2024 Leaders of the Future Scholarship Members Announced
One of the questions on the 2024 Leaders of the Future Scholarship application, asked the applicant to describe their dream philanthropic project, assuming there were no monetary restrictions. Learn a little more about the 2024 Scholarship Recipients by reading about their dream projects.
Click here for more information on the Impact 100 Scholarship Program.
Leili Abdi
Master Student, IU School of Philanthropy, Research Asst. Global Philanthropy Environment Indices
As a travel philanthropist in Middle Eastern and African countries, I would devote my life to showing people around the world that these regions are worthy and deserve to be noticed, grown, and empowered.
Paradise Bradford
Free Leading and Pretty Passionate Hands
With the goal of creating hope, health, and wealth in the families in our community that feel hopeless, my dream project would provide basic essential needs and education to our community. It would work to reach each family, one child at a time.
Danielle Drake
Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce
My project would support student parents, providing not just housing but a comprehensive framework for success. Family-friendly housing, on-site childcare, academic support, and career counseling along with time management, stress reduction, and parenting workshops would ensure a healthy work-life balance.
Caroline Durava
We Bloom
My dream philanthropic project would combine a housing project and therapeutic retreat center for adults, where those who need a healthy start, or restart, could receive support services and counseling to help them regain hope and find their place in the world.
Oriana Fuenmayor
IUPUI Student, Intern at Domestic Violence Network
My dream project would support disadvantaged students seeking careers in public service. It would provide financial support in addition to a career coaching program to facilitate their professional development and long-term success.
Erica Henry
Master student IU School of Philanthropy
I would establish a foundation providing consultation and financial support to BIPOC nonprofit organizations. Support for BIPOC nonprofits is not as abundant, and these smaller organizations often need support in making sustainable decisions.
Twanda Jones
MPA Student, Defense Finance/Acctg, The Comfort Home Place
My dream project would provide housing to domestically abused women and children. Collaborating with healthcare professionals, educators, and others, the facility would provide physical and mental health services, nutritional education, and vocational training to promote lasting positive change.
Mary Lechner
Teenworks
A dream project would present theater events, hiring actors and production staff from diverse backgrounds, and providing free tickets to young and low-income individuals. It would also have a scholarship fund for high school students wanting to pursue careers in the Arts and Culture sector.
Natalie Matthews
Cathedral High School
My project would establish a comprehensive, community-driven childcare initiative focused on accessibility, quality, and support. It would integrate early childhood education facilities with family resource centers, invest in professional development for the caregivers, and offer outreach programs to support parents, creating a holistic approach to childcare improvements.
Sally Root
Indianapolis Art Center
In my ideal scenario, I would create free theater that pays cast, crew, and creatives respectable wages, and has a vision of performing pieces that ask questions, create conversation, and be more experimental. Not having to worry about selling tickets, it would be free to explore artistically.
Madeline Sersic
IU McKinney School of Law
I would focus on child advocacy and foster care reform. The foster care system is underfunded and deserves significant attention. Children are one of society’s most valuable groups yet one of the most vulnerable. Every child deserves to feel safe, cared for, healthy, supported, and stimulated academically.
Priti Tailor
2024 Leadership United Program with United Way of Central Indiana
I would create a place for children to learn skills not traditionally taught at school, what I call “Life Skills.” It would include money and budgeting, community issues (and how to give back to and support community), mental health, outdoor and safety skills (how to make a fire, read a map, etc.), fitness & nutrition, etc.
Click here for more information on the Impact 100 Scholarship Program.