Unity Foundation and Regional Partners Receive $20 Million to Connect Communities to Natural and Cultural Assets

Northwest Indiana community foundations, including Legacy Foundation, Unity Foundation of La Porte County, Crown Point Community Foundation, and Porter County Community Foundation, have received a grant of $20,000,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Community Leadership Implementation Grants component of the eighth phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII) initiative. This is one of 30 implementation grants being awarded through GIFT VIII, a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative designed to support the efforts of community foundations and their partners to strengthen quality of life for the people in the towns, cities, counties, and regions they serve.

Led by Legacy Foundation, the community foundations will launch “NWI Thrive,” a project committed to ensuring each county’s residents have access to Northwest Indiana’s unique amenities, including Indiana Dunes National Park, South Shore Line’s new Double Track, and the development of the Marquette Greenway trail. Unity Foundation staff will serve on the Project Leadership Team, which will oversee the entire grant.

Proposed projects include improved signage to trailheads, enhanced trail maintenance, development of new trails, and educational campaigns and programs within Indiana Dunes National Park. “Discover Hubs” at South Shore train stations—including the upgraded downtown Michigan City station—will promote local businesses and events, driving tourism and support for the local economy.

NWI Thrive reimagines the communities of Michigan City and Gary as cultural anchors for the Indiana Dunes National Park. In Michigan City, a unique cultural trail along Pine Street will connect the new downtown train station and two new mixed-use developments to the Marquette Greenway. Custom trailheads and interpretive signage will help position Michigan City as the eastern gateway to the National Park.

"This investment is a game-changer for Michigan City, marking a pivotal step in shaping our future, while honoring our past, as well," said Mayor Angie Nelson-Deuitch.

“This grant is another example of how the four community foundations with regional partners have come together to accomplish more than any one of us could do alone,” Unity Foundation President Maggi Spartz said. “We have a long history of regional success thanks to Lilly Endowment.”

NWI Thrive will incorporate educational opportunities throughout all projects, with a focus on increasing local understanding, appreciation, and stewardship of the region’s local wildlife and habitats. These creative placemaking efforts will support educational outcomes that further protect Northwest Indiana’s natural areas and resources.

The community foundations will work with the following organizations to implement project activities: County and municipal officials, National Park Service (NPS), Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC), NWI Forum, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD), Regional Development Authority (RDA), Save the Dunes, Dunes Learning Center, and Calumet Heritage Area Partnership.

In 1990, Lilly Endowment launched the Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative to help establish and further develop community foundations throughout Indiana. Lilly Endowment hoped that Indiana’s community foundations could enhance the quality of life in their communities by convening conversations among people of diverse ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, occupations, races and cultural traditions about their communities’ most compelling needs and opportunities as well as the best ways to address them.

About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. 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’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

About Unity Foundation
Since 1992, Unity Foundation of La Porte County has served donors, nonprofits and local communities. As La Porte County’s community foundation, it manages $50 million in assets, administers more than 350 charitable funds, and has distributed more than $29 million through direct grants and scholarships. Unity Foundation’s mission is to strengthen La Porte County now and forever by building permanent endowments; providing leadership; offering philanthropic vehicles for everyone; and being a catalyst for social and economic vitality. For more information, please visit uflc.net or call 219-879-0327.

About Legacy Foundation
Legacy Foundation is the community foundation for Lake County, Indiana. Our mission is to transform Lake County by providing strategic leadership and impactful philanthropic support to ensure equitable opportunity for all communities that we serve. Through the generosity of a wide base of donors, Legacy Foundation has awarded over $50 million in grants and scholarships to nonprofit organizations and individuals since its founding in 1992. The foundation manages over $100 million in assets and is governed by a volunteer board of directors representing a diverse spectrum of business, education, and the nonprofit and public sectors. Learn more at www.legacyfdn.org.

Crown Point Community Foundation (CPCF) is a community foundation serving South Lake County.