LAWRENCEBURG, Ind., FEBRUARY 22, 2024 – The Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF), Inc. has received a $60,000 Planning Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. as a part of the part of the eighth phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII) initiative.
DCF is utilizing $40,000 of the Planning Grant to help Dearborn County Commissioners hire a consultant to complete a study/plan to have the best quality Emergency Medical Services countywide. The other $20,000 will be used to complete convenings of community stakeholders and site visits to other communities aimed at ensuring the Foundation is better informed to help address challenges in Dearborn County.
DCF is one of 92 community foundations and affiliate funds in Indiana receiving planning grants through GIFT VIII. These grants are designed to help community foundations collaborate with local partners to engage broad and diverse stakeholders in their communities and deepen their understanding of their communities’ highest-priority challenges and opportunities. In 2024, DCF will have the opportunity to request funding to implement strategic initiatives and activities developed during the planning period that address especially compelling needs in Dearborn County.
“We are very thankful Lilly Endowment has once again provided us with a great opportunity to help tackle one of the most compelling challenges in our community – emergency medical services,” said Fred McCarter, DCF Executive Director. “The $40,000 for the EMS study/plan will help elected leaders and volunteers work together to find ways to improve emergency services in our community.”
Dearborn County Commissioner Allen Goodman says DCF’s regranting of the Lilly Endowment Inc. grant to help the county fund the EMS study/plan is a generous action by both charitable organizations.
“County officials and EMS leaders in our community greatly appreciate the gift of this funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.,” said Goodman. “We are also thankful for Dearborn Community Foundation’s understanding of community needs and its willingness to grant funds to the county to help our efforts to ensure we have the best quality EMS countywide.”
The EMS study/plan will evaluate challenges and successes of EMS in Dearborn County and it will help county leaders and volunteers understand ways to best utilize the existing services, equipment and infrastructure, said Goodman. The results of the study will also help with planning how to best utilize public funds to provide the best emergency medical services possible.
Lilly Endowment created the GIFT initiative in 1990 to help local communities in Indiana develop the philanthropic capacity to identify local needs and challenges and work with other organizations to help their communities thrive. Through GIFT VIII, Lilly Endowment has allocated up to $210 million to support Indiana’s community foundations in growing their financial resources and further strengthening their ability to address their community’s highest-priority challenges and opportunities.
About DCF
Established more than 25 years ago during the early phases of the GIFT initiative, members of the community have been turning to DCF to make their philanthropic dreams come true. DCF, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt public charity, helps donors’ dreams come true by safeguarding endowments for the community through contributions large and small. In 2022, DCF was reaccredited with the nation’s highest standard for philanthropic excellence from the Community Foundations National Standards®, which establishes legal, ethical, and effective practices for community foundations everywhere. The Foundation first received this accreditation in January 2009.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly, and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.