Fifteen sites significant to Indiana’s African American history are receiving restoration and rehabilitation assistance through two funds established by the late Eli Lilly chemist and preservation champion Standiford “Stan” Cox.

Grants totaling $205,000 are being distributed from the Standiford H. Cox Fund and the Dovie Stewart Cox & Chester A. Cox Sr. Memorial Fund to sites across the state.

Stan Cox, who passed away in 2019, joined Eli Lilly and Co. in 1957 as its first Black chemist. He established the two funds with the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) to support the restoration, preservation, operation, and ongoing maintenance of African American historic sites in Indiana.

The 15 organizations receiving grants are listed below, along with a brief description of how the funds will be used:

• Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Indianapolis: $10,000 for a fire suppression system at the 1927 church in the Chatham Arch Historic District.
• Boonville Now: $20,000 to replace the roof on the 1893 Mount Liberty Baptist Church.
• City of Rushville Parks Department: $20,000 for masonry and wood window repairs at the 1905 Booker T. Washington School
• Evansville African American Museum: $15,000 to replace the roof and gutters on the museum, located in the remaining portion of the 1937 Lincoln Gardens public housing development.
• First Baptist Church, Gary: $15,000 to assist with repairs to stained-glass windows at the 1955 church designed by Black developer Andrew Means.
• Friends of Town Clock Church, New Albany: $10,000 to help improve accessibility by installing safety doors, a touch pad for automatic doors, and a lift at the 1852 church.
• House of Worship for All People, Marion: $15,000 to replace the roof and add new gutters and downspouts at the 1905 church designed by Black architect Samuel Plato.
• Indiana Landmarks: $20,000 to restore windows on a 1905 house in Marion designed by Black architect Samuel Plato
• Olivet AME Church, South Bend: $10,000 to repair front steps and replace windows in the 1923 church.
• Resurrection Community Church, Indianapolis: $15,000 for a new HVAC system in the 1943/1960 church on the city’s northeast side.
• Second Baptist Church, Bloomington: $10,000 to rebuild wood structural systems for the stained-glass windows and replace their coverings at in the 1913 church designed by Black architect Samuel Plato.
• Smithfield Baptist Church, Rockport: $15,000 to replace electrical and plumbing systems in the 1875 church.
• South Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, Indianapolis: $5,000 to help replace the roof on the 1950s church on the city’s south side.
• Union Literary Institute Preservation Society, Inc.: $20,000 for masonry repairs to the 1860 school in Randolph County, established to offer higher education without regard to color or sex.
• University United Methodist Church, Indianapolis: $5,000 to replace windows in the 1970 church.

“Preserving Black history often begins with neighbors and volunteers who recognize that a place matters and commit themselves to saving it,” said Jennifer Bartenbach, CEO of Central Indiana Community Foundation. “They organize, raise funds, build support and continue caring for these sites year after year. As public resources for this work become more limited, philanthropy plays an increasingly important role in helping those efforts move forward. Stan Cox’s generosity helps strengthen that grassroots work, giving communities the resources to protect important places and keep their stories alive for future generations.”

“We’re pleased to serve as a preservation advisor on these grants, which continue the visionary work of Stan Cox to protect Indiana’s Black heritage,” said Mark Dollase, vice president of preservation services at Indiana Landmarks. “The partnership between the Central Indiana Community Foundation and Indiana Landmarks creates a brighter future for these important local landmarks.”

The Standiford H. Cox Fund supports the restoration, preservation, operation, and ongoing maintenance of African American historic sites in Indiana. The Dovie Stewart Cox & Chester A. Cox Sr. Memorial Fund, which Cox created to honor his parents, provides support for Lost Creek Community Grove at the Lost Creek Settlement near Terre Haute, one of the state’s earliest settlements of free people of color. Since its inception in 2020, the Cox Funds have awarded nearly $1.2 million in grants around the state. Indiana Landmarks Black Heritage Preservation Program serves as a preservation advisor to both funds, recommending projects.

Applications for the next round of grants will be due April 1, 2027. Those who want to suggest a property that might qualify for grants from the funds should contact Indiana Landmarks at coxfunds@indianalandmarks.org.

Born in Brazil, Ind., Cox was an Indiana University graduate who worked for 32 years for Eli Lilly and Co., beginning as a chemist and holding a variety of positions during his career. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic society, he also earned a master’s degree from Butler University. An advocate for academic biochemical research, he endowed the Standiford H. Cox Professorship in Biochemistry at Indiana University in Bloomington.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Mark Dollase, Vice President of Preservation Services, Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534, mdollase@indianalandmarks.org

Mindi Woolman, Director of Marketing and Communications, Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534, mwoolman@indianalandmarks.org

Kelsey Todd, Director of Marketing, Communications & Brand Strategy, CICF, 317-634-2423 x122, kelseyt@cicf.org

Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, strengthens connections to our diverse heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.

Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) is an $850 million public foundation working to mobilize people, ideas and investments to make this a community where all individuals have equitable opportunity to reach their full potential—no matter place, race or identity. CICF was established in 1997 as a partnership between The Indianapolis Foundation, serving Marion County since 1916, and Hamilton County Community Foundation, serving Hamilton County since 1991. For more information about CICF, visit www.cicf.org or call 317-634-2423.