December 11, 2025
Impact Stories

Hamilton County Community Foundation receives $6 million for grant funding through GIFT IX initiative

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Hamilton County Community Foundation (HCCF) has received a grant of $6 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Community Support Grant component of the ninth phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT IX) initiative. This is one of 92 Community Support Grants being awarded through GIFT IX, a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative designed to support the efforts of community foundations to strengthen the quality of life in the communities they serve. 

The Community Support Grant is designed to provide the community foundation with flexible funding to enhance its grantmaking capacity to address compelling, near-term needs in its county. The community foundation will have up to three years to use its grant to address community-driven priorities. 

“This flexible funding enables us to act more quickly on the needs we hear from residents and nonprofit leaders,” said Danielle Stiles-Polk, president of HCCF. “In the years ahead, these dollars will bolster the essential work of nonprofits across Hamilton County, helping them remain responsive and resilient as they face shifting budgets and growing community needs.” 

To ensure these dollars achieve the greatest impact, HCCF will use the first quarter of 2026 to develop a regranting strategy informed by its recent community needs assessment and strategic plan. The Foundation will work closely with local stakeholders throughout this process to shape an approach that reflects the community’s most pressing priorities. 

Lilly Endowment created the GIFT initiative in 1990 to help local communities in Indiana develop the philanthropic capacity to identify local needs and challenges and work with other organizations and residents to help their communities thrive. Through GIFT IX, Lilly Endowment has allocated up to $271.5 million to support Indiana’s community foundations in growing their financial resources and further strengthening their ability to address their community’s highest-priority challenges and opportunities. 

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