Initiatives supporting the past, present, and future of architecture in Columbus have never been stronger.
On Tuesday, Heritage Fund-The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County announced it had received a five-year Large-Scale Community Leadership Grant of $3,498,824 through the seventh phase of Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow initiative.
Monies from the grant will be used to support efforts by the Landmark Columbus Foundation, an organization which cares for, celebrates and advances the cultural heritage of the city and county.
The grant, which took two years worth of application work, is the Heritage Fund’s largest one bestowed since 2008 when it received $3 million for the $18 million cost of the current Commons downtown.
The grant will allow the Landmark Columbus Foundation to enact several initiatives, including an in-depth survey and inventory of the cultural resources in the county, starting an endowment fund, and launching a revolving loan fund.
The Heritage Fund board of directors said they considered a number of potential community leadership initiatives, but came to the conclusion that it was most important to help preserve the area’s Modernist architecture.
But it wasn’t just the Heritage Fund’s work that brought the award to the county — the application was also backed by letters of support from 16 local organizations.
All those that were involved should be commended for their time and dedication to making the grant happen.
It’s impressive that Landmark Columbus, a program that was launched in just 2015, has received this major award and proves just how valuable local architecture is to not just those in Bartholomew County, but to the entire state of Indiana and beyond.
All should be excited about the grant’s prospect, and look forward to the projects that will spawn thanks to the boost in funding.
Receiving this award to start 2021, Bartholomew County’s bicentennial year, is fitting.
