Denver Institute Awarded $4.5M Lilly Endowment Storytelling Grant

DENVER, CO, UNITED STATES, December 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- December 16, 2025

DENVER, CO – Denver Institute for Faith & Work has received a $4,500,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life 2025. The grant will fund the CityGate Storytelling Initiative: Parables for Transformation through Work, a five-year national project that will identify, produce, and share 655 multi-format stories portraying how Christian faith is lived out through daily work.

Launching nationally in early 2026, the initiative will equip leaders across the CityGate network—a community of more than 85 organizations committed to vocational discipleship—with training in story-based transformation practices. Together, Denver Institute and its partners will produce short films, podcasts, written stories, and live storytelling events designed to help people encounter the reality of Christian faith through the ordinary yet profound lives of workers. Over the next five years, the initiative will also build a national content hub, develop local distribution strategies, and embed story-based learning experiences in communities across the country.

“Our project reflects the conviction, shared by Lilly Endowment, that people come to know and love God through story,” said Ross Chapman, CEO of Denver Institute for Faith & Work. “Work is a varied context with a vast array of stories waiting to be voiced.”
Stories developed through the initiative will be released both nationally and locally through CityGate organizations. The aim is not only to inspire but to catalyze transformation: to help Christian workers develop a renewed vision for how their daily labor can be a place of spiritual formation, public witness, and societal good.

How to Get Involved

Stay Informed: Sign up for Denver Institute’s email list to receive updates about story releases, events, and opportunities to participate.
Job Opportunities: Denver Institute is hiring a Director of Storytelling and Production Manager to help lead the multi-year initiative. A Director of Development—a separate role not funded by the grant—is also being hired to expand organizational capacity. Job descriptions are available on the Denver Institute website.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation founded in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. Although established through gifts of stock in Eli Lilly and Company, the Endowment is a separate entity with its own board, staff, and mission. It supports community development, education, and religion, with a special commitment to Indianapolis and Indiana. A primary aim of its grantmaking in religion is to deepen the religious lives of Christians, principally by supporting efforts that enhance congregational vitality and strengthen the leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to foster public understanding about religion by encouraging fair, accurate and balanced portrayals of the positive and negative effects of religion on the world and lifting up the contributions that people of all faiths make to our greater civic well-being.

Abby Worland
Denver Institute for Faith & Work
+1 720-227-3947
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