Last modified: Thursday, January 19, 2012
Lilly Endowment awards $6.6 million to support IU Public Policy Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 19, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana University Foundation has received a $6.6 million grant from Lilly Endowment to support the work of the Indiana University Public Policy Institute.
"This generous funding is a vote of confidence in the institute's ability to continue its good work in the future, which Lilly Endowment has supported for 20 years," said John L. Krauss, director of PPI.
PPI is housed within the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. PPI will use this grant to launch a fundraising campaign to sustain PPI for years to come, Krauss noted.
"Once again Lilly Endowment has demonstrated its strong support for Indiana University and the people of Indiana with this grant to the Public Policy Institute," IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. "This latest example of the endowment's remarkable generosity will strengthen PPI's mission to carry out vital research on a range of community and public policy issues that affect the lives of Hoosiers every day."
"Lilly Endowment has supported our efforts since 1992, when the Endowment funded the newly formed Center for Urban Policy and the Environment," Krauss said.
CUPE's research included government and community policy issues as well as criminal justice, public safety and environmental issues. The wide variety of topics included land use, teenage drivers, economic development, gun violence, gaming, intergovernmental cooperation, housing concerns and nonprofit organizations.
As CUPE grew, a second center -- the Center for Criminal Justice Research -- was formed to focus on criminal justice and public safety research. The Public Policy Institute was created in 2008 to be the umbrella organization over both centers. CUPE, CCJR and PPI have long been recognized for their nonpartisan, non-ideological research.
"Lilly Endowment is pleased to support the efforts of PPI and its centers to provide solid research and analysis on important issues facing Indiana policymakers," said N. Clay Robbins, president of the Endowment. "Such information is critical to the deliberations of private- and public-sector leaders as they strive to improve the quality of life in Indiana communities."
PPI has collaborated with many university entities statewide, including IU's law schools in Indianapolis and Bloomington, the Center on Philanthropy and other IU and Purdue schools. PPI also supports the Indiana Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
In 2007, PPI staffed the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform, which issued the report, "Streamlining Local Government: We've got to stop governing like this," also known as the Kernan-Shepard report, which continues to inform efforts in the Indiana General Assembly.
"PPI is truly a multidisciplinary, applied research institute, and PPI's work is especially beneficial to our urban campus and our central Indiana neighbors," said IUPUI Chancellor Charles R. Bantz.
Learn more about the IU Public Policy Institute at www.policyinstitute.iu.edu.
