Participating in GIFT VIII

The Portland Foundation will be seeking grant funding through the Lilly Endowment.

The foundation announced its plans to participate in Lilly’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) Initiative VIII for Indiana Foundations.

GIFT VIII is designed to help community foundations “grow their financial resources to promote long-term viability and sustainability, further strengthen their leadership capabilities, and develop and implement strategic programs, projects, and initiatives that enhance their communities’ quality of life.” It is offering $210 million in potential funding for community foundations across the state in the form of matching fund, community, planning, implementation and board engagement grants.

The Portland Foundation plans to apply for:

•A matching grant of $750,000 to develop unrestricted assets. (It would be a $2 for $1 matching grant on a first-come, first-serve basis for new and existing unrestricted endowments.)

•A Community Leadership Phase 1 Planning Grant of $50,000 to continue community discussions around early childhood education.

•A Community Leadership Phase 1 Planning Grant of $60,000 in collaboration with Blackford County Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of Grant County to work with Project Leadership to develop education and career strategies for high school students

•A Board Engagement Grant of $100,000

The foundation also plans to submit a Community Leadership Phase 2 Implementation Grant concept paper for $5 million for a compelling project in Jay County.

“We are honored and humbled by Lilly Endowment Inc.’s generosity to The Portland Foundation and all Indiana community foundations,” said Doug Inman, Portland Foundation executive director, in a press release. “GIFT VII showed us that early childhood education is important to the community. We will take the momentum gained from GIFT VII and use GIFT VIII to continue the discussion around this topic, which is vitally important to Jay County’s future. We are excited to collaborate with the community foundations in Blackford and Grant Counties to assist high school students to be prepared for life after graduation.”

The Portland Foundation was awarded a $100,000 Community Leadership Grant as part of the seventh phase of Lilly Endowment's Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VII) initiative in fall 2020. It was used to work on developing a strategy to "combat the interrelated issues of the opioid epidemic, high child poverty, low post-secondary educational attainment and low workforce development skills.”

That process identified six areas of need:

•Affordable, quality early care and education

•Education and workforce development

•Chronic school absenteeism

•Improved system of care (support for families dealing with mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, etc.)

•Parenting skills

•Drug abuse prevention

Efforts have already been made toward addressing goals, including The Portland Foundation’s progress toward creating an early learning center at the former Judge Haynes Elementary School.

Created 33 years ago, the GIFT initiative is designed to help communities develop philanthropic capacity to address their own needs and challenges.