ARC receives Lilly Endowment grant for disaster relief and readiness

Lilly Endowment Inc. has awarded two grants totaling $3 million to the American Red Cross to support disaster relief and readiness. A $1million grant will allow the Red Cross to help people immediately affected by disaster; a $2 million grant will help the organization create a simpler, more responsive information technology system to meet the needs of people in need, workers, and community partners. It is the latest in a series of gifts by Lilly Endowment that span decades and have helped ensure Red Cross readiness to respond with needed assistance to people affected by disaster. 

The $1 million gift will help the Red Cross respond to disasters by ensuring that disaster workers are ready to open pre-identified shelters and move food and comfort supplies as soon as they are needed. The importance of these leadership gifts is proven when the Red Cross immediately responds, as it has since March 2 when tornadoes affected residents in seven states, including Indiana.

The $2 million grant to the Red Cross will help it unify its disaster case management functionality and applications into an expanded and integrated suite of IT solutions, both eliminating redundant data entry and creating a comprehensive view of resources available to people in need. The grant will help the Red Cross create a simpler and more responsive information technology system to meet the needs of disaster clients, workers, and community partners. 

"Case management is where hope begins for many disaster victims," said Gail J. McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross.  "With Lilly Endowment's generous support, we will be able to deliver compassionate care more quickly and efficiently."

"Lilly Endowment is pleased to help fund immediate disaster relief efforts of the American Red Cross," said N. Clay Robbins," president of Lilly Endowment. "We think it is equally beneficial to aid the Red Cross in initiatives that improve operations and systems so that the impact of its disaster assistance disasters will be enhanced and magnified."