Lilly Endowment

In light of the massive recovery facing communities from floods and storms that wreaked havoc in 2008 across major portions of Indiana, Lilly Endowment Inc. announced today (June 23, 2008) grants totaling $50 million for disaster relief and recovery. The grants have been approved for three organizations that have significant experience serving in disaster situations.

The American Red Cross and The Salvation Army each will receive $2.5 million to help with their efforts to alleviate the more immediate needs of citizens and communities that have suffered from disasters in 2008 and to help replenish their disaster relief funds.

The Indiana Association of United Ways (IAUW) has been awarded $45 million for a disaster-response fund from which IAUW will make grants for relief and recovery efforts at the county level in counties damaged by 2008 disasters. Eligibility criteria likely will include whether a county has been declared a disaster area by the state or federal government.

Applications to this fund will be based on the recommendations of local United Ways, which will work with community foundations and other key community partners to set local priorities for the funds. For a county not served by a viable United Way, IAUW anticipates seeking the leadership and recommendations of the county's community foundation. IAUW will form a grants advisory committee that will include IAUW board members and individuals with good judgment and expertise in areas such as community development, financial affairs, neighborhood revitalization, rural development, local government and nonprofit leadership. Besides approving grants, the committee will develop guidelines for the fund's distribution.

IAUW expects to offer grants in at least two rounds. The first round, which IAUW plans to offer as soon as possible, will provide up to $100,000 in flexible funding to local United Ways and in some cases to community foundations for each county affected by a 2008 disaster. This funding may be used for immediate needs and for assistance in planning and facilitation efforts related to prioritizing a county's needs for support from subsequent funding rounds.

One or more subsequent rounds will offer larger grants which are expected to vary in amount from county to county in accordance with factors determined by the grants advisory committee. These factors will include local needs, available resources, the scale and type of the damage, local demographics and others.

"The Endowment has a long history of supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and United Way systems to respond to a range of disasters throughout our state and country," said Endowment president, N. Clay Robbins. "We are confident that they will use these resources to maximum effect in helping Indiana residents and communities rebuild and recover from these devastating storms. We can only imagine what it must be like for those affected by these terrible disasters," he said. "The Endowment believes that in situations such as these it is preferable for local communities to be able to prioritize the needs for which funding will be sought, and the Endowment is confident that IAUW has the ability to encourage local priority-setting efforts," added Robbins.

For nearly 30 years the Endowment has supported IAUW's efforts to build an effective network of United Ways across the state. There now are 62 United Ways serving the local needs of 80 some counties. In particular, IAUW's 4Community program, which has received more that $20 million in Endowment funding since 2003, has fostered the development of community consensus around projects it has funded. To receive funding under the 4Community program, a project must demonstrate strong collaborative efforts among United Ways and key community institutions, such as community foundations, local hospitals, school systems, universities, local governments and chambers of commerce among others. For this new effort, local United Ways will encourage similar collaborations in prioritizing local community needs.

Regarding IAUW's grant, its president, Roger Frick, said, "The Indiana Association of United Ways has a great working relationship with Lilly Endowment and communities all across Indiana. We will bring our local and state relationships and grant administration experience to this extraordinary opportunity for Indiana's residents and communities. United Ways know that recovery takes time and resources, and IAUW looks forward to helping communities as they rebuild after these devastating disasters." John Lyter, CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Indianapolis, said, "This special grant will allow the Red Cross to work in partnership with others to meet the needs of Hoosiers who were devastated by this year's tornadoes and flooding. We can more confidently plan our work for the coming weeks and months to help families with their transitions from disaster to recovery."

Major Dick Amick of The Salvation Army's Indiana Division stated regarding its grant, "We are deeply grateful for Lilly Endowment's generous gift to help us serve Hoosiers in need. As humble stewards of this gift, The Salvation Army will continue aiding those affected by the storms and floods in Indiana. This grant will enable us to serve more people more comprehensively."

Indiana residents needing disaster-relief assistance should call the American Red Cross at (317) 438-4636 or toll free at 1-866-438-4636; The Salvation Army at (317) 937-7000 or toll free at 1-800-589-1037; or the Indiana information and referral service at 2-1-1.