Neighborhood Charter Network’s Enlace Academy has received a $15 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Marion County K-12 Public Schools Initiative. This is one of 34 large-scale implementation grants being awarded through phase 3 of the initiative, which is designed to help strengthen the academic achievement of students in Indianapolis and improve their prospects for success after high school. 

Over the next five years, Enlace Academy will use the generous investment to grow its community-focused educator pipeline, personalize instruction during and beyond the school day, enhance nutrition and wellness programming, and engage families and community organizations as educational partners. Capital investments include a new scratch kitchen to prepare fresh meals, renovated health and wellness facilities, and a new language and literacy center to expand Enlace’s family literacy program. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the community participation that crafted this vision alongside school leaders. The investments deeply align with our mission to serve as the hub of community for our families and to connect our students with the resources they need to be academically successful as well as physically and mentally well,” says Katie Dulay, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Charter Network. 

Enlace Academy, located in the Indianapolis International Marketplace district, has proudly served one of Indiana's largest populations of multilingual students for the past 13 years, embodying a steadfast commitment to educational excellence. In the 2024-25 school year, Enlace demonstrated a 19.5% increase in IREAD-3 proficiency and double-digit gains on the state ILEARN assessment in Math and ELA. 

“The Lilly Endowment’s historic investment in our students, staff, families, and community will be transformative through expanding, accelerating, and sustaining instructional and wellness efforts to ensure our community achieves academic and post-secondary success,” says Stephanie Campos, Enlace Academy’s school leader. 

Enlace Academy received a $338,000 implementation grant from Lilly Endowment in May 2025 through phase 2 of the Marion County K-12 Public School Initiative. Enlace leveraged the implementation grant to increase personalized learning through investing in bilingual instructional assistants and increasing high-dosage tutoring opportunities to improve students’ academic achievement. 
Lilly Endowment is making large-scale implementation grants to private schools in Indianapolis through a separate, complementary initiative. 

About Lilly Endowment 
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, and maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

About Enlace Academy
Enlace Academy, an IPS Innovation Network Charter School, is a grassroots charter school that launched in 2013 on the westside of Indianapolis, serving K-8th grade. Enlace Academy commits to leading with love, through fostering genuine relationships and pairing high expectations with strong support. 
The name Enlace derives from the Spanish word for link or connection. The school seeks to be the hub of community for families and to create meaningful connections with community partners, so our students, staff, and families can be healthy and happy. 

Enlace Academy cultivates the intellect, fosters the character, and ignites the imagination of our students so they can become leaders who choose their own futures in high school, college, and beyond.

For more information about Enlace Academy, visit enlaceacademy.org. 

Enlace Academy cultivates the competence and the character of our students so they can become leaders who choose their own futures in high school, college, and beyond. 

This May we celebrated our 8th graders getting accepted into the high school of their choice. We are incredibly proud of our students for their hard work to get accepted to high school!

27% of students will attend an IPS Choice school
27% of students will attend a charter school
20% of students will attend a private school
26% of students will attend a district school

A huge thank you to the high schools that showed up to welcome our students into their new school community! 

Enlace Academy cares deeply about our community and welcomes elected officials to meet with our students and staff, learn more about the work of Enlace Academy, and share how their work impacts our school. 

This spring, Enlace Academy hosted Councilwoman Maggie Lewis and  Representative Bob Behning for a tour, conversations, and an opportunity for question and answer sessions with our students. Enlace 6th graders particularly loved sharing what they had learned in Social Studies about how bills became laws and were thrilled about future opportunities to visit the state house and see the process for themselves. 

Our name Enlace derives from the Spanish word for link or connection, and  our school seeks to be the hub of community for students, staff, and families. This year, Enlace Academy expanded its community partnerships to include over 10 new clubs, opportunities and events for our students!   

Enlace 6th graders partnered with Creator's Camp to build their own digital cameras (featured here) in STEM. An after school partnership with Freewheelin' provided cycling safety lessons and free bicycles to Enlace students. Additionally, Enlace was thrilled to host drivers from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,  Blue from the Indianapolis Colt's, the United States Navy Band  and Sampson from Through2Eyes Indianapolis to share music, lessons and joy with our students and staff! 

Thank you to all of the staff, students, vendors, community members, and families who made Enlace's Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration such a success! The evening was a wonderful celebration of the beautiful diversity of Hispanic art and culture. We are so grateful for your time and commitment to the Enlace community and this event.