Grants help preserve 15 historic African American sites in Indiana

Fifteen sites significant to Indiana’s African American history are receiving restoration and rehabilitation assistance through two funds established by the late Eli Lilly chemist and preservation champion Standiford “Stan” Cox.

Grants totaling $200,000 are being distributed from the Standiford H. Cox Fund and the Dovie Stewart Cox & Chester A. Cox Sr. Memorial Fund to sites across the state.

Stan Cox, who passed away in 2019, joined Eli Lilly and Co. in 1957 as its first Black chemist. He established the two funds with the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) to support the restoration, preservation, operation, and ongoing maintenance of African American historic sites in Indiana.

The 15 organizations receiving grants are listed below, along with a brief description of how the funds will be used:

• Allen Chapel AME Church, Indianapolis: $15,000 for repairs to steps and a new accessible ramp and concrete walks at the 1927 church in the Chatham Arch Historic District.
• Community Foundation of Boone County, Lebanon: $10,000 for HVAC updates and exterior insulation at an 1880 building used historically by Lebanon AME Church, now being adapted for an Airbnb with interpretive displays sharing its history as a Black church.
• Historic Eleutherian College, Lancaster: $20,000 for restoration of the c.1850 limestone Hoyt House, recognized as part of the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom.
• Historic Madison, Inc.: $10,000 for repairs to masonry and doors at the 1850 former African Methodist Episcopal church building in the historically African American Georgetown neighborhood.
• New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Indianapolis: $20,000 to for a new roof to halt water infiltration at the c.1925 church located in the city’s Brightwood neighborhood.
• New Life Development Ministries, Indianapolis: $5,000 to support total roof and gutter replacement on the c.1920 Smallwood Block commercial building housing the ministry’s re-entry training programs for ex-offenders.
• Oaks Academy, Indianapolis: $10,000 for custom window work to replace a non-historic window at the c.1920 school building housing the charter school and Paul Laurence Dunbar Library.
• Olivet AME Church, South Bend: $15,000 for interior and exterior repairs at the National Register-listed 1923 church building that has been home to the Black congregation since 1969.
• Patoka Church of God in Christ, Gibson County: $12,500 for a new air conditioning system and gutter repairs at the National Register-listed 1903 church and its 1960s addition.
• Say Yes to Means, Gary: $7,500 to create a signage program that calls attention to the historic Means Park Manor neighborhood, developed in the 1950s and ‘60s by brothers Andrew and Geter Means as quality affordable housing for Black citizens of Gary.
• Second Baptist Church, Bloomington: $20,000 for repairs to the roof and stained-glass windows at the Indiana limestone church designed by trailblazing Black architect Samuel Plato in 1913.
• Shaffer Chapel AME Church, Muncie: $10,000 for renovations to rehabilitate the lower level of the c.1893 building for congregational and community use.
• Thomas Temple Church of God in Christ, Marion: $15,000 to replace gutters and downspouts to halt water infiltration at the 1902 church building designed by Black architect Samuel Plato.
• University United Methodist Church, Indianapolis: $15,000 to install architecturally compatible energy-efficient replacement windows at the 1970 church.
• Zion Hill Missionary Baptist Church, South Bend: $15,000 to address repairs following water damage from a former leaky roof at the c.1917 church.

“We’re pleased to serve as a preservation advisor on these grants, which continue the visionary work of Stan Cox to protect Indiana’s Black heritage,” said Mark Dollase, vice president of preservation services at Indiana Landmarks. “The partnership between the Central Indiana Community Foundation and Indiana Landmarks creates a brighter future for these important local landmarks.”

“Stan Cox’s legacy shows the extraordinary impact one person’s generosity can have long after their lifetime,” said Jennifer Bartenbach, CEO, Central Indiana Community Foundation. “His vision continues to protect and celebrate Black history across Indiana, inspiring all of us to consider how our own philanthropy can shape the future. This work also shows what’s possible when people, nonprofits, and community foundations work together to protect places and stories that matter.”

The Standiford H. Cox Fund supports the restoration, preservation, operation, and ongoing maintenance of African American historic sites in Indiana. The Dovie Stewart Cox & Chester A. Cox Sr. Memorial Fund, which Cox created to honor his parents, provides support for Lost Creek Community Grove at the Lost Creek Settlement near Terre Haute, one of the state’s earliest settlements of free people of color. Since its inception in 2020, the Cox Funds have awarded nearly $1.2 million in grants around the state. Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program serves as a preservation advisor to both funds, recommending projects.

Applications for the next round of grants will be due April 1, 2026. Those who want to suggest a property that might qualify for grants from the funds should contact Indiana Landmarks at coxfunds@indianalandmarks.org.

Born in Brazil, Ind., Cox was an Indiana University graduate who worked for 32 years for Eli Lilly and Co., beginning as a chemist and holding a variety of positions during his career. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic society, he also earned a master’s degree from Butler University. An advocate for academic biochemical research, he endowed the Standiford H. Cox Professorship in Biochemistry at Indiana University in Bloomington.