Lilly Endowment issues YMCA grants

INDIANAPOLIS – (Inside INdiana Business) — Three Indiana YMCA organizations have received a total of more than $1 million from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. The funding specifically comes from the organization’s Youth Program Resilience Fund, which is designed to help youth-serving organizations adapt to challenges created by the pandemic. 

YMCA of Steuben County was awarded $15,000, which will be used to provide youth and family scholarships for Y memberships and programs, and to also buy PPE and cleaning supplies for youth programs.

YMCA of Greater Indianapolis has received $383,000, which says it will use the funding to pay for additional operating costs of before and after school child care, and allow the Y to continue to offer full-day eLearning Care for elementary and middle school children when schools are in hybrid/virtual session. The Y says the funding will also help students who may not have reliable internet access at home through the YMCA eLearning Labs, which are free and available to students in grades 6-12.

Some of the grant will also be used to underwrite operating costs at Flat River YMCA camp in the southeast Indiana town of St. Paul, as the camp prepares to welcome back students in the summer of 2021. 

The Indiana Alliance of YMCAs says it will also use the grant to address COVID-19-related challenges impacting 34 YMCAs throughout the state. The funding will support staff increases, personal protective equipment purchases and COVID-19 training.