YWCA USA Awarded $10M by Lilly Endowment Inc. to Advance Youth Character Development Nationwide

YWCA USA Awarded $10M by Lilly Endowment Inc. to Advance Youth Character Development Nationwide

Washington, D.C -- YWCA USA is proud to announce it has received a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to advance youth character development and leadership across its national network. This five-year investment will support Character Development Through Youth Programs (CDTYP), a national initiative designed to center youth voices in the design and delivery of programming.

This initiative is part of the Lilly Endowment’s national Character Development Through Youth Programs effort, which supports youth-serving organizations in developing and sustaining strategies that foster character in young people. YWCA USA is one of 14 organizations selected for this investment.

Building on YWCA’s strong foundation — serving tens of thousands of youth from infant childcare through college prep and beyond — CDTYP expands and enhances offerings such as mentoring, STEM clubs, and wellness workshops. Rather than using a one-size-fits-all model, this initiative empowers YWCA USA to partner with Local YWCAs and youth to co-design programs, campaigns, and convenings to meet the unique needs, culture, and strengths of their communities.

A national Youth Cabinet of young leaders will play a pivotal role in shaping the initiative, ensuring it reflects the lived experiences of girls of all backgrounds. Through ongoing feedback from youth, staff, and community partners, CDTYP will evolve in real time—grounded in the values of equity, empowerment, and leadership.

“Character is inner strength that brings outer change,” said YWCA USA CEO Margaret Mitchell. “This grant is a catalyst that helps us scale and sustain the values-driven work our Local Associations have been leading—centering youth voices and fostering leadership rooted in equity.”

Over the next five years, the Lilly Endowment funding will help YWCAs:

• Equip and strengthen Local Associations by developing training curricula, coaching guides, and evaluation tools that embed YWCA’s unique character development framework.

• Center youth voices and leadership by establishing a Youth Cabinet and funding youth-led projects that position girls as co-creators of solutions.

• Expand organizational capacity and infrastructure by investing in a national technical assistance team with the ability to train YWCA staff at Local Associations.

• Build a national culture of shared learning and accountability through regional convenings, peer-to-peer mentoring and learning opportunities among Local Associations and a coordinated evaluation and storytelling network.

YWCA USA envisions a future where all young people—especially girls and young women of color—can grow up free from racism and sexism, experience justice and equity, and thrive. This grant strengthens the capacity of YWCA’s national network to bring that vision to life.

YWCA USA is a powerful network of over 190 community-based, grassroots organizations with the collective mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. Through membership in World YWCA, we are also a proud part of a global women’s rights movement with the goal of engaging 100 million young women and girls to transform power structures to create justice, gender equality, and a world without violence and war by the year 2035.

YWCAs are on the ground in towns, cities, and counties across the United States, providing the services that women need most, from safety for domestic and sexual violence survivors to affordable housing and child care. Using our collective action at the local level, YWCA USA lifts women’s voices to impact social and policy change at the state and national levels. We believe that this unique combination of services, advocacy, and social change will lead to a world where ALL women, girls, and gender-diverse people, especially those of color, are free from racism and sexism, experience justice and equity, and are empowered to thrive. As a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization, YWCA USA is prohibited from endorsing or opposing candidates for elected office. For more information, visit ywca.org.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based, private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although gifts of stock remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. The Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion.

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