Raleigh, N.C. – The NC Rural Center has received a $1.25 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. to expand its successful Faith in Rural Communities program to 40 rural faith communities of color over four years.
The Faith in Rural Communities (FIRC) program partners with churches to locate the powerful intersection between their assets and community opportunities. This partnership with the Lilly Endowment will allow the program to expand to provide coaching, capacity building, and grant support to more faith-based communities.
“This grant affirms the important impact rural faith communities of color have on their communities’ vitality,” said Heather Kilbourne, FIRC director. “The Lilly Endowment recognizes the power of North Carolina’s rural churches to transform their communities and we are grateful for their willingness to invest in us and them.”
The NC Rural Center is one of 105 organizations that received grants through a competitive round of the Thriving Congregations Initiative. Reflecting a wide variety of Christian traditions, the organizations represent mainline Protestant, evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox, peace church and Pentecostal faith communities.
“Congregations play an essential role in deepening the faith of individuals and contributing to the vitality of communities,”
Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment vice president for religion
The aim of the Thriving Congregations Initiative is to encourage the flourishing of congregations by helping them deepen their relationships with God, enhance their connections with each other, and contribute to the vitality of their communities and the world.
“Congregations play an essential role in deepening the faith of individuals and contributing to the vitality of communities,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We hope that these programs will nurture the vibrancy and spark the creativity of congregations, helping them imagine new ways to share God’s love in their communities and across the globe.”
Faith in Rural Communities works with churches from the mountains to the sea of North Carolina, and has invested $473,000 in 63 community projects since its founding in 2018. Through this partnership with the Lilly Endowment, the NC Rural Center and its Faith in Rural Communities program will continue to assist churches throughout the state.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a 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. While those gifts remain the 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 and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.
About the NC Rural Center
The NC Rural Center has worked since 1987 to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies to improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians. The Rural Center serves the state’s 78 rural counties, with a special focus on people with low-to-moderate incomes and communities with limited resources. To learn more about how the NC Rural Center is developing and supporting rural leaders across the state, visit www.ncruralcenter.org.