By Ginger Murphy and Lucas Green
In 2024, The Lilly Endowment, Inc. provided the most significant financial gift that Indiana State Parks had ever received. They offered $50 million to support the resources and facilities of our state park system, and the State added a $10 million match to bring the total to $60 million. The details of the gift were announced in September two years ago. Design and purchasing takes a while for State agencies, but the impacts of that gift and match are now showing up on the ground in your state parks and will continue to do so for several years to come. Here are a few things to celebrate:
- Installation of much-needed new playgrounds began in the fall of 2025 and is ongoing. Eighteen playgrounds have been completed and eleven are encumbered or in progress.
- Forty-five Action TrackChairs were delivered in March 2026, and every Indiana State Park property has at least one unit available at no cost to guests. A VertaCat Adaptive Golf Cart has been ordered and delivery is expected soon to The Fort Golf Resort at Fort Harrison State Park.
- A significant investment in Prophetstown State Park is underway that will include the heritage area to interpret the natural and cultural history of the park, the addition of a new section of campsites, improvements to the aquatic center, and an additional trail. The project is early in the conceptual design phase with a consultant and the Divisions of Engineering and State Parks staff.
- Ten million dollars in campground improvement projects are planned that will primarily upgrade existing campsites at several properties to Class AA status with site connections to water and sewer. This will improve customer service, as there are many requests for these sites. It will also increase state park revenue, which currently funds approximately 90% of the division’s operational costs. Several of these campground improvements are currently in design, including the addition of a small campground at Fort Harrison State Park.
- Several significant, high-use historic structures are in the pipeline for repairs totaling three million dollars.
Thanks to The Lilly Endowment for their investment in Indiana’s State Parks!
