{"id":51098,"date":"2023-12-15T10:22:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T15:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/earlham.edu\/?p=51098&preview=true&preview_id=51098"},"modified":"2023-12-15T14:55:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-15T19:55:46","slug":"earlham-college-awarded-25m-grant-from-lilly-endowment-inc-for-revitalize-richmond-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earlham.edu\/news-events\/earlham-college-awarded-25m-grant-from-lilly-endowment-inc-for-revitalize-richmond-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Earlham College awarded $25M grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for Revitalize Richmond initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Earlham College has been selected for a highly competitive $25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.\u2019s College and Community Collaboration, a competitive initiative designed to encourage Indiana\u2019s colleges and universities to work closely with community stakeholders to envision and jointly undertake significant community development efforts to create more vibrant places in which to live, learn, work and play.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grant will fund the new \u201cRevitalize Richmond\u201d<\/strong><\/a> initiative \u2014 a five-year effort between Earlham and Wayne County community partners that will accelerate community development in Richmond with a specific concentration on downtown. Revitalize Richmond builds on community feedback and research to accelerate existing key community initiatives that are in the planning stages and introduces new efforts to strengthen the connections between Earlham\u2019s campus and downtown Richmond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revitalize Richmond includes three areas of focus: Activate, Build, and Connect. The projects in these areas are mutually beneficial to Earlham and our neighbors in Wayne County and include the development of new urban housing in downtown Richmond, improved transit connecting Earlham\u2019s campus to downtown, new outdoor recreation opportunities in the Whitewater Valley Gorge and other quality-of-place improvements to help Earlham and Richmond grow together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that the success of Earlham and Wayne County are inextricably linked \u2014 Earlham\u2019s history is Richmond\u2019s history,\u201d Earlham President Anne Houtman said. \u201cListening to the voices of our community and the guidance of our partners, we have created a vision that takes our city\u2019s current assets and builds upon them to increase the beauty, livability and economic stability of the downtown city center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRevitalize Richmond is a bridge, connecting the passion and expertise of our community partners with the additional resources they need to make a lasting impact,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has the power to transform and elevate our hometown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cRevitalize Richmond is a bridge, connecting the passion and expertise of our community partners with the additional resources they need to make a lasting impact,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has the power to transform and elevate our hometown.\u201d<\/p>Anne Houtman,
President of Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Earlham will administer the $25 million grant. With the $83 million in cost-share funding that has been committed by Earlham\u2019s partners in the effort, the community will realize an impact of more than $100 million in investments. Revitalize Richmond partners include the City of Richmond, Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County, Wayne County Foundation, Forward Wayne County, Main Street Richmond, Richmond Neighborhood Restoration, and Eric \u201996 and Becky \u201997 Dimick Eastman, the founders of a nascent makerspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further details about each component of Revitalize Richmond will be shared at earlham.edu\/revitalize-richmond<\/strong><\/a> and via social media in the coming months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe scope of the projects included in the Revitalize Richmond initiative would typically take decades to effectively secure funding for,\u201d said Valerie Shaffer, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County. \u201cNow we can move confidently and quickly forward on key efforts that have been planned to secure a strong future for our community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also know that progress of this magnitude has the potential to attract additional interest and investment in our community for years to come,\u201d she said. \u201cThe impact of this grant cannot be overstated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lilly Endowment launched the College and Community Collaboration initiative in February, allocating up to $300 million in funding to be approved in multiple phases. Earlham is one of six colleges and universities to receive funding in a first phase of implementation grants. Lilly Endowment expects to make additional implementation grants in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are so grateful to the Lilly Endowment for creating this visionary grant opportunity, which has the potential to transform college towns across Indiana,\u201d Houtman said. \u201cThere is palpable excitement within our community in Richmond and at Earlham as we consider the extraordinary impact that a grant of this magnitude can support.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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About Earlham College <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1847, Earlham College has fostered a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with transformative opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. Located in Richmond, Indiana, Earlham is one of U.S. News & World Report\u2019s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges and offers one of the top 20 classroom experiences in the nation, according to the Princeton Review.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Media contact<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Brian Zimmerman<\/strong>
Director of media relations
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Email: zimmebr@earlham.edu
Phone: 765.983.1256<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n