African Methodist Episcopal Church Department of Global Witness and Ministry Receives $1 Million Grant Through Lilly Endowment's Hope After the Storm Initiative
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved a $1 million grant to the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church Department of Global Witness and Ministry (GWM) to strengthen its denominational capacity to respond to disasters and support communities across the United States.
The grant is part of Lilly Endowment’s Hope After the Storm: Capacity Building for Faith-Based Disaster Relief Organizations initiative, which supports organizations working at the intersection of faith, service, and disaster response. Lilly Endowment recognizes that faith-based organizations play a vital role in disaster response by mobilizing volunteers, providing essential resources, and offering spiritual and emotional care to affected individuals and families. “The commitment of these organizations to serve individuals and families in times of crisis is motivated by the religious faith of their volunteers, donors and staff members,” said N. Clay Robbins, Chairman and CEO of Lilly Endowment. “We are pleased to support their strategic and thoughtful plans to enhance and expand their considerable existing capacity.”
Lilly Endowment invited selected organizations to participate in a two-phase process. In the initial phase, organizations received planning grants of up to $50,000 to assess needs and design capacity-building strategies. This work was supported by a distinguished leadership and strategy team, including Dr. Cynthia Parnell McDonald, Dr. Reginald Blount, Dr. Carlos Perkins, and Dr. Miriam Burnett. The Department also extends special appreciation to Dr. Silvester Beaman for his leadership and support for this initiative.
In the second phase, selected organizations were awarded implementation grants to execute those plans at scale. “This moment represents a faithful commitment to stand with communities in their most vulnerable moments,” said Dr. John F. Green, Executive Director of the AME Church Department of Global Witness and Ministry. “We are developing a denominational capacity building model of ministry that does not stop at relief, but walks with people through recovery and into restoration.”
The Department of Global Witness and Ministry of the African Methodist Episcopal Church is committed to advancing faith-based service, justice, and global engagement. Through this capacity building grant, the Department of Global Witness and Ministry will expand the denomination’s ability to coordinate disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and long-term restoration efforts across its national network. The initiative reflects a holistic capacity building vision of disaster response that includes immediate relief, long-term recovery, and emotional and spiritual care.
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.
