Area community foundations will use a $20 million Lilly Endowment Inc. grant to create “NWI Thrive,” a program that will invest in the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The Legacy Foundation, Crown Point Community Foundation, Unity Foundation of La Porte County and Porter County Community Foundation will collaborate on the project, which will improve green spaces and trails in the Region.
“This project focuses on building upon key recreation and transportation assets spanning the Lake, Porter and La Porte County region – Indiana Dunes National Park, expansion of the South Shore Line double tracking project, and the Marquette Greenway Trail, which will extend from Illinois to Michigan once complete,” said Kelly Anoe, president & CEO of Legacy Foundation, in a press release.
NWI Thrive will focus on building interest and understanding about the Region's wildlife and habitats through education and placemaking efforts.
The Legacy Foundation was the grant recipient. The statewide GIFT VIII program offered 30 grants to community foundation projects that will foster quality of place and life for the municipalities in the areas they serve.
“This grant is another example of how the four community foundations with regional partners have come together to accomplish more than any one of us could do alone,” said Maggi Spartz, Unity Foundation president, who is retiring at the end of 2025. “We have a long history of regional success thanks to Lilly Endowment.”
NWI Thrive will mark the city of Gary and Michigan City as anchor doors to the Indiana Dunes National Park.
Plans include linking the downtown Gary station, which is being redeveloped, to the Marquette Greenway, and a “cultural trail” in Michigan City will connect the downtown train station and two new mixed-use developments to the Marquette Greenway.
The following organizations will work together with the community foundations to bring the projects to reality: county and municipal officials, National Parks Service, Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, NWI Forum, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, Regional Development Authority, Save the Dunes, Dunes Learning Center and Calumet Heritage Area Partnership.
