Conner Prairie is reimagining storytelling and community engagement surrounding the Lenape people and their traditions, thanks to a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment.

The living history museum in Fishers recently received the grant through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The grant will support the Lenape Connection & Kinship on the White River project, which aims to amplify the voices of the Lenape people, honoring their cultural heritage, history and traditions.

“This generous grant enables us to deepen our partnerships with Indigenous communities and bring their stories to the forefront in meaningful ways,” Norman Burns, president and CEO of Conner Prairie, said in a statement. “We are committed to creating a space where the Lenape and other Indigenous peoples can share their histories and traditions, fostering understanding and connection for all.”

The Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative, which launched in 2019, offers financial support in the form of grant funding to museums and other cultural organizations that are strengthening their ability to “provide fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the role religion has played, and continues to play, in the United States and around the world,” according to a press release.

“The U.S. is widely considered to be one of the most religiously diverse nations today,” Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion, said in a statement. “We are excited to support these organizations as they continue to develop their capacities to help visitors understand and appreciate the diverse religious beliefs, practices and perspectives of their neighbors and others in communities around the globe.”

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Conner Prairie is one of several institutions that received a planning and implementation grant through the initiative’s initial round of funding in 2019 and 2020 — which supported its Promise Land as Proving Ground exhibition set to open fully in 2025.

With this new round of grant funding, Conner Prairie will continue working toward its goal of inclusive storytelling by ensuring the voices of the Lenape and other indigenous peoples remain a crucial part of the narrative shared with present and future generations.
The Lilly Endowment grant will allow Conner Prairie to do the following, according to a press release:

• Implement a new outdoor exhibit space scheduled to open in 2029 with immersive, modern and interactive elements to educate guests on Lenape traditions of the past and present.
• Repurpose the two existing historic cabins on the property.
• Hire a Community Curator.
• Conduct site visits to Lenape communities.
• Host Lenape representatives at Conner Prairie.
• Refine curriculum for school groups to better connect the past with the present and future through the lens of food, faith, family and fellowship.
• Establish a new framework for storytelling and curation as a centerpiece for future exhibit development at Conner Prairie and in the museum field.

For more information, visit connerprairie.org.

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.