Antillean, the only Puerto Rican organization selected for a national initiative that will share stories of faith from Puerto Rico and the diaspora in Central Florida

Antillean Adventist University recently received a $5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life 2025. This grant will support Enduring Faith in the Face of Life’s Storms, a five-year project designed to reach new and emerging believers through impactful stories of faith, produced and shared in multiple digital formats.

Since 2024, Antillean has been part of a group of 60 organizations in the United States that have received grants through this initiative. These organizations include media outlets, denominational structures, church networks, publishers, educational institutions, congregations, and other nonprofit entities.

The project was designed to highlight the experiences and stories of people born between 1990 and 2009 in Puerto Rico. Influenced by the island’s rich culture and the diaspora in Central Florida, the lasting effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the profound influence of Adventist, Catholic, and Evangelical traditions, these stories will invite discovery and encourage exploration of faith. Grounded in population-level research on faith practices and beliefs in Puerto Rico, a team of believers and storytellers will share authentic tales of courage, strengthened by a personal relationship with God.

“The people of Puerto Rico have endured multiple catastrophic storms, including during my own lifetime,” said President Dr. Edwin I. Hernández. “Their extraordinary faith has affirmed them in God’s eternal love, guided them in His infinite light, and protected them in His boundless grace. We look forward to sharing their stories of resilience, vitality, and faith with the world.”

The goal of the Lilly Endowment initiative is to help organizations identify, produce, and share stories with a wide variety of audiences that reflect the vitality and hope of the Christian faith and life.

About Lilly Endowment Inc.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation based in Indianapolis, established in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr., through contributions of stock from their pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly and Company. While this stock continues to form a financial basis for the Foundation, Lilly Endowment operates as a separate entity with its own board of directors, staff, and location. In keeping with its founders’ wishes, it supports community development, education, and religious initiatives, and maintains a special commitment to Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. One of its primary goals in the area of ​​religion is to deepen the religious life of Christians, particularly by supporting efforts that strengthen congregational vitality and leadership within Christian communities. The Foundation values ​​the diversity of Christian traditions and seeks to support them in a variety of contexts. It also seeks to foster a public understanding of religion, promoting fair, accurate, and balanced representations of its positive and negative effects, and highlighting the contributions that people of all faiths make to civic well-being.

We invite you to stay tuned to our official platforms for upcoming announcements, developments, and opportunities related to this initiative.

Team of professionals who will be leading the proposal.