December 10, 2024
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is receiving its second multimillion-dollar grant in two years from Lilly Endowment Inc. to increase grants awarded to colleges and universities offering programs related to calling and vocation. The $19,980,000 grant, the largest single gift in CIC’s history, builds upon the success of CIC’s development of its Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE). In 2022, Lilly Endowment awarded CIC a $15.3 million grant to support NetVUE.
NetVUE is a nationwide network of colleges and universities formed to enrich the theological and intellectual exploration of vocation among undergraduate students. It was established in 2009 with support from Lilly Endowment following the success of the Endowment’s earlier initiative, Programs for the Theological Exploration of Vocation. More than 300 colleges and universities are members of NetVUE; financial support for the network comes from membership dues as well as from Lilly Endowment. NetVUE offers national and regional gatherings, professional development programs, print and digital resources, and grants to member institutions—all designed to support efforts among colleges and universities to promote vocational reflection in the curriculum, co-curricular activities, and overall culture of independent higher education.
The new funding from Lilly Endowment will be used primarily to bolster NetVUE’s five grant programs, which provide direct funding to colleges and universities that are members of the network. Grants will increase by an average of 50 percent in the maximum dollar amount. In addition, a larger number of grants is expected to be awarded. These grant programs include one-year grants to support the professional development of faculty and staff and multi-year grants to help colleges and universities implement vocation-related programming for students. Among these is NetVUE’s newest grant program, Fostering Leadership for Communities of Faith, which supports member institutions that partner with local faith communities to help students discern future leadership roles.
The grant from Lilly Endowment will also fund two new opportunities: grants of up to $200,000 will be available to institutions considering larger, transformative projects, while smaller grants of up to $25,000 will be available to support faculty or staff members at member institutions to carry out vocation-related projects in their research or teaching. In addition to providing these new opportunities to NetVUE members, the new grant will support a new empirical study of the impact vocational exploration programs are having on students and on institutions.
NetVUE Executive Director David Cunningham noted that “funding from Lilly Endowment has already enabled CIC to provide NetVUE member institutions with over $20 million to encourage vocational exploration among undergraduate students, giving particular attention to the theological, ethical, and affective dimensions of their many callings in life. This new award will help NetVUE to provide substantial increases in its grants to member institutions and organizations, so that they can more effectively pursue this goal through programming for students and professional development for faculty members and staff.”
“NetVUE is now a well-established national network of colleges and universities committed to helping students discover and pursue meaningful lives motivated by faith and sense of purpose,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “We are pleased that NetVUE will increase funding available to member schools to develop and enhance their own programs to encourage and support students in these efforts.”
“CIC is pleased to receive this generous grant to continue creating meaningful impact for NetVUE member institutions,” said CIC President Marjorie Hass. “We often hear from members how valuable the network is in helping them draw on the wisdom of a range of theological and philosophical traditions, while also addressing the diversity of perspectives at their institutions. Independent colleges and universities face challenging headwinds, but this additional financial investment will enable them to strengthen their support for students who are committed to making a difference in the world.”
About CIC
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of more than 700 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils of independent colleges, and other higher education affiliates, that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization that focuses on services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. CIC offers conferences, seminars, publications, and other programs and services that help independent institutions improve educational quality, administrative and financial performance, student outcomes, and institutional visibility. It conducts the largest annual conferences of college and university presidents and of chief academic officers in the United States. Founded in 1956, CIC is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic 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. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.