncIN$44,000,000CICP CHARITBLE EDUCL & SCIENTFC PROG
8Duke UniversityNC$40,000,000FORUM FOR CONGREGATIONAL LIFE PROJ
9Perry Township SchoolsIN$40,000,000MARION COUNTY K-12 EDUCATION INIT
10State of In-department of EducatnIN$40,000,000K-12 EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
11Wake Forest UniversityNC$35,000,000EDUCATING CHARACTER INITIATIVE
12Church Benefits AssociationMN$30,000,000CLERGY HEALTH AND WELLNESS HUB PROJ
13Msd of Warren TownshipIN$30,000,000MARION COUNTY K-12 EDUCATION INIT
14Franklin Township Community SchoolIN$29,553,117MARION COUNTY K-12 EDUCATION INIT
15Msd of Pike TownshipIN$25,501,863MARION COUNTY K-12 EDUCATION INIT

Giving by year, and who received it

Grants paid by year

Every year of this foundation's grants that Civly holds
Tax yearGrantsPaid
20201,760$775.2M
20211,633$719.0M
20221,465$1.3B
20231,935$1.5B
20241,787$2.2B
2025 (partial year)2,237$3.8B

Where the money went

Share of 2025 grant dollars by recipient state
Indiana68%
California4%
Illinois3%
District of Columbia3%
New York2%

Who decides

Officers, directors and trustees as filed, with the year of the return they appeared on.

Ben W BlantonVP SECY & GC · 2025
Charles E GoldenDIRECTOR · 2025
Christopher L CobleVP RELIGION · 2025
Clarence CrainDIRECTOR · 2025
Craig Dykstra Part YearDIR EMERITUS · 2025
Daniel P CarmichaelDIRECTOR · 2025
David N ShaneDIRECTOR · 2025
Diane M StensonVP&TREASURER · 2025
Eli Lilly IiDIR EMERITUS · 2025
Jaclyn P DowdVPEVALUATION · 2025
Jennett M HillPRESIDENT · 2025
John C LechleiterDIRECTOR · 2025
John D WitvlietDIRECTOR · 2025
Mary K LisherDIRECTOR · 2025
N Clay RobbinsCHAIRMAN&CEO · 2025
Peter a BuckVP INVEST&GM · 2025
Rebecca E LillyDIRECTOR · 2025
Ronni N KlothVP CMTY DEV · 2025
Ted MapleVP EDUCATION · 2025
William G EnrightDIRECTOR · 2025

Every figure on this page is that foundation's own latest filed year, which is 2022 or later. This foundation is listed because its Form 990-PF says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and it paid at least 5 grants totaling $100K or more that year. Latest-year grants and terms per foundation from IRS 990-PF e-file returns; the newest tax year is partial until the IRS finishes releasing it. Grants are de-duplicated on funder, year, recipient and amount, so identical repeat grants collapse into one and totals can run low. Full method.

Source: IRS Form 990-PF e-file releases (public domain). Analysis: Civly.

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