Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center Supported by $1M Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.
MOORESVILLE, IN - Wabash Conference of the Free Methodist Church of North America has received a $1,000,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps.
With the grant, Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center (WPC&RC) will make enhancements and upgrades to recreation and play areas, waterfront and aquatic facilities, infrastructure and lodging, and accessibility improvements. Together, these projects will strengthen the camp’s ability to welcome more youth, enrich their experiences, and ensure that the facilities remain safe, inclusive, and sustainable for generations.
“Securing the Lilly Endowment [phase 2] grant is a tremendous blessing for our camp and for the youth we serve. This investment moves us closer to expanding our capacity to reach more students, develop young leaders, and support the ministries that shape our conference and the Kingdom at large. We are honored by the trust the Lilly Endowment has placed in our vision and excited for what God will do next.” — Deana Hayes-Black, Executive Director
This is one of 68 approved grants totaling more than $77 million to help residential (overnight) youth camps in Indiana enhance and expand their facilities, which are integral to their work to provide high-quality programming and experiences that contribute to positive outcomes for youth.
The grants, which range from $750,000 to $1.5 million, will help organizations that run residential youth camps in 44 counties across Indiana improve cabins, dining halls, outdoor
recreation spaces, chapels, and technology and utility infrastructure, among other upgrades.
The Endowment is making the grants through its three-phase Capital Project Initiative for
Residential Youth Camps.
Earlier this year, WPC&RC, applied for and received a phase 1 planning grant from the Endowment, designed to help assess facility needs and prepare proposals for phases 2 and 3 funding. WPC&RC phase 1 funds were applied to infrastructure and architectural analysis, site planning, camp consultant services, capital campaign planning, and a digital camp management platform.
In phase 3 of the Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps, eligible organizations can apply for large-scale grants to help them partially fund the construction of new facilities, major facility upgrades, new land acquisition to expand camp properties, or similar large projects. In this phase, the Endowment will make available grants ranging from up to $2.5 million to up to $10 million, depending on the average number of youth served by the camps, and other factors.
WPC&RC is preparing its phase 3 proposal. The deadline to submit proposals for these large-scale competitive grants is January 12, 2026. More information about this initiative can be found on the Endowment’s website here.
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About Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center
For 95+ years, Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center has been a place where youth, families, and communities gather to encounter life-changing experiences of faith, leadership, and belonging. Located on 50 acres in Clay City, Indiana, the campus is a hub for Christian camping and retreats, serving over 700 youth annually. Owned and operated by the Wabash Conference of The Free Methodist Church of North America, the camp welcomes participants from across Indiana and Illinois, with particular emphasis on youth from underserved rural communities.
About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based 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. Although the gifts of stock remain a 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 programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
With the grant, Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center (WPC&RC) will make enhancements and upgrades to recreation and play areas, waterfront and aquatic facilities, infrastructure and lodging, and accessibility improvements. Together, these projects will strengthen the camp’s ability to welcome more youth, enrich their experiences, and ensure that the facilities remain safe, inclusive, and sustainable for generations.
“Securing the Lilly Endowment [phase 2] grant is a tremendous blessing for our camp and for the youth we serve. This investment moves us closer to expanding our capacity to reach more students, develop young leaders, and support the ministries that shape our conference and the Kingdom at large. We are honored by the trust the Lilly Endowment has placed in our vision and excited for what God will do next.” — Deana Hayes-Black, Executive Director
This is one of 68 approved grants totaling more than $77 million to help residential (overnight) youth camps in Indiana enhance and expand their facilities, which are integral to their work to provide high-quality programming and experiences that contribute to positive outcomes for youth.
The grants, which range from $750,000 to $1.5 million, will help organizations that run residential youth camps in 44 counties across Indiana improve cabins, dining halls, outdoor
recreation spaces, chapels, and technology and utility infrastructure, among other upgrades.
The Endowment is making the grants through its three-phase Capital Project Initiative for
Residential Youth Camps.
Earlier this year, WPC&RC, applied for and received a phase 1 planning grant from the Endowment, designed to help assess facility needs and prepare proposals for phases 2 and 3 funding. WPC&RC phase 1 funds were applied to infrastructure and architectural analysis, site planning, camp consultant services, capital campaign planning, and a digital camp management platform.
In phase 3 of the Capital Project Initiative for Residential Youth Camps, eligible organizations can apply for large-scale grants to help them partially fund the construction of new facilities, major facility upgrades, new land acquisition to expand camp properties, or similar large projects. In this phase, the Endowment will make available grants ranging from up to $2.5 million to up to $10 million, depending on the average number of youth served by the camps, and other factors.
WPC&RC is preparing its phase 3 proposal. The deadline to submit proposals for these large-scale competitive grants is January 12, 2026. More information about this initiative can be found on the Endowment’s website here.
###
About Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center
For 95+ years, Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center has been a place where youth, families, and communities gather to encounter life-changing experiences of faith, leadership, and belonging. Located on 50 acres in Clay City, Indiana, the campus is a hub for Christian camping and retreats, serving over 700 youth annually. Owned and operated by the Wabash Conference of The Free Methodist Church of North America, the camp welcomes participants from across Indiana and Illinois, with particular emphasis on youth from underserved rural communities.
About Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based 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. Although the gifts of stock remain a 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 programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
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