Girl Scouts Receives $30M Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to Support Character Development Initiatives That Will Help Girls Thrive

NEW YORK (December 9, 2024) -Girl Scouts of the USA has received a $30 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help more girls across the country build confidence, understand their worth, and strengthen character traits that will help them thrive.

Expanding character development programs and increasing the number of girls who have access to them is being made possible through Character Development Through Youth Programs, a Lilly Endowment initiative designed to help youth-serving organizations create, test, implement and sustain strategies that support character development in the young people they serve in chapters and affiliates throughout the nation. Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is one of eight organizations being funded through the initiative.

Through its 111 Girl Scout councils and USA Girl Scouts Overseas, Girl Scouts offers a fun and safe environment where girls gain the skills necessary to navigate life with purpose and joy, explore their interests, discover their strengths, and grow in character. GSUSA's grant-funded efforts include improving access to Girl Scouts, removing barriers to participation, and supporting the cultural competency needed to serve all girls equitably. Through a variety of experiences and leadership development programming, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves and strengthen their own personal character development.

"We are grateful for Lilly Endowment's generosity and the commitment to helping Girl Scouts amplify our character-building programs to further our reach and impact across the country," said Bonnie Barczykowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. "This support will help us accelerate and deliver on our mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place."

"From the earliest days of its grantmaking, the Endowment has supported projects to encourage character development, especially among young people," said Ted Maple, the Endowment's vice president for education and youth programs. "We are heartened by the thoughtful and strategic approaches these youth-serving organizations are taking to support children and youth in developing character traits that will be important for them in their future roles as individuals, family members and citizens."