United Way of Central Indiana awards nearly $1 million to 13 nonprofits for innovative programs
INDIANAPOLIS – United Way of Central Indiana announced Friday that it is awarding $950,000 in grants to 13 community organizations from the Social Innovation Fund.
The fund supports nonprofits that are meeting the community’s needs through creative solutions.
Grant recipients will use the funding to provide opportunities for workforce development, address food insecurity and help people access health care, transportation, housing, education and social capital.
More than 80 organizations submitted letters of interest to United Way seeking grants from the Social Innovation Fund. The pool was narrowed to 24 nonprofits that were asked to submit applications. A workgroup of 13 people, including volunteers from the community and United Way board members and staff, reviewed the applications and selected the recipients.
United Way estimates more than 10,000 people will be served through this round of funding. About 75% of those served by the nonprofits are Black, 22% are Hispanic or Latino, and seven of the organizations are led by people of color.
“It is important that we are not only investing in communities and specific populations, but that we are also investing in leaders and organizations that reflect their communities culturally and demographically to ensure we can collectively serve our neighbors effectively and equitably,” said Jonathan Jones, impact senior director for United Way.
The grantees serve people in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion and Morgan counties.
“With community, philanthropy and innovation at the core of this investment, we could not be more excited to come alongside these organizations and their initiatives as they work toward better outcomes for our neighbors,” Jones said. “We hope that these investments create new opportunities for the future of our Central Indiana neighbors and go a long way toward spotlighting leaders and organizations working to focus their impact on often under-resourced populations. Thank you to these bold leaders for their vision and for putting community and innovation at the forefront.”
Here’s a look at the 2024 Social Innovation Fund grantees and their plans for the grants:
Advocates for Education, Inc. – $25,000
Advocates for Education's programming has been serving the homeless and at-risk population in Central Indiana since its inception. The organization provides comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations for learning differences, special education advocacy services, college and career counseling, and a high school equivalency completion program to clients served by its partner organizations. Advocates for Education has recently found a similar need among youth residing in detention centers and will expand its program to serve incarcerated youth, with the aim of educational support and dropout prevention.
Ascent 121 – $70,000
Ascent 121 is a leading expert in Indiana providing care for young survivors of trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Through this fund, they want to support their victim services continuum of care, which includes residential, home-based and community-based services, such as individual and family therapy, case management and crisis intervention. The Ascent 121 program and funding model operates from an overall continuum, giving clients flexibility to move between service needs and continuing for as long as they need it, which is rare in this field. Their innovative and data-informed approach identifies needs and mitigates risks of serving this specialized population, giving greater outcomes. This initiative will also enhance the quality of care for survivors across the sector by influencing clinical tools and resources.
Churches in Mission – $50,000
Churches in Mission’s project focuses on expanding its transformational Social Service Integration supporting families through coaching partnerships and targeted programming. With Pathways to Success, staff coaches will work to provide classes, resources and support to help 100 families in areas of need, looking across the spectrum of needs to find opportunities for progress in multiple areas through partnerships.
Fathers and Families Center – $86,000
Leveraging relationships with correctional institutions, probation and parole offices, training providers, microlenders, Develop Indy’s entrepreneurship systems, and high-quality employers, Fathers and Families Center connects returning citizens with employment and entrepreneurship, so they can fulfill their obligations to their families while reintegrating into their support networks and society. Social Innovation funds will strengthen two paths to self-sufficiency for 100 fathers: entrepreneurship and high-quality employment.
Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center – $76,000
Funding will support Fay Biccard Glick Neighborhood Center’s new initiative: Families Accelerating, Sustaining, and Thriving (FAST), an intensive wrap-around program for ALICE families committed to improving their financial situations. This program pairs families with a team of neighborhood center staff and community volunteers designed to work on individually tailored plans for boosting income and increasing social capital. By the end of their time in the program (up to 2 years), it’s anticipated that families will be at 400% of the poverty level, be on the road to homeownership and have at least one adult earn a certification or secondary education.
Gennesaret Free Clinics – $86,000
Gennesaret Free Clinics will expand its free medical clinic in partnership with Gleaners. This proven, innovative model locating a health clinic inside a highly utilized food pantry allows people who are seeking food access to free health care in the same location. Gennesaret operates a medical clinic inside the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, a location chosen based on data that people living in this zip code have a 15-year shorter life expectancy than other areas of the city. Gleaners is both a highly utilized food pantry and a unique population not already seeking food or medicine at St. Vincent de Paul.
HATCH, Inc. – $50,000
To address nutrition insecurity on the Far Eastside, HATCH will partner with CAFE to provide community coolers for apartment complexes and community centers, providing a solution for families who are facing financial crisis and are in immediate need of food. This community has a poverty level of 29%, and more than 60% of residents live further than one mile from a grocery store, leaving 85,000 residents in one of the largest food deserts in the Midwest.
Latinas Welding Guild Inc. – $100,000
Latinas Welding Guild’s innovative idea is a transformative apprenticeship program designed to address the underrepresentation of marginalized communities in the trades. This approach combines workforce development, education, diversity and inclusion efforts to bridge the gap between underrepresented communities and employers. The guild combines welding training with forklift certification, blueprint reading and math for manufacturing, which ensures that participants are not only proficient welders but also possess a diverse skill set highly valued by employers.
Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation – $91,000
Jumpstart Indy provides aspiring developers with the skills, knowledge and support they need to rehabilitate key real estate properties one at a time. In the absence of established real estate developers willing to invest in smaller scale projects, this training program cultivates a cadre of new local developers who currently live in Martindale Brightwood or have an interest in developing Martindale Brightwood . Support from the Social Innovation Fund will help expand the program with training, education and more networking opportunities.
NeighborLink Indianapolis – $80,000
After a decade of providing home repairs to older adults and people with disabilities in Marion County, NeighborLink Indianapolis recognizes the need for more significant repairs to more adequately stabilize a home and the neighborhood within. Through a partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, NeighborLink plans to embark on this more significant repair program.
New Beginnings of Indianapolis Incorporated – $80,000
New Beginnings will continue its “Yes, I Can” initiative, an intergenerational approach designed to help families make progress toward lasting economic self-sufficiency. New Beginnings will provide IT certification classes to 35 families, impacting over 150 people. The organization is located on the west side of Indianapolis in the Haughville area, where 91% of children under age 18 live in poverty and 71% of the residents are people of color.
Pathway Resource Center – $75,000
Driven 2 Success Micro Transit Transportation System reduces transportation barriers in underserved and disadvantaged communities of color. Driven 2 Success provides supportive services and case management for residents who use the micro transit system. The center plans to expand services to two additional zip codes, provide rides to accommodate more basic needs and target more resources to supporting seniors.
St. Vincent de Paul Indianapolis Council – $81,000
St. Vincent de Paul Indianapolis Council plans to create a cooperative food pantry that will employ 18 “Love Your Neighbor Center” residents and provide access to nutritious and affordable food to 900 neighbors a week on the Southeast side of Indianapolis. Love Your Neighbor Center is a facility that provides supportive housing and wrap-around services for men experiencing homelessness. Residents will be trained to operate the food pantry.