The Metropolitan School District of Warren Township has received a $30 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Marion County K-12 Public Schools Initiative. This grant is one of 34 large-scale implementation awards being made through Phase 3 of the initiative, which aims to strengthen academic achievement for Indianapolis students and expand their opportunities for long-term success after high school.
With this grant, MSD Warren Township will launch a comprehensive, districtwide effort aligned with our district strategic plan focused on college and career readiness, family engagement and social services, academic acceleration supports, and school leader and teacher development. These initiatives will ensure that every student, across all MSD Warren Township schools, gains the knowledge, skills, experiences and support necessary to thrive now and into their college, career, and life journey. Provided below is an overview of the main priority areas of the grant.
K–12 College & Career Readiness Framework and Journey of a Graduate (JoG) Centers
Warren will build three state-of-the-art Journey of a Graduate (JoG) Centers at Creston, Raymond Park, and Stonybrook Intermediate Middle Schools. These centers will offer exploratory, hands-on, career-integrated learning experiences aligned with high-demand fields such as engineering, technology, sciences, trades, and more. Through these experiences, middle school students will build a strong foundation for Indiana’s new high school diploma requirements while developing the skills reflected in Warren’s Journey of a Graduate competencies and preparing for the college and career pathways offered at Warren Central High School and Walker Career Center.
As part of this work, MSD Warren Township will deepen its partnership with EmployIndy to connect student learning to real-world experiences and workforce opportunities. EmployIndy will support career awareness programming, employer engagement, and expanded work-based learning experiences for both students and staff.
Expanded High-Dosage Tutoring & Academic Acceleration
To accelerate reading and math achievement, Warren will expand high-dosage tutoring opportunities for students across the district. These afterschool and extended-learning sessions will provide targeted small-group instruction aligned with each student’s needs. The program builds on Warren’s strong academic growth trends and will be supported through teacher training, curriculum alignment, and ongoing progress monitoring. These tutoring sessions play a critical role in supporting Warren’s ambitious IREAD-3, ILEARN ELA, and ILEARN Math proficiency goals detailed in the Lilly Endowment proposal.
Dual Capacity Student & Family Social Services Framework
Building on the success of our Moorhead Community Resource Center, MSD Warren Township will expand year-round family engagement, social-emotional supports, and multilingual services across all schools. Family engagement liaisons and school based social workers will ensure families have regular access to resources, mental health supports, food security programs, and school-connected services, strengthening the conditions necessary for student learning and well-being.
Leadership Development & Staff Capacity Building
Last but not least, MSD Warren Township will invest in more than 80 school and district leaders through the Indiana Association of School Principals’ School Leader Paradigm and certify 400 teachers in the Science of Mathematics, mirroring Warren’s highly successful Science of Reading initiative. A new micro-credential system will provide meaningful, competency-based professional learning opportunities to support high-quality instruction across all grade levels.
"This investment from Lilly Endowment will be transformational for the Pride of the Eastside," said Dr. Tim Hanson, Superintendent of MSD Warren Township. "The grant allows us to expand tutoring opportunities that accelerate learning, build career-connected middle school experiences, and strengthen our partnership with EmployIndy to ensure our students are prepared for the workforce of tomorrow. We are deeply grateful for this opportunity to invest in our students, families, and educators in ways that will change lives for years to come."
About MSD of Warren Township
MSD of Warren Township is an innovative district that serves nearly 11,500 students across 15 schools on Indianapolis’s far eastside. The district is one of the most diverse in Marion County and is committed to academic excellence, whole-child support, and preparing all students for life beyond high school. Recent achievements include a 19% increase in IREAD-3 proficiency, near-top growth on ILEARN, and a graduation rate above 92%. These Phase 3 initiatives build directly on Warren’s strategic plan and extensive stakeholder engagement efforts.
MSD Warren Township previously received a Phase 2 implementation grant from Lilly Endowment in May 2025, which supported AVID implementation, acceleration specialists, school based social workers, and extracurricular programming that continue to serve students and families.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in Eli Lilly and Company. Although the Endowment remains supported by this stock, it is a separate entity from the company. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports community development, education, and religion. The Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, with a special commitment to Indianapolis and Indiana.