Lilly Endowment Inc Grants
Private foundation · Indianapolis, IN · EIN 35-0868122 · IRS 990-PF filings through tax year 2025
Lilly Endowment Inc is a private foundation based in Indianapolis, IN (EIN 35-0868122). Its IRS Form 990-PF filings through tax year 2025 report $6.1B paid in 4,093 grants, with a median grant of $50K. The most recent filing reports total assets of $105.9B. It publishes how to apply and does not limit giving to preselected organizations.
Foundation website (as filed with the IRS) · lillyendowment.org
Research profile compiled by GrantCue from this foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. It is not the foundation's own website, request for proposals or application page. Source: GrantCue Foundation Directory, grantcue.com/foundations/lilly-endowment-inc-350868122
- Total grants paid
- $6.1B
- Grants reported
- 4,093
- Typical grant
- $50K
- Future commitments
- $560.8M
- Total assets
- $105.9B
Future commitments are grants the foundation has reported but not yet paid.
How to apply
Open to applications: its latest 990-PF publishes how to apply and does not limit giving to preselected organizations. See more foundations that accept applications.
- Contact
- Program Office
- Phone
- (317) 924-5471
- Deadlines
- Application process if you believe your charitable organization has a request that fits within our g
- Application materials
- 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
- Restrictions
- 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
Original filing text
- Contact
- PROGRAM OFFICE
- Address
- LILLY ENDOWMENT INC 2801 NORTH MERIDIAN STREET INDIANAPOLIS, IN, 46208
- Phone
- 3179245471
- Deadlines
- APPLICATION PROCESS IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION HAS A REQUEST THAT FITS WITHIN OUR G
- Application materials
- 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
- Restrictions
- 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
Reported organization name: LILLY ENDOWMENT INC
Open now
Opportunities and giving programs published on Lilly Endowment Inc's website. Confirm details with the foundation before applying.
Dates come from the foundation's own website. Check their page before applying.
Giving by tax year
Year-level totals across every reported grant in this profile — a summary, not a filter. The awards further down are the largest individual grants across all years, not each year's complete list.
Where Lilly Endowment Inc gives
States of grant recipients reported on the foundation's 990-PF filings, by dollars received.
Largest reported grants
Historical awards reported to the IRS. These are examples of past giving, not open opportunities.
Compiled by GrantCue from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Source: grantcue.com/foundations/lilly-endowment-inc-350868122
| Location | Purpose | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana Community Develpmntprojects | Indianapolis, IN | Statewide community parks initiative | Tax year 20252025 | $400M |
| Indiana Lifelong Learning Projects | Indianapolis, IN | Indiana k-12 schools initiative | Tax year 20252025 | $400M |
| Indiana University Foundation | Bloomington, IN | Iu launch accelerator for bioscience | Tax year 20242024 | $138M |
| National Park Foundation | Washington, DC | Support for national parks campaign | Tax year 20242024 | $100M |
| Indiana Economic Development Corp | Indianapolis, IN | Strategic enhancements to readi 2.0 | Tax year 20242024 | $100M |
Showing 5 of the 25 largest grants (4,093 reported in all).
About this data
Figures are aggregated from Lilly Endowment Inc's IRS Form 990-PF electronic filings (2 filings on file, most recent tax year 2025). Totals reflect grants the foundation reported as paid, and can lag the current year because foundations file annually and often on extension. Source: IRS 990-PF filing on ProPublica. Raw e-file archive (ZIP) — a large IRS yearly archive download.
Is something here out of date? Report outdated details.
Foundations of similar size giving in Indiana
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