The Online Reflector

The University of Indianapolis Institute for Civic Leadership and Mayoral Archives recently received a $2 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. This grant is the largest lump sum the institute has received. With this grant, the institute has raised $3.8 million of the estimated $7.5 million necessary to begin work.
According to lillyendowment.org,  “As desired by its founders, Lilly Endowment concentrates its philanthropic efforts in community development in its home territory of Indianapolis and Indiana.”
The endowment has funded the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at UIndy, as well as other educational projects throughout the state.
“The Lilly Endowment is the most influential, prominent and visible granting agency,” said Interim Director of the Institute for Civic Leadership and Mayoral Archives and Associate Professor of History and Political Science Edward Frantz. “And if you have the backing of the most prominent granting agency in your backyard, it’s a sign of validation and support.”
According to a UIndy news release, the institute will be a hub for research, teaching and public conversation, with resources for students,  scholars,  city planners and community leaders to explore the issues facing today’s urban centers. The institute will have two components: the mayoral archives and the symposium. The mayoral archives will chronicle Indianapolis history over the careers of four mayors, whose mayoral papers will be catalogued in a renovated area of Krannert Memorial Library.  The funds from the grant will greatly help to start these renovations.
“A lot of gifts come with restrictions,” said Vice President for University Advancement James Smith. “So we are particularly grateful that they [Lilly Endowment Inc.] have given us a lot of latitude for getting the program launched.”
According to Frantz, the institute will move forward with staffing, programming and processing the mayoral documents. Frantz also mentioned that a tremendous amount of  behind-the-scenes work will go into organizing the papers to make them viewable.
“We’re in the process of sitting down and envisioning which steps to take and when, so that the institute and the programming that goes with it is what we dreamed about, what the endowment hopes,” Frantz said. “And most importantly, [to make sure] the mayors’ expectations are fulfilled.”
While the institute is being envisioned and planned, UIndy will be working to piggy-back off the support from the prominent Lilly Endowment grant to gain more support for the institute. Smith said that the endowment’s support can lend to the institute, especially with regard to fundraising opportunities.
“The Lilly Endowment doesn’t invest in something that isn’t fully vetted,”  Smith said. “Support from the endowment shows other investors that [the institute] is something to look at.”