Lilly Endowment aims to deepen and enrich the religious lives of American Christians by supporting congregations and their leadership. It focuses on ensuring congregations have leaders who are wise, faithful, and well-prepared, helps Christians draw on their theological traditions to face contemporary challenges and live their faith fully, and fosters public understanding of religion's role in civic well-being.
Lilly Endowment's grant program focuses on several key areas to support the vitality of Christian congregations and their leadership in the U.S. These areas include strengthening pastoral leadership by supporting the development of wise, faithful, and well-prepared leaders for congregations, deepening the Christian life through exploration of scriptural and theological traditions to address contemporary challenges, enhancing congregational vitality by addressing pressing challenges facing congregations, strengthening religious institutions and networks to support the vitality and mission of congregations, and improving public understanding of religion by fostering understanding about the role of religion in American life and the contributions of diverse religious communities. The grant program seeks to ensure vibrant congregations, support pastoral and congregational leadership, and promote a deeper understanding of religious faith in the contemporary world.