Conner Prairie receives $2.5 million grant to advance Lenape storytelling & community engagement

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Conner Prairie has received a $2.5 million grant through Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative in support of the Lenape Connection & Kinship on the White River project. The new project will reimagine storytelling and community engagement surrounding the Lenape people and their traditions.

“This generous grant enables us to deepen our partnerships with Indigenous communities and bring their stories to the forefront in meaningful ways,” Conner Prairie President and CEO Norman Burns said. “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.”

Thanks to the Lilly Endowment grant, Conner Prairie will:

• Implement a new outdoor exhibit space scheduled to open in 2029 with immersive, modern, and interactive elements that educate guests on the 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 this new framework for storytelling and curation as a centerpiece for future exhibit development at Conner Prairie and in the museum field.

The project lays the groundwork for a new Lenape exhibit at Conner Prairie, strengthening existing partnerships and cultivating new ones with other indigenous groups historically connected to the White River. While the Delaware people continue to share their histories within their communities, this initiative seeks to reconnect those stories to the lands they historically inhabited, enriching understanding for both museum visitors and indigenous communities.

By amplifying the voices of the Lenape and honoring their cultural heritage, Conner Prairie reinforces its commitment to inclusive storytelling. The Lenape Connection & Kinship project ensures the histories and traditions of the Lenape and other indigenous peoples remain a vital part of the narrative shared with present and future generations.

In 2019, Lilly Endowment launched the Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. Its aim is to support museums and other cultural organizations as they strengthen their capacity 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. Conner Prairie received a planning and implementation grant through the initiative’s first round of funding in 2019 and 2020 in support of the Promise Land as Proving Ground exhibition.

“The United States is widely considered to be one of the most religiously diverse nations today,” said Christopher L. Coble, Lilly Endowment’s vice president for religion. “Many individuals and families trust museums and other cultural institutions and visit them to learn about their communities and the world. 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.”

For more information visit ConnerPrairie.org.