Lilly Endowment’s Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana (SYPI) is a competitive initiative to help advance the academic, physical and social development of Indiana youth. Through SYPI, the Endowment seeks to support and strengthen eligible youth-serving organizations that provide programs and services to youth (ages five through 18) in communities throughout Indiana.

The Endowment grant amounts ranged from $60,000 up to $1 million.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding under SYPI, an organization must have met the following criteria:

• It must be an established youth-serving organization that currently provides programs directly for youth (ages five through 18) in Indiana; it must have provided these programs for at least three full years as of December 31, 2022; and it 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)).
• It must offer programs that serve one or more of the purposes indicated as priorities for this initiative as described above.
• It must offer programs that solely serve youth ages five to 18 or, if it offers programs for individuals in other age groups, it must demonstrate that its youth programs address an unmet need for youth in its local community (county, city or town) that no other organization solely serving youth addresses.

Funding Considerations

The Endowment considered applications from Indiana youth-serving organizations seeking SYPI funding in one or more of the following categories:

• Program grants that help to expand or enhance existing programs for Indiana youth or initiate new programs to serve their emerging needs.
• Capacity-building grants that strengthen youth-serving organizations’ operations.
• Capital grants that help youth-serving organizations renovate their physical spaces to provide safe and stimulating environments for youth or help the organization purchase needed equipment.

Information Sessions & Technical Support

As part of SYPI, the Endowment has provided grant funding to Indiana Youth Institute (IYI), a statewide intermediary organization that provides data, training, consultation and other resources to Indiana youth-serving organizations. IYI will offer initiative-specific workshops, technical assistance and other information for organizations participating in SYPI. Learn more about IYI and its SYPI workshops and other support services at iyi.org.