IU to support mental well-being in collaboration with Lilly Endowment and rural congregations

Bloomington, Ind.—The Indiana University Foundation has received a grant of $1,425,863 from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative. The grant will support the IU Center for Rural Engagement and other university partners in creating a suite of mental well-being resources that address needs expressed by rural congregations and their communities.

The aim of Lilly Endowment's national initiative is to provide resources to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them. 

The Center for Rural Engagement and its partners in the School of Social Work, the School of Public Health-Bloomington, the IU Southeast Applied Research and Education Center and the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs will develop faith-informed and culturally relevant resources that increase the capacity of rural clergy and congregational lay leaders to support mental health and reduce feelings of isolation in their communities. These resources will include:

• a training certificate program for pastoral leaders and staff on trauma-informed care and strategies to support residents navigating mental health needs led by John Keesler and David Wilkerson, School of Social Work;
• cohort-based workshops and resources to support postpartum well-being led by Bryn Hannon, School of Public Health-Bloomington, and the Maternal Advocates Resource Alliance;
• arts-based wellness guides provided to faith-based organizations for the teens, veterans, and seniors that they serve;
• virtual parenting resources for families with teens developed by John Keesler and David Wilkerson, School of Social Work;
• workshops for faith-affiliated colleges and universities that are interested in leveraging the Center for Rural Engagement’s successful community-engaged learning model to increase student and faculty involvement in their local communities;
• comprehensive digital mapping resources to help connect rural churches and their leaders with existing community resources for referrals and ongoing partnership, led by Brad Fulton, O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs;
• program evaluation led by Melissa S. Fry, IU Southeast Applied Research and Education Center.

“Indiana University is a leader in health and innovative rural partnerships,” said Center for Rural Engagement executive director Denny Spinner. “We are grateful to Lilly Endowment for this grant, which will support improved mental wellness for rural congregations and communities in Indiana and across the U.S.”

Rural America is facing a mental health crisis, with a suicide rate nearly double that of urban communities. A provider shortage places congregations and their leaders on the front lines of mental health needs while those leaders face burnout and their own mental health concerns.  

The IU Foundation is one of 20 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the initiative, including colleges and universities, denominational agencies, church networks and parachurch organizations, among others.  With the goal of increasing access to mental well-being resources available to rural communities, the Center for Rural Engagement will work with rural Indiana congregations and collaborate with organizations across the nation that are also receiving funding through Lilly Endowment’s Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns initiative.

 “Our hope is that these grants will provide much needed resources and support to rural and small-town churches to help them address their challenges and enhance and extend the many ways that they serve their communities,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion.

Media contact:
Kyla Cox Deckard
IU Center for Rural Engagement 
(812) 855-4992 office
(812) 219-9993 cell 
knblanke@iu.edu