Lilly Endowment dedicates $300 million to improving quality of life on college campuses
The Lilly Endowment has announced it will award millions of dollars of grant money to four-year colleges and universities in Indiana for projects that will spur collaboration between academic institutions and their surrounding communities to improve the quality of life on and around campuses.
The endowment has allocated up to $300 million for the multi-year initiative called the College and Community Collaboration, the endowment said in a press release.
“We have heard from many Indiana college and university leaders that their institutions are increasingly interested in collaborating with various leaders and organizations to improve the economic, cultural and social vitality in their surrounding neighborhoods and communities,” said Jennett M. Hill, the endowment’s president. “We believe that such collaborations can enhance their communities for the benefit of residents and local businesses as well as for the college or university’s faculty, staff and students.”
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The endowment said 35 colleges and universities are eligible to participate in the two-phase initiative; only institutions with physical campuses in the state can apply.
The first phase would allow higher education institutions to apply for noncompetitive planning grants of up to $250,000. This grant would allow the institutions and stakeholders to work together to identify and assess needs in their communities and create plans to address them.
The second phase would allow institutions to apply for competitive implementation grants of up to $25 million that may be used for up to a five-year period.
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The first phase grant proposals are due by noon on March 31 and the endowment anticipates announcing winners on or before April 28.
The endowment said this initiative builds on the commitment to develop the state’s intellectual capital by enhancing the vitality of Indiana communities so that higher education institutions can attract and retain talented and diverse student bodies, faculty and staff.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Lilly Endowment promises $300 million for Indiana college communities
