Collaboration and Conference Grants

About this program

Lilly Network offers $25,000 Collaboration and Conference Grants to Member Institutions to convene faculty, administrators (and optionally students or community members) from church-related higher education for small-group workshops or larger conferences that advance conversation about church-related learning, mission, and related regional, theological, curricular, or civic concerns. Grant funds may be used for venue, food/beverages, supplies, travel, and speaker honoraria but may not fund ongoing institutional faculty/staff costs, new personnel lines, employer benefits beyond 7.65% for Social Security/Medicare, direct fundraising, startup costs for for-profit ventures, or indirect/overhead. Applications must be submitted by Lilly Network faculty or staff on behalf of a Member Institution and include a five-page program description (executive summary, rationale, link to Lilly Network mission, goals, project description, evaluation plan), preliminary schedule, projected budget, director CV, and application cover sheet; applicants must consult the Lilly Network Program Director and follow the Guide to Writing Lilly Network Grant Proposals. Applications are due September 15 each year (notifications mid-November), and institutions that have received a grant in the same category are ineligible for three years unless the new proposal targets a different audience; submit a single PDF to lilly.network@valpo.edu.