Lilly Endowment Challenge
The Lilly Endowment Challenge Grant Program of Cumberland Community Foundation is made possible by the Ashton W. Lilly Fund for Philanthropy, a charitable fund created in honor of the great philanthropy of Ashton Lilly. The program is designed to assist non-profit organizations to build sustainable support for their missions through permanent endowment funds with Cumberland Community Foundation.
Eligibility: This grant award is competitive with funding priority going to organizations meeting the following criteria:
- A fully funded endowment at Cumberland Community Foundation, Inc.
- Endowment committee of two or more board members and a board adopted endowment goal.
- Proven board engagement in endowment building throughout the last two years.
- Participation in one or more planned giving and endowment building presentations/meetings with Foundation staff.
- Extent to which the organization is currently engaged in promoting its endowment.
- Organizations that have received a challenge grant within the last four years will have lower priority in the competitive process.
Challenge Guidelines: The annual budget for this grant program is $50,000. A nonprofit's request may be any amount up to $50,000. Unless otherwise agreed, the grant period is two years.
The dollars raised, and the matching dollars supplied by Cumberland Community Foundation, will be placed into the endowment fund owned, held, and managed by Cumberland Community Foundation for the sole benefit of the non-profit organization.
Organizations should be clear that an endowment fund is not an operating reserve. This challenge grant is to create permanent endowment principal and gifts to the endowment fund may not be taken back to meet current needs.
Congratulations to Fayetteville Area Operation Inasmuch, recipient of the 2023/2024 Lilly Endowment Challenge.
Questions? Contact Kendra Murray, Community Grants Manager -- Kendra@CumberlandCF.Org or 910-483-4449 ext. 102.
