Lilly Endowment Launched Serving Neighbors Initiative
The private foundation announced a new program offering grants to foster partnerships between churches and nonprofits.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Philanthropy
Live Poll
Do you believe partnerships between religious congregations and non-profits improve life in your local community?
Lilly Endowment has launched the Serving Neighbors Through Congregational Collaborations Initiative to encourage partnerships between Christian congregations and charitable groups. The foundation aims to improve community life while strengthening congregational vitality.
Why it matters
This initiative seeks to leverage the infrastructure of faith-based organizations to address broader social needs and enhance community welfare. By facilitating collaboration with secular or non-profit entities, the program hopes to increase the collective impact of charitable efforts across the United States.
The initiative offers implementation grants of up to $5 million each, with the Lilly Endowment anticipating a total of 60 grants to be awarded. Selected organizations are expected to execute their collaborative plans over a four-year period.
The players
Lilly Endowment
Based in Indianapolis, this private foundation focuses on community development, education, and religion.
The details
The application process requires eligible organizations to first submit a concept paper to qualify for initial planning grants. Once planning is finalized, these organizations may submit proposals for the larger implementation grants to support their service projects.
Timeline
The Lilly Endowment was created in 1937.
The Serving Neighbors initiative was officially announced on September 28, 2026.
Market Landscape
This initiative follows a long-standing trend of utilizing faith-based organizations as primary vehicles for social services. It distinguishes itself from the Charitable Choice provisions of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act by relying exclusively on private foundation capital rather than government funding.
Local charitable organizations and church groups in the United States may gain access to significant new funding streams to expand their social outreach. These grants will likely enable participating groups to increase their service capacity and local community programming over the coming years.
The takeaway
Faith-based service models represent a significant portion of the charitable landscape, and this grant program provides a major injection of capital for such partnerships. Organizations interested in these resources should prioritize collaborative strategies that can realistically demonstrate impact over a four-year horizon.
Further reading
For more information on the evolving role of foundations in the charitable sector, visit our Philanthropy section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Religion News Service.
Live Poll
Do you believe partnerships between religious congregations and non-profits improve life in your local community?
