AYS has received a grant of $1,000,000 from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help enhance afterschool enrichments for students and staff.
OCTOBER 10, 2023 || INDIANAPOLIS, IN
— The At Your School (AYS) program is being funded through Lilly Endowment’s initiative, Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana. The aim of the competitive initiative is to help youth-serving organizations working throughout Indiana improve their abilities to promote the academic, physical and social well-being of young people, ages five through 18.
AYS has been a leading provider of out-of-school time programs for elementary school-age students in Central Indiana since 1980. The organization started with three mothers concerned about children with working parents going home to empty houses after school, and now one in three kids in Indiana are in that situation. This grant enables AYS to bridge that gap time directly by funding enhanced sports programming, building capacity among staff professional development, and offering more robust tutoring provided by the youth-serving nonprofit organization and community partners.
“When children have access to reliable, enriching programming beyond the school day, they and their families thrive.” Justin Armstrong, Chief Operations Officer of AYS shared. “With over 40 years of experience, AYS can support more families and schools across Central Indiana as they continue to help close both educational and developmental achievement gaps. Lilly Endowment has empowered AYS to make vital program enhancements and implement foundational growth. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to reach more Hoosier children and families while strengthening our dedicated staff.”
AYS is one of 187 organizations receiving grants through Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana.
“Indiana’s youth-serving organizations are crucial to the healthy development of children and youth across the state,’ said Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for education. “The challenges these organizations have faced in meeting the needs of young people in recent years have made their work increasingly difficult. Lilly Endowment is pleased to support their efforts to strengthen programs and serve more youth more effectively.”
Lilly Endowment launched Strengthening Youth Programs in Indiana Initiative in 2022 with an invitational round of grants to nine national youth-serving organizations to help them expand and enhance the work of their Indiana affiliates or chapters.
Contact Information:
Madi Gregory
mgregory@ayskids.org
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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. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
About AYS, Inc.
For over 40 years, At Your School (AYS) before and after school programs have empowered Central Indiana families to achieve their full potential by allowing parents to focus on their goals while their children receive the support they need outside of school hours. Learn more at
www.ayskids.org.
