The Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment has announced a $45 million initiative to support youth-serving organizations in Indiana.

The Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana (SYPI) initiative will support organizations in expanding and enhancing programs to promote the academic, physical, and social well-being of young people ages 5 through 18. The program will award grants of up to $1 million over up to three years to support youth in five areas: enhancing welfare and safety, identifying and addressing social and emotional needs, delivering educational experiences that supplement classroom learning, developing positive character traits and leadership skills, and providing safe and enriching out-of-school learning environments. While the initiative will support a wide variety of young people, it will focus on youth who are in low-income households, are members of communities of color, are from immigrant families, lack sufficient adult supervision or protection, and/or have been exposed to trauma or other adverse childhood experiences.

“Indiana’s youth-serving organizations are crucial to the healthy development of children and youth in communities across the state,” said Ted Maple, the endowment’s vice president for education. “We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent societal challenges have made their work more difficult. We hope this grant opportunity will help organizations meet the increased challenges they face so they can serve Indiana youth even more effectively for years to come.”

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