Boys & Girls Clubs of America Receives $10 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) today announced a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to support more than 250 Boys & Girls Clubs on or near Native lands across the country. The three-year grant will support efforts to help BGCA take bold steps toward expanding the capacity of these Clubs. The goal: provide all youth in and around Native communities with access to high-quality programs and opportunities for success.

BGCA is the nation’s largest service provider to youth, annually reaching more than 4 million youth, including 120,000 youth in and around Native communities each year. With this support from Lilly Endowment Inc., the non-profit will strengthen the capacity of Boys & Girls Clubs in these communities, expand leadership development opportunities for youth and staff and accelerate digital transformation to ensure Clubs are equipped for the future.

“This generous investment from Lilly Endowment will allow us to deepen our commitment to youth, and the Native communities they are a part of, in ways that are both innovative and sustainable,” said Carla Knapp, National Vice President of Native Services at BGCA. “With this support, we can expand programs, equip leaders and bring forward solutions that honor traditions while preparing the next generation for the future.”

“For more than 70 years Lilly Endowment has been pleased to support BGCA and a variety of its efforts to better serve its Clubs throughout the United States,” said Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment Inc.’s vice president for education. “Boys & Girls Clubs and the professionals who lead them help youth across the country learn skills, build character and develop healthy relationships so they can succeed in school and in life.”

This funding will enable Boys & Girls Clubs to:

• Expand Program Supports: Strengthen and scale Club program quality and effectiveness for youth in areas such as academics, mental health and community engagement.
• Invest in Leadership Development: Provide training, resources and mentorship for Club leaders and youth to build long-term capacity within communities.
• Advance Digital Transformation: Modernize technology infrastructure to expand access and increase engagement in rural and Native communities.

BGCA has worked alongside Native communities for more than three decades, collaborating to create a safe and nurturing environment that supports academic success, healthy lifestyles, character and leadership, and life and workforce readiness. The collaboration celebrates culture and empowers young people to make a difference in their communities.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America: For more than 160 years, BGCA has empowered young people to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, over 5,500 Clubs serve more than 4 million kids and teens where they are, when they need us most. Boys & Girls Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native Lands throughout the country, and serve military-connected families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.: Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J. K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. While the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States on an invitational basis to support these causes, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.