As a masters program graduate, Connor LaGrange, M.A. ’21, became a Patterson Foundation Fellow, “One of my favorite things was to help spearhead the dynamic fundraising initiative in conjunction with The Fund Raising School.”
IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy hosted the Youth Changemakers Summit June 12-15. At this interactive summit, students and philanthropy club advisors learned from experts working in the field and IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy faculty and staff. The summit offered a unique opportunity for young people, because there are countless fundraising conferences for adults, but few focused on youth.
The inaugural cohort of the Professional Doctorate in Philanthropic Leadership (PhilD) represents a historic milestone for Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the global academic community. In May 2026, seventeen scholars received the degree, successfully concluding a rigorous program of study that commenced in 2023. Students in this cohort now stand as true pioneers in the field.
Get the knowledge and skills to lead in nonprofits, foundations, government, and beyond.
M.A. brochureDescription of the video:
0:01 [Music]
0:05
I get asked all the time as the graduate director, what's the difference between studying nonprofit management and studying philanthropy?
0:14
If you study nonprofit management, you're really looking at the inner workings of an organization or a group of organizations. And in our school, we think about the role of the individual and why nonprofit organizations form in the first place. And there are all sorts of reasons. So we know that the the nature to be generous to each other um especially somebody who could use a hand, right? Um comes naturally. So studying philanthropy means we're studying how why across time and place how people are how learn to be generous and how they practice that in their daily life. So, a a master's degree can augment people's thinking and how they want to be intentional about their philanthropy in all aspects of< throughout their life. And I think one of the common threads among students and even staff and faculty is that everyone who's connected with the school in some way wants to be part of something bigger than themselves. And instead of looking for a degree, a course of study that< will improve your own situation in life.
People who come here certainly want to do that. People are want to advance their career um and advance their skills, advance their reputation, of course, but they're also advancing something bigger that they want to be a part of. So people here who uh care about the environment and they're looking for ways to mobilize people in a unique in a unique way through philanthropy. I always ask people when they call me uh when we meet people at orientation when they apply how did you find the school? Why did you choose the school? And the overwhelming number one reason say they're coming here is a mentor, a peer, someone that they respect, someone who's in the field has suggested this is the place you want to be. The critical thinking about this universal yet mysterious phenomenon of generosity um can take you any direction in the world that you want to go. And that's that that makes this a special place.
3:04
[Music]
Still wondering whether your vote will make a difference? What if voting could add years to your life? That’s exactly what researchers found in the study titled “Voting behavior and mortality risk in older adults: Evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study,” published in the Journals of Gerontology.
Read more
The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy has recently selected eight practitioners and scholars to join its Community of Fellows to help advance four strategic areas: Philanthropic Advising, Impact Investing, Higher Education and Philanthropy, and Sports and Philanthropy.
Read more
A $100 million gift from Indiana University alumni Jeffrey H. and Benita L. Thomasson will transform graduate education at the Kelley School of Business and expand scholarship opportunities for undergraduate students in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Read moreDescription of the video:
Today was Pitch Your Passion, which is a scholarship competition for like-minded individuals who care about the community in similar ways to compete for the opportunity to come to the Lily Family School philanthropy and gain experience together. High school students or college students with under 60 credits are eligible to participate. They talk about a problem that they're passionate on and they propose a solution and the winners of the competition get awarded full ride scholarships and then there are a few partial scholarships as well.
0:33
And they have the individual interviews with our team to determine what's their interest as it relates to the field. What is it that they want to do with their career once they've finished their undergraduate studies? And then a group presentation of a topic as it relates to philanthropy.
0:51
I think where this program and thisschool really sets itself apart and and helps students is how do we become leaders in this field? How do we deal with the interpersonal connections that are so important as it relates to the philanthropic sector?
1:09
So we started off with choosing a topic that we were interested in with a partner. We brainstormed for a while, did some research and put together a slideshow and presentation on a topic that was important to us. Presented it to everyone. We talked about health inequities and how health literacy is an issue that we face in our country today and especially in marginalized communities and how important it is for marginalized communities to have access to health literacy in order to understand diagnosis or different things that are going on in their health and in their family's health.
1:41
I was awarded a full tuition scholarship to be able to come to the school and have my toolkit and grow in my education with philanthropy and the ways in which I can serve my community. Thank you to the Thomasson scholarship and the Thomasson family. Now I'm able to create that toolkit and be able to serve different kinds of communities out in Indiana. Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity. It's genuinely life-changing and I hope that I can help contribute to a positive change in society because of this.
