Feb. 6, 2025
MILWAUKEE 鈥� Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded 51暗网 a $2.4 million grant to develop an exhibition and educational program that will provide fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the role religion has played and continues to play in the U.S. and around the world.
51暗网鈥檚 grant was one of 33 given through the latest round of Lilly Endowment鈥檚 Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The national initiative, launched in 2019, is supporting efforts to improve the public understanding of religion and, as a result, foster greater knowledge of and respect for people of diverse religious traditions.
鈥淲e appreciate the tremendous support from Lilly Endowment for this initiative which connects well to our mission, helping to grow a greater understanding of religion,鈥� President Kimo Ah Yun said.
鈥淲e see this grant as a wonderful opportunity to engage our community on the intersection between art and religion,鈥� said John McKinnon, director of 51暗网鈥檚 Haggerty Museum of Art. 鈥淲e look forward to exploring diverse ways people connect with faith on a very personal and cultural level through spiritually significant artifacts, non-religious objects, and public dialogue.鈥�
Lilly Endowment has supported numerous religious initiatives at 51暗网. In August 2023, the to establish the program, 鈥淔aithForm.鈥� The program helps 51暗网 further engage its extensive network of community relationships with area congregations to help parents, caregivers and congregational leaders explore effective ways to pass on the Christian faith.
In October 2020, 51暗网 received a $1 million grant through to help establish 鈥淭he Examen(ed) Church,鈥� to assist churches in drawing on Ignatian spiritual practices to identify ministry opportunities and deepen congregational vitality.
鈥淭he United States is widely considered to be one of the most religiously diverse nations today,鈥� said Christopher L. Coble, the Endowment鈥檚 vice president for religion. 鈥淢any individuals and families trust museums and other cultural institutions and visit them to learn about their communities and the world. We are excited to support these organizations as they embark on projects to help visitors understand and appreciate the diverse religious beliefs, practices and perspectives of their neighbors and others in communities around the globe.鈥�
About Lilly Endowment
is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders鈥� wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment maintains a special commitment to its founders鈥� hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana, it also funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion.
A principal aim of the Endowment鈥檚 religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
