Girl Scouts of Central Indiana has received a grant of $7.5 million through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s latest round of financial sustainability grants to central Indiana charitable organizations.
This grant is one of 13 grants totaling $54.7 million that are designed to help organizations that serve children and youth in central Indiana enhance their long-term impact by building stronger financial futures.
More than $7.1 million from the funds awarded to Girl Scouts of Central Indiana will be placed in an endowment fund to support aspirational initiatives that will enable the organization to continue its mission to serve all girls on their leadership journeys, giving them the tools to speak up, stand up, and take action to ultimately make the world a better place. The remainder will be used to fund critical strategic projects primarily to be completed by the end of 2020.
“We are profoundly grateful to Lilly Endowment for this investment in our vision and the strength of our organization’s goals,” said Danielle Shockey, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Central Indiana. “The power in Girl Scouts comes from a 100-year history of providing program opportunities to help all girls reach their fullest potential. The power for the next 100 years will come from continued focus on building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who will have opportunities to engage in rigorous and innovative Girl Scout program activities, provided by women role models, our greatest leaders, thought partners, and organizations in our communities.”
Said Shockey, “Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, famously said, ‘The work of today is the history of tomorrow and we are its makers.’ This grant will allow Girl Scouts of Central Indiana to do the critical work of today, support aspirational and innovative strategic projects for tomorrow, and be the makers of a story yet untold for the thousands of girls and adults who will engage in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience for the next hundred years.”
“The grant is designed to help Girl Scouts of Central Indiana build long-term financial strength and resiliency so that it can better weather unexpected and adverse funding changes,” said Ronni Kloth, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for community development. “The grant is not intended to fund ongoing operating support that is essential to meet the day-to-day needs of the children and youth they serve. In fact, we hope our grant helps Girl Scouts of Central Indiana attract additional support for this important work.”
This is the fifth group of grants Lilly Endowment has made since 2015 that support the long-term sustainability plans of charitable organizations based in central Indiana. Through this effort, Lilly Endowment has made grants totaling nearly $383 million to 62 organizations.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private family 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. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment 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 and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
