Mission Statement  
The mission of the Indiana Lions Foundation is to assist Indiana Lions Clubs, Subdistricts of Indiana Lions and state projects of multiple District 25 to carry out their charitable purposes.  

Brief History  

The 1989-90 Council of Governors acknowledged that there was a need to update the Indiana Lions state office.  PID Carter Everage was asked to chair a committee to investigate what would be the best course of action.  Although they were given no guidelines, it soon became apparent the Lions of Indiana needed new office space.  

After several meetings they realized they had no authority to do anything and they had no financial resources. It was recommended that a trust fund be formed and that it apply for recognition under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In 1991 temporary approval was given and permanent approval was given in 1996. This is a very advantageous position to have because gifts to the Foundation can be tax deductible as a charitable contribution.  Because of this favorable status, the rules are construed strictly by the Internal Revenue Service. They require that donations must be received from many persons and that grants be made to many recipients for charitable purposes. In general, grants to individuals can only be made for scholarship purposes.

At the 1999 Indiana Lions State convention a constitutional amendment was passed to change the Trust Fund name to a Foundation.   The Indiana Lions Foundation is composed of twenty-four Trustees elected on staggered terms of three years so no more than one-third of the members could be new each year The Lions of Indiana State Office Holding Corporation was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lions of Indiana Trust Fund. A Lion elected to the Board of Trustees of the Foundation is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Holding Corporation.  The Holding Corporation collects the rents and oversees all of the operation of the office building in which the Lions of Indiana have their office space.  

The first order of business was to search for office space for the Lions of Indiana. After looking at many possible sites, it was decided to purchase the building at 8780 Purdue Road through the sale of bonds to the Lions of Indiana.  This location near the Pyramids is close to Michigan Road interchange of I-465 North and is in an area that will increase in value for many years.   The Lions of Indiana occupy one-fourth of the building, at no rental charge to Lions, and at a saving of about $25,000 in rent. (as of 1999).  The remainder of the building is rented to various other tenants.