Kosciusko County Community Foundation Receives $1.5 Million Community Support Grant

The Kosciusko County Community Foundation has been awarded a $1.5 million Community Support Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Community Support Grant component of the ninth phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT IX) initiative.

The Community Foundation is one of 92 foundations across Indiana to receive a Community Support Grant through GIFT IX, a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative designed to support community foundations in strengthening the communities they serve.

“This investment allows us to respond thoughtfully and strategically to the needs of our community,” said Stephanie Overbey, Community Foundation CEO. “It gives us the opportunity to listen closely and partner with local organizations to address immediate needs while building a stronger, more resilient, community for the future.”

The Community Support Grant provides flexible funding to enhance grantmaking capacity and to help address compelling needs in Kosciusko County. The Community Foundation will have up to three years to deploy the grant in support of community-driven priorities.

Kosciusko County Community Foundation’s board of directors is currently updating their strategic plan based on organizational data from the last five years and community needs information gathered via surveys of individuals and nonprofit organizations late last year. The strategic planning will culminate in the spring of 2026 and grant priorities, including for those grants to be made possible through GIFT IX, will be outlined. The Community Foundation expects to communicate how the GIFT IX grant dollars will be deployed later this year.

Lilly Endowment established the GIFT initiative in 1990 to help Indiana communities build philanthropic capacity, identify local needs and opportunities, and support long-term community vitality.

Through GIFT IX, Lilly Endowment has allocated up to $271.5 million to Indiana’s community foundations to help grow their financial resources and further strengthen their ability to respond to their communities’ most important challenges and opportunities.