Sarah and John Lechleiter to Donate $5 Million to United Way
Eli Lilly and Company Foundation will match donation, increasing total impact to $10 million
Significant portion of the gift to support expansion of high-quality early childhood education and the Center for Working Families network in central Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS – Ann Murtlow, President and CEO of United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI), and Brian Gallagher, President and CEO of United Way Worldwide (UWW), announced today a $5 million gift from longtime United Way supporters, Sarah and John Lechleiter. Matched by the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, the total gift of $10 million will be directed toward United Way’s impact work.
John Lechleiter is Chairman, President and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company and is Chairman of the United Way Worldwide Board of Directors. In 2003, Sarah Lechleiter became a founding member of UWCI’s women’s leadership giving group, Women United, and remains active as leader of UWCI’s Women of Tocqueville group. With this transformational gift, along with the couple’s personal giving over the years, and the corresponding matching gifts from the Lilly Foundation, the Lechleiters’ generosity toward United Way has exceeded $15 million to date.
“We are honored to provide this commitment to United Way,” said the Lechleiters. “We believe that United Way is uniquely positioned to address pressing community needs in central Indiana and in communities around the globe. With our commitment, we hope to encourage others to contribute to this vitally important organization. We’re also deeply grateful to the Lilly Foundation, which matches Lilly employee and retiree donations to United Way dollar-for-dollar.”
Of the $10 million total commitment, $8 million will be directed to UWCI. This gift marks the largest received from an individual donor in the organization’s 98-year history.
“We have been impressed with UWCI’s ten-year strategic plan designed to help more of our neighbors get and stay on a path to self-sufficiency,” said the Lechleiters. “We have also appreciated the way UWCI is deepening its engagement with corporate partners, including the strategic agreement reached with Eli Lilly and Company earlier this year that will help both organizations drive community impact and engage more people in volunteerism.”
A significant portion of the total gift is designated toward improving and expanding early childhood education and also to the expansion of the Center for Working Families network in central Indiana.
Early Childhood Education: As part of its education impact work, UWCI is committed to expanding the number of high-quality early education centers in central Indiana. Since 2012, the number of high-quality centers has increased from 14 percent to 36 percent. The Lechleiters’ gift will be a catalyst in helping UWCI reach its goal of having 80 percent of centers be high quality. In addition, this gift will help provide scholarships to children from low-income families so that they can gain access to these programs. (Note: To build on these efforts, John Lechleiter and Ann Murtlow, along with Ted Maple, President and CEO of Early Learning Indiana, Mayor Joe Hogsett, and other community partners will unveil tomorrow a two-pronged strategy for expanding pre-k during the 2017 legislative session so that more low-income students across Indiana can benefit.)
Center for Working Families: Currently, one in three central Indiana families is financially unstable. As part of its income impact work, UWCI is dedicated to decreasing that percentage through the Center for Working Families network. Pioneered by The Annie C. Casey Foundation, the network – with 10 current sites in central Indiana – is a model to help low-income families achieve financial stability through a full range of services. With the Lechleiters’ support, UWCI will accelerate its plan to open eight new network sites in the central Indiana area over the next five years.
“We believe that helping more children gain access to high-quality early education opportunities will fundamentally change the trajectory of their lives and will dramatically strengthen our community and state,” said the Lechleiters. “We are also impressed with the work of the Center for Working Families network. We believe that our gift will help the network assist more families so that they get the comprehensive support they need to achieve financial stability and self-sufficiency.”
The Lechleiters also want to encourage others to join them in contributing to UWCI. Accordingly, a portion of their gift each year will be designated as a challenge grant to motivate new or increased leadership-level gifts from other community leaders and to encourage new donors to United Way among Lilly employees and retirees.
“Sarah and John Lechleiter truly Live United,” said Murtlow. “Sarah works tirelessly as a volunteer and advocate for United Way initiatives, while John rallies our corporate leaders to take bold action on community priorities including, most recently, to make quality early childhood education a reality for all low-income children. We couldn’t be more grateful for their financial support of United Way and their deep personal commitment to the future of our community.”
The Lechleiters’ gift, combined with the Lilly Foundation match, will also allocate $2 million toward expanding the capabilities of United Ways in Brazil, India, South Africa and Spain. Matched by donors in those countries, the proceeds will help these four United Way organizations to achieve greater impact in addressing important local community needs.
“We extend our deep appreciation to Sarah and John Lechleiter for their ongoing generosity and longtime support of United Way’s work in the United States and around the world,” said Gallagher. “Sarah and John exemplify the spirit of philanthropy each and every day by offering their time, talents and resources to improve lives and build stronger communities.”
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CONTACTS
Jessica Di Santo, United Way of Central Indiana
317-921-1224 (office)
317-292-5608 (cell)
Christine Sanchez, United Way Worldwide
703-836-7100 ext. 564 (office)