Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps in Indiana - fundsforNGOs

The Lilly Endowment is pleased to announce the Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps.

Donor Name: Lilly Endowment

State: Indiana

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 06/09/2025

Size of the Grant: More than $1 million

Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned

Details:

The aim of the initiative is to help Indiana residential youth camps improve the overall camp experience and outcomes for youth through new, enhanced and expanded facilities integral to quality youth camp programming.

Types of Grants

Planning Grants
Non-competitive Capital Project Grants
Competitive Large-scale Capital Project Grants.

Priorities

The Endowment’s priorities for the initiative include the enhancement or expansion of camp facilities to help camps:

Improve the quality of camp programs and their impact on positive youth development outcomes
Improve the safety and accessibility of camp facilities and programs
Serve more youth effectively
Strengthen the viability and sustainability of camps
Additionally, the Endowment intends to support camps that demonstrate their commitment to providing:
- High-quality youth programming that is delivered by trained and qualified staff and based on best practices for camps and youth-serving organizations
- Safe and secure camp programs and facilities
- Accessible camp programs for youth that may otherwise face barriers to participation in camp programs
- Inviting and welcoming spaces, practices and programming for youth and their families that foster a positive environment for all youth
- Affordable rates for families with limited financial resources.

Funding Information

The Endowment is allocating up to $166 million for this multi-phase initiative.

Phase 1 Planning Grants: Planning grants of up to $150,000 each will help organizations assess and prepare for a potential capital project or projects
Phase 2 Non-competitive Capital Project Grants: Phase 2 grants will help organizations upgrade or renovate existing facilities, build new facilities or purchase equipment or furnishings that enhance camp facilities. The Endowment expects to award Phase 2 grants to camps in amounts of up to $750,000, up to $1 million or up to $1.5 million based on the average annual number of youth they served during the last three calendar years
Phase 3 Competitive Large-scale Capital Project Grants: Phase 3 grants will help organizations partially support large-scale capital projects that are designed to significantly enhance and expand camp programs for youth. The Endowment expects to award grants on a competitive basis to camps in amounts of up to $2.5 million, up to $5 million or up to $10 million based on the average annual number of youth they served during the last three calendar years.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for funding under the initiative, a camp or camp network organization must meet the following criteria.

An applicant must be a public charity described in Internal Revenue Code (Code) sections 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) (other than Type III supporting organizations described in clause (i) or (ii) of Code section 4942(g)(4)(A))
An applicant must own camp facilities at which it operates residential youth camp programs in Indiana. A minimum of 50 percent of the applicant’s revenue with respect to each camp location for which it seeks funding under this initiative must be generated from youth residential camp programs that the applicant operates at such location. For purposes of this initiative, an applicant will be considered as operating a residential youth camp program if that program is conducted by the applicant’s own staff, volunteers or contractors, or by the staff, volunteers or contractors of a close affiliate of the applicant. For example, a religious denomination that owns camp facilities at which individual congregations under the denomination’s jurisdiction operate residential youth camp programs – the denomination would be deemed to own the camp facilities at which it operates residential camp programs
The applicant must have owned and operated residential youth camps in Indiana for the last three calendar years (2022-2024).

Deadlines