Press Release Submitted
Perry Township, Ind – Perry Township Schools has received a forty-million dollar grant from Lilly
Endowment Inc. through its Marion County K-12 Public Schools Initiative. This is one of 34
large-scale implementation grants being awarded through phase 3 of the initiative, which is
designed to help strengthen the academic achievement of students in Indianapolis and improve
their prospects for success after high school.
With the grant, Perry Township Schools will work to:
- Close the mathematics achievement gap
- Enhance K-8 real world, career experiences where students develop practical
employability skills - Cultivate teacher excellence to ensure the highest quality educators in our classrooms
- Expand the entrepreneurship graduation pathway in partnership with the University of
Indianapolis by building an innovation facility located on UIndy’s campus
“We are incredibly grateful to receive the Phase 3 grant of the Marion County K-12 Public
Schools Initiative made possible through Lilly Endowment Inc. This investment directly supports
and accelerates our goal to empower the Southside community of Indianapolis,” said Perry
Township Schools Director of Grants and Strategic Partnerships, Melissa Morris. “We look
forward to working with our partners over the next five years to develop a self-sustaining system
that inspires students to dream and equips them with the skills to turn those dreams into reality.”
“We are excited to partner with Perry Township Schools for this grant,” said University of
Indianapolis President Tanuja Singh. “UIndy is deeply invested in improving outcomes for
students at every level of education and developing the next generation of Hoosier dreamers and thinkers who will solve the problems of tomorrow. I believe this collaboration serves as a model for how higher education institutions and K-12 schools can work together to expand opportunity, strengthen the state’s talent pipeline and transform student outcomes across Indiana.”
Perry Township Schools received a 7.8-million-dollar implementation grant from Lilly
Endowment in May 2025 through phase 2 of the Marion County K-12 Public School Initiative.
Lilly Endowment is making large-scale implementation grants to private schools in Indianapolis
through a separate, complementary initiative.
