Illustration by Rose Wong

Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded the In Trust Center for Theological Schools a $7.5 million continued support grant to provide funding for operations for a three-year period. The money will provide support for the In Trust Center’s operations through 2027.

“We’re grateful for Lilly Endowment’s generous support and strong commitment to the In Trust Center mission,” said Amy Kardash, president of the In Trust Center. “Lilly Endowment has long been a champion of theological education in North America, and we’re proud to partner with them in our continuing work.”

The In Trust Center is a nonprofit organization that serves theological schools in North America, connecting leaders to essential resources for mission vitality. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, the In Trust Center provides learning opportunities and grants to member schools and their leaders to create opportunities to connect, learn, and grow. The center’s membership comprises more than 240 schools and organizations from a wide range of Christian traditions, including Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox.

What’s now the center began in 1988 with an occasional magazine focused on theological schools. In the past 10 years, the organization has become a multi-faceted center that provides wise practices and resources to theological schools. It publishes a quarterly magazine, In Trust, which in 2022 won a best-in-class award from the Associated Church Press. It also provides Resource Consulting, a service for members that offers tailored help and resources for schools and their boards.

Lilly Endowment is the largest of the In Trust Center’s funders, which include other foundations and institutional and individual donors.

Lilly Endowment also has awarded the In Trust Center grants to co-coordinate the Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative with the Association of Theological Schools.