Latest news with #LillyEndowmentInc.
Time Magazine
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
N. Clay Robbins
In the past year, giving at Indiana's Lilly Endowment Inc., long led by chairman and CEO N. Clay Robbins, has gone into overdrive. Under Robbins' direction, the nation's second-largest private foundation, with more than $62 billion in assets, awarded a stunning string of nine-figure grants. Among them: $100 million to the United Negro College Fund; $100 million to the National Park Foundation; $100 million to Purdue University; $138 million to establish a biosciences business accelerator program at Indiana University, $250 million to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation to support a statewide effort to attract and launch businesses; and $600 million for grants to teachers and schools across Marion County with innovative approaches to improving student achievement. All told, the foundation awarded more than $2.5 billion last year, focused mainly on public works projects, education, and Christian institutions—a striking jump from $1.7 billion in grants approved in 2023 and a five-fold increase from 2018. At the center of it all is Robbins, who started at the foundation in 1993 and became CEO in 2012. But his affiliation goes back much farther: his education at Wabash College, where he majored in religion, was paid for by a Lilly Endowment scholarship. In November, his longevity and contributions to the community won Robbins the state's highest honor, the Sachem Award, with Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb calling him "a transformational leader" and an "exemplary Hoosier."
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
$8.5 million awarded to preserve 30 Historically Black Churches across the U.S.
WASHINGTON, DC — The National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is awarding $8.5 million in grants to 30 historically Black Churches as a part of its third annual Preserving Black Churches grant program. Having raised more than $150 million in total funding since its founding in 2017, the Action Fund is the nation's largest resource dedicated to preserving historic African American sites. 'We are honored to support the ongoing legacies of these churches, which have stood at the forefront of social progress for generations,' Brent Leggs, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Fund, said. 'This $8.5 million investment marks a critical step in safeguarding historically Black Churches as enduring symbols of faith, strength, and community leadership. By preserving them, we ensure that their powerful presence continues to live on in their communities and inspire future generations.' The Preserving Black Churches program is a $60 million initiative supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. that provides congregations with the funding and technical expertise needed to protect their historic assets and legacies. This year's grants, ranging from $50,000 to $500,000, will help congregations address urgent preservation challenges such as demolition threats, deferred maintenance, and structural issues, in addition to providing critical resources to help congregations strengthen their stewardship plans, enhance asset management, and grow fundraising capacity nationwide. With generous support from Lilly Endowment Inc., the Action Fund is expanding its efforts to preserve and sustain historically Black Churches during this third iteration of the Preserving Black Churches program. Sites selected for this year's Preserving Black Churches grants include: - The a.m.E. Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina: The African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) Church, a Christian denomination established in 1796, is known as 'The Freedom Church' and has been a long-standing champion of abolition, Civil Rights, and spiritual empowerment. Its historic members include Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and Frederick Douglass. Funding will help the AME Zion Church Inc., headquartered in Charlotte, NC, to establish a denomination-wide Preservation Endowment to ensure historic AME Zion churches across the country are preserved and maintained for future generations. - Historic Bethel Baptist Church Community in Birmingham, Alabama: A National Historic Landmark, Historic Bethel Baptist Church was constructed in 1926 and is home to a congregation dating back to 1904. Under the leadership of Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth, Historic Bethel was instrumental to the Civil Rights Movement and is one of seven sites included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Funding will support the expansion of interpretation and programming using virtual and augmented reality to help visitors learn about the Civil Rights era and Historic Bethel's leadership role in the movement. - St. Paul United AME Church in Birmingham, Alabama: Founded in 1869, St. Paul United Methodist Church was the site of the first mass meeting following the first major campaign to desegregate Birmingham's public bus system. The church is one of seven sites included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Funding will support the development of interactive exhibits to tell the story of its role in Civil Rights activism in Alabama. - Boynton United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas: Boynton United Methodist Church was founded in 1880 and has been a long-term fixture of Houston's Third Ward community. The church's current Mid-century Modern building was completed in 1958 and designed by Texas' first licensed Black architect, John S. Chase. It was named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2023. Funding will support several preservation projects to restore the church's windows and masonry. - First Congregational Church of Marion in Marion, Alabama: First Congregational Church of Marion was founded in 1869 by formerly enslaved people and the American Missionary Association. It is the oldest unaltered historically Black church remaining in Marion. The church was the first one led by Civil Rights Movement leader Rev. Andrew Young, who later became the first African American U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Funding will provide for critical repairs, including the stabilization of the church's steeple, and accessibility and systems upgrades. - New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit, Michigan: Commissioned in 1961 by Rev. C.L. Franklin, father of musical icon Aretha Franklin's father, New Bethel is a prominent site in Detroit's civil rights history. Several significant events, including the planning of the 1963 Walk to Freedom, occurred at New Bethel. Funding will allow continued efforts to reverse the water damage the building has suffered. To learn more about our mission to tell the full American story, visit us
