Community Foundation announces new matching opportunity through Lilly Endowment’s GIFT VIII Initiative

The Community Foundation is pleased to announce its intent to participate in a matching grant opportunity through the eighth phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII).

Triple your impact when you make a gift to an unrestricted endowment fund!

The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (CFBMC) is pleased to announce its intent to participate in a matching grant opportunity through the eighth phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII). Lilly Endowment will provide $2 for every $1 contributed to CFBMC’s unrestricted endowment funds during the GIFT VIII matching period, October 1, 2023, through December 31, 2025. CFBMC will be able to use the Matching Fund Grant to grow its endowed, unrestricted assets, which provide financial resources that enable CFBMC to respond to both present and future community needs.

“We are grateful to the Lilly Endowment for this incredible opportunity to meet the ever-changing needs of our community through endowments that allow the Community Foundation and its donors to meet the needs of today and prepare for those of tomorrow,” said President and CEO Tina Peterson. “As we gear up for the new year, we are excited to share this opportunity for donors to triple the impact of their gifts to new or existing unrestricted endowments.

“The long-term success of this county is rooted in our willingness to protect what is important to us, honor our past, strive for a better future, and give back by paying it forward. It is realized every year when the Foundation distributes grants from its endowed funds to support local programming. Thanks to the generosity of the Lilly Endowment and donors, our unrestricted funds ensure that we will always have flexible resources to address our community’s most pressing needs and compelling opportunities.”

GIFT is a series of statewide initiatives and programs that began in 1990 as part of Lilly Endowment’s efforts to help establish and strengthen community foundations in Indiana and build their capacity to address the needs of their local communities. The primary aim of GIFT is to help Indiana community foundations in all 92 of Indiana’s counties develop the philanthropic capacity to identify, prioritize, and address local opportunities and challenges.

To learn more about GIFT VIII, please visit Lilly Endowment’s website.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County was created by individuals, families, and businesses who share a passion for Monroe County and a vision for its future. The Foundation has granted $30 million to more than 400 local nonprofit organizations since its incorporation in 1990. With a growing $44 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.