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A competitive grants program of Lilly Endowment In its multifaceted effort to raise Indiana's educational attainment level, the Endowment in September 1999 proposed Community Alliances to Promote Education (CAPE), a statewide, competitive grants program. The initiative was aimed at the state's more than 90 community foundations, who had shown their ability to build community and address local community needs in the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program and several phases of the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative. Through CAPE, community foundations were encouraged to 1) assess the educational needs in their communities, 2) seek out relevant studies, 3) consider how local educational achievement compared with other states and countries, 4) consider the educational needs of the entire age and population spectrum of each county, and 5) prioritize the most compelling educational needs through a process that included wide community participation. They also were invited to 1) consider the existing education providers and potential new ones, 2) analyze the capacity of existing facilities, and 3) seek new ideas and concepts. Once those considerations were completed, they were encouraged to propose promising programs to address the prioritized needs. In so doing, they were urged to consider collaborations involving community organizations, college and universities, K-12 schools, libraries, vocation/technical training institutions, literacy leagues, human service organizations, chambers of commerce, business and economic development organizations, religious entities, local government officials, labor unions, arts and cultural groups, and so forth. Through an impressive system that brought together many Indiana citizens concerned about and interested in improving education in their communities, the Endowment - by December 2001 - had invested $186 million in 44 Indiana counties. The Endowment has recently announced that 18 new CAPE grants covering 16 counties have been approved, as well as eight more grants for renewal plans. This brings the total of CAPE grants to more than $230 million covering 60 Indiana counties as of September 2005. All the communities' continuing work "in the trenches" and on the frontlines of local community involvement has deeply impressed the Endowment. They are making a difference. Contact at Lilly Endowment is Sara B. Cobb, vice president for education, 317/916-7309. For more information, click here. 1999 Lilly Endowment Annual Report
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