Follow the Impact: Unconditional & Ascent 121
Northminster Presbyterian Church
November 14, 5:30pm

Join leaders from Ascent 121 and Unconditional, prior Impact 100 Change Makers, to learn about supporting survivors of human trafficking and the sex industry in our community. This panel discussion will be led by Mackenzie Pickerell, Executive Director of Girl Coalition Indiana. Ascent 121 and Unconditional will provide a programmatic overview and will address important questions – How do these organizations work to provide a continuum of services for girls and women in Indiana? What barriers do their clients face? What does success look like for their clients? How can the community best support and engage in this work?

Doors will open at 5:30PM with the presentation beginning at 6:00PM and concluding by 6:30PM. Continued conversation is welcome until the event concludes at 7:30PM.

Click here to get the details and to RSVP.

Guests are welcome!

#Impact100 #Impact100GreaterIndianapolis #ThePowerOfWomenGivingAsOne #20YearsOfGiving

Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis
Giving Report

Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis is proud to present to our grantees and members our Giving Report, covering 2006 through the most recent year’s grants. We hope you will enjoy reading the success stories that we have highlighted as well as learn more about the impact we have made in the greater Indianapolis community.

Click here to see our 2023 Giving Report with an overview of all previous grant recipients and other organization information.

Click here to for the 2023 end-of-year updates from the 2023 Grant Recipients.

Grant Awards for 2024

Congratulations to 91 Place, the 2024 Change Maker and recipient of the Change Maker $100,000 grant. 91 Place was the recipient of our $100,000 Change Maker Grant. 91 Place was the Health & Wellness Focus Area Committee Finalist. The organization serves homeless youth, ages 16-24, by providing transitional housing for up to 2 years using a comprehensive wellness strategy. The Change Maker Grant will fund The Creating Permanency in Transitional Housing project. This project is an urgent response to the pending sale of their flagship home, which houses 4 youth and 2 house mentors. The home’s owners are offering the property to 91 Place at a price far below its appraised value. This opportunity creates equity, avoids a costly and disruptive move and eliminates the necessity of finding another suitable house when few are on the market.

In addition to the Change Maker Grant, we awarded four Community Support Grants in the amount of $11,000 each to the following organizations:

• iibada Dance Company stands proudly as the only Children’s African and Modern Dance Company, creating a village serving, nurturing, and empowering the youth of Indianapolis. We answer the urgent and necessary call to cultivate a community-centric environment that empowers and exposes Indianapolis youth to opportunities that change the trajectory of their lives and the generations that follow. Through the Artsforce Development Project, we are on a mission to expand our reach of impact by nurturing talent and offering practical skills. The inaugural cohort offers mentorship through hands-on experiences in all aspects of the production process. 
• Kids’ Voice of Indiana advocates for all Marion County children involved in the child welfare system due to abuse/neglect, many living in foster care. Our GAL/CASA program includes a team of Educational Liaisons (EL) that address those children’s education-related needs. Support from an EL is critically important for children during this vulnerable time. Little Voices, Big Futures is an expansion of the EL Program that would allow us to serve preschool age children (ages 3-5) with a focus on 1) identifying learning needs through early assessment and 2) supporting families/caregivers in engaging preschoolers in early learning opportunities.
• Medical Mutts trains shelter dogs to alert their person to critical situations like glucose drops or seizures, empowering individuals with disabilities to lead safer lives. Take Amy, whose rescue dog Juniper gave her confidence to pursue dreams like attending Notre Dame. With Impact 100’s support, we aim to double our Mutt Mentor Foster program, increasing the quality and quantity of trained dogs while reducing costs. Our positive reinforcement methods foster compassion, benefiting dogs and mentors. Your gift will impact our mission by helping us to save more human and dog lives, empowering both to live with purpose and thrive together.
• Coburn Place supports families facing domestic violence and homelessness. We offer two longer-term housing choices, both at no cost: a 35-unit building and rent support for survivors who choose to live directly in the community. In 2023, 74 families in this option lived across 15 zip codes. DV destroys the family unit. The two-generation approach we utilize on-site is very effective in interrupting the abusive cycle, helping families heal together, but we urgently need to adapt this approach for families scattered throughout Indianapolis. This grant would launch a mobile version of whole-family care—strengthening families, neighborhoods, and the Indianapolis community.

Grant Awards 2023

Congratulations to Unconditional Indy, the 2023 Change Maker $100,000 grant recipient. The grant will be used to fund The Bridge, a holistic housing assistance program for women who have transitioned out of sex work. The goal is to move these women closer to their long-term dreams and goals. Participants receive 50% of their rent sponsored for one year, along with being matched with wellness and career mentors, a monthly support/recovery group, four financial literacy classes and three career classes throughout the year. Funding from Impact 100 will allow for the expansion and deepening of this program, including enrolling more women, providing more support for the mentors, and ultimately, giving women in our community the stability they need.

Four unrestricted Community Support Grants of $13,000 were given to:

• Indiana Artisan works with Central Indiana creatives who make exceptional art, food, and beverage, but struggle to develop or manage a business. They endeavor to pair these creatives with an artisan mentor who has business experience for individual guidance. Long-term they will help them sell their art at the Indiana Artisan Marketplace and provide in a special showcase to highlight their work and achievements. By empowering artists, particularly those of color, our community and local economy will be strengthened.
• Freewheelin’ Community Bikes (FCB) teaches essential life skills over a shared passion for the bicycle. The organization provides accessible bicycles to a very vulnerable population of Indianapolis youth (ages 8-18), improving their physical and mental well-being. FCB has seen success in its Changing Tires Changing Lives Program, which teaches youth both science, technology, engineering, and math skills and social emotional learning concepts.
• Community Alliance for the Far Eastside (CAFE) is planning a Community Orchard and Greenspace on a two-acre plot of land adjacent to the CAFE community center facility. The Orchard and Greenspace will revitalize the neighborhood with access to fresh produce and a greenspace; social, recreation and entertainment opportunities, and safety and community building.
• Step-Up, Inc. meets people where they are. That means seeing the needs of each individual and being present in the community, eliminating barriers, promoting harm reduction, and hiring individuals representative of those we serve. Meeting people where they are is central to the services provided by Step-Up. Step-Up provides essential HIV, STD and hepatitis C testing, prevention, and supportive services for Black, Latinx, justice-impacted, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities in Indiana. By better meeting people where they are we can restore hope together.

Click here to for the 2023 end-of-year updates from the 2023 Grant Recipients.

Grant Awards 2022

Congratulations to our 2022 Change Maker NeuroHope of Indiana. They received a$100,000 grant for their Impact 100 Wellness Center and Path to Independence Program, the first fully adaptive, wheelchair accessible fitness center in Indianapolis.

Spinal cord injury, brain injury, and stroke change lives in the blink of an eye. Recovery takes months or years, but time in insurance-covered rehabilitation is limited to weeks. NeuroHope makes long-term care an affordable reality. The Wellness Center features specialized equipment, supervised access, and daily group fitness classes. When combined with their existing therapy services, it provides continuum of care unlike any in the community. You can read more about the Wellness Center here.

Four unrestricted Community Support Grants of $16,750 were given to:

• Phalen Leadership Academies, a transformative leader in education, believes strongly in providing support to our scholars, their families, and the community. The Phalen Cultural Center is a gathering place founded on the belief that the arts have the potential to educate, engage, inspire, and empower the Far Eastside of Indianapolis and surrounding areas. The Center embraces the premise that the arts can build bridges between diverse cultures, speak to the trauma of peoples’ lives, revive an understanding of the past, and give hope for the future. Programs are interactive, dynamic, multicultural, and designed to accommodate diverse performances and populations.
• Paws & Think helps 45,000 individuals annually through our Therapy Dog programs. The Paws to Read program and new Impact 100 Training Center will expand our impact on kids with social-emotional learning (SEL) concerns and who have experienced trauma, including the impact of COVID. Paws to Read strengthens literacy skills and creates positive, long-term education outcomes, while encouraging a love of reading. More than mentorship, Paws to Read measurably improves a child’s reading performance each year. To achieve our goals, the Impact 100 Training Center is needed to increase the number of therapy teams trained using our proven methods.
• FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic provides affordable spay/neuter, vaccination, and wellness services for the Indianapolis community to prevent the unnecessary euthanasia of dogs and cats. Our community cat program focuses on Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) to humanely reduce the number of kittens born in our city’s neighborhoods each year, to reduce the overcrowding and euthanasia in area shelters. FACE will devote ten days per year to holding high-volume spay/neuter clinics for community cats called Spay Days. Together we can save lives and improve health for all our city’s residents.
• You Yes You!: Bringing children inside prisons to spend time with their father changes the lives of the whole family. Using the power of relationships, YYY connects incarcerated fathers with their children through activities including a father daughter dance and Halloween party at Putnamville and Plainfield Correctional Facilities. The only organization of its kind in Indiana, YYY works with the Indiana Department of Correction to create pre-release plans for each father to increase their chance of a successful return to their family. YYY is ready to expand to Pendleton Correctional Facility, hire a program coordinator, and increase marketing inside facilities and the community. You Yes You won additional funding after receiving their second Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis Community Support Grant, and you can read more about it here.

Grant Awards 2021

Congratulations to our 2021 Change Maker: NeighborLink Indianapolis Foundation, Inc.

NeighborLink Indianapolis is uniquely positioned to help fill a gap in basic needs for some of the most vulnerable in our community. They provide home repairs and modification services for homeowners who are seniors or those with disabilities living in Marion County at or below 150% of the federal poverty level (less than $20,000 annually). NeighborLink provides these services at no cost to the homeowner so they may age in place safely and with dignity. They are able to do this by utilizing volunteer labor, partnerships and financial support throughout the community.

Over the past eight years, NeighborLink has established a solid organization with key partnerships to position themselves to expand the services they currently provide. In 2017, the NeighborLink board of directors and founding volunteers defined a five-year strategy for sustainability and growth to guide the organization. Part of that plan is to replace key volunteer staff, including their unpaid executive director, with professional staff who can grow the organization’s capacity and move the funding from primarily grant-based to a more predictable income stream to sustain NeighborLink’s mission. From the operations side, they are primed to double the households served from today’s 250 to 500 by the end of 2022 to 2500 by 2030. Receiving this year’s IMPACT 100 grant will help ensure they stay on track to meet these targets and grow their impact in the community.

In addition to our $100,000 Change Maker grant to NeighborLink, these four finalists each received $17,038 in Unrestricted Grants:

• Hip Hop Shakespeare: Indianapolis Shakespeare Company, Inc.: Indy Shakes creates a groundbreaking Hip Hop Shakespeare led by artists of color in Summer 2022. The mainstage production joyfully brings free, live, accessible, professional theatre to a diverse audience at the Taggart Memorial Amphitheatre in Riverside Park. The project includes Hip Hop community workshops, the Riverside Summer Camp children’s workshop, and a Traveling Troupe to Indianapolis schools. Indy Shakes will develop and document the process: melding Shakespeare’s words to Hip Hop beats, contributing to Shakespeare companies nationally. Hip Hop Shakespeare inspires a transformational American form of Shakespeare.
• Education Expansion, Westminster Neighborhood Services: Started in 1982, Westminster Neighborhood Services provides education support, access to basic needs, and community connections to empower neighbors and strengthen youth and families on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. Their two-generation approach to supporting families include a food pantry, youth programming, and adult education courses. They are expanding their services to include a dedicated middle school program, a high school program, and an English Language Learner course to create a continuum of care for our community. Education, along with the other basic needs that Westminster provides, opens the doors for families to not just survive, but to thrive.
• Foster Pet Program and Sanctuary, Beacon of Hope Crisis Center: Beacon of Hope Crisis Center empowers victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to become self-sufficient by providing safety, education, and support. With plans to expand the Foster Pet Program by opening the Foster Pet Sanctuary, this resource will be an immediate haven enabling earlier intervention to prevent harm and possible death of both human and pet victims. Opening this sanctuary and expanding the foster caregivers’ services will increase capacity to assist pet victims. Barriers such as capacity, timeframe, and type of pet(s) will no longer prevent human victims from safely fleeing.
• You Yes You! Program, You Yes You!: Bringing children inside prisons to spend quality time with their father changes the lives of the whole family. Using the power of relationships, YYY connects incarcerated fathers with their children through activities including a father daughter dance, back to school celebration and Halloween party at Putnamville Correctional Facility. The only organization of its kind in Indiana, YYY works with the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) to create for each father a concentrated pre-release plan to increase their chance of a successful re-entry. With full support from IDOC, YYY is ready to expand to one additional facility in 2021 and two additional facilities in 2022 – three additional facilities by December 2022.

Grant Awards 2020

Congratulations to our 2020 Change Maker: Family Promise of Hendricks County!

Family Promise of Hendricks County was awarded $100,000 for their PowerHouse project. PowerHouse is an innovative community response preventing evictions and quickly rehousing those who are homeless, while offering supportive services to ensure stability. The organization has experienced a 40% increase in housing needs during the COVID-19 pandemic and through this project, Impact 100 funding helped the organization prevent homelessness for an additional 400 families and end homelessness for 75 families throughout Central Indiana. Those struggling will be able to find or keep their home through extensive partnerships within a caring community.

Without a home, other interventions are not effective. A home is needed to achieve sustainable stability. Reaching this solution is the focus of the PowerHouse Project. Central Indiana had the second highest eviction rate in the country, before COVID-19. Estimates from the National Low Income Housing Coalition find that Indiana will see a surge of 43,800 new low-income renters and a total of 205,837 renters will need rental assistance during the recovery from the pandemic. Hendricks County lacks accessible affordable housing. We need more housing in our community for those with prior evictions and poor credit. Those on the verge of eviction need help and hope to stay in their home and prevent their homelessness. These needs have been identified through many years of struggling to find adequate housing for limited income families and are now intensified. The PowerHouse Project is the solution to this struggle.

In addition to our $100,000 Change Maker grant to Family Promise of Hendricks County, these four finalists each received $26,500 in Unrestricted Grants:

• Claude McNeal Productions
  Claude McNeal Productions stated mission is to “inspire and transform lives through the energizing power of theatre” through its ACT Out social-issue theatre program. ACT Out is an award-winning, year-round, one-of-a-kind improvisational theatre education program that has helped to transform the lives of over 500,000 students and adults since its creation in 1995 through live, interactive performances, intertwined with open discussions that empower students to engage in conversations exploring the conflicts presented before them.
• FIDO (Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside)
  Founded in 2005, FIDO’s mission is to improve the quality of life of outside dogs by providing resources that enable families to care for and keep their pets. FIDO proactively seeks out dogs in need by driving alleys in struggling neighborhoods. Once a problem is discovered, they reach out to the family and offer information and free assistance. Services include basic dog supplies, spay/neuter with transportation, and fencing assistance. FIDO’s support helps keep dogs happy, healthy, and out of our crowded city shelter.
• Nine13Sports
  Nine13Sports uses the bicycle as a learning tool, capturing the attention of students and providing educators effective ways to teach lessons in a variety of subject areas, delivering educational programming to improve children’s wellness and teach valuable lifelong skills. Note: After their programming was suspended due to COVID19, Nine13Sports quickly repurposed their vehicles and staff to work alongside Gleaners and Second Helpings to address food insecurity. In 3 months, they delivered over 2 million pounds of food.
• Paws and Think
  Through Animal-Assisted Interventions, Paws & Think provides an opportunity to improve stress levels and overall mental health. Their therapy teams, consisting of a therapy dog and its handler, aid in the emotional wellbeing of those who need it most. The primary recipient of their work is youth who have been victims of abuse and are undergoing treatment or examination for this abuse, have experienced the death of a loved one, or have recently experienced a crisis.

Grant Awards 2019

Congratulations to 2019 Change-Maker Kennedy King Memorial Initiative!!! 

On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and riots erupted in nearly every major city in the United States. Indianapolis, however, was spared from the violence. Many say it was due to the words and compassion shared by Robert F. Kennedy when he paused his campaign event to inform the crowd gathered at the park that Dr. King had been assassinated. In his speech, he said, “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred;…, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country…” Hundreds of lives were changed that night. And the goal of the Kennedy King Memorial Initiative is to ensure Kennedy’s speech continues to reverberate across the city, working its way deep into the hearts of many.

Words have power – then and now. The Kennedy King Memorial Initiative has been working for many years to honor Kennedy’s message and the legacy of Dr. King. With help from numerous community partners, including the Lilly Endowment, Indy Parks, the Pacers Foundation, and now Impact 100, KKMI will open a Visitor’s Center to bring history to life and draw visitors from within the community and around the world to learn more about this night and its message.

In addition to the $100,000 grant awarded to Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, the other four finalists each received a grant for $23,712! That’s the impact of Women Giving as One!! These four finalists are:

• Education Focus Area Committee: Elevate Indianapolis
  Elevate Indy is expanding to the Westside to address the critically low graduation rate of 55% through providing life-changing relationships and opportunities for over 450 low-income Indianapolis Public School students annually by 2021. Grant money would provide start-up funding (classroom expenses, passenger van purchase and Teacher-Mentor staffing) to introduce our 24/7 mentoring, post-secondary preparation, accredited classes and adventure programs to 4th – 12th graders on the Westside.
• Environment & Animal Welfare Focus Area Committee: Paws & Think
  Paws & Think’s Pawsitive Impact Program provides opportunities for Warren Central High School and Hamilton County Youth-Assistance Program youth and adults with Down Syndrome to learn how to nurture, understand, motivate, and reward shelter dogs by teaching them basic obedience skills. Program graduates will then educate the community on dog ownership through community education sessions, where they will share their knowledge and skills with dog owners. Shelter dogs and at-risk youth/adults with disabilities have stress and uncertainty in common. Bringing them together in a professionally led, goal-oriented training program provides each with a positive, rewarding, life-changing experience.
• Family Focus Area Committee: Family Promise of Hendricks County
  Family Promise transforms the lives of families experiencing homelessness and poverty in Hendricks County, and wants to expand capacity to meet the growing need to end and prevent family homelessness. The community has been held back by four barriers that create and perpetuate the struggle – affordable housing, accessible childcare, living wage jobs and transportation. Hendricks County has joined together to form the Family Promise Stability Builders Network to break through these long-standing barriers with customized solutions. Struggling families have the opportunity to build a life of sustainable stability with the resources and care of a community committed to their success.
• Health and Wellness Focus Area Committee: NeuroHope of Indiana, Inc.
  NeuroHope provides long-term rehabilitation for people recovering from stroke or traumatic spinal cord and brain injuries. The clinic will complete a needed continuum of care for those living with paralysis by launching a comprehensive wellness program, including specialized fitness plans, social support and educational sessions to improve quality of life after injury.

Grant Awards 2018

Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis is proud to announce two 2018 Change-Makers, each receiving $100,000 grants: Brookside Community Development Corporation and Trinity Episcopal Church Trinity Haven.

Brookside Community Development Corporation will use its funding to expand its after school program offerings, creating the Brookside Community Play Education and Employment Academy. The academy will serve at-risk middle and high school students from the Near Eastside of Indianapolis, instilling hope through education and employability. The program will help students discover passion areas, improve socio-emotional development, build character and leadership skills, provide adult mentor relationships, boost academic performance, and equip students with employment opportunities.

Trinity Episcopal Church will use their grant to launch Trinity Haven, a welcoming transitional home for LGBTQ youth. Currently, there is not a single residential program specifically for LGBTQ youth in the entire state of Indiana. Trinity Haven will use the Impact 100 funds in partnership with Indiana Youth Group (IYG) to offer acceptance, support, and evidence-based programming that help its residents develop skills needed to thrive in the world.

2018 marked the 13th anniversary of Impact 100 in Indianapolis. The recipients were announced following finalist presentations and a vote by Impact 100 members at the Annual Awards Celebration on June 12. To date, the organization had awarded over $2.1 million to more than 50 local nonprofits. You can learn more about previous recipients in our Giving Report.

In addition to the two $100,000 grants, three additional finalists each received grants of $5000:

• Earth Charter Indiana: In 2017, Earth Charter Indiana’s Youth Power Indiana program was integral in the adoption of climate recovery resolutions in three Indiana cities, making Indiana a national leader in youth-led climate and civic action. They strive to build on their unique model to inspire more Central Indiana cities, and propose a series of Youth Summits to build community and collaboration between participants. Outcomes include increased youth leadership skills and civic engagement along with safer, cleaner communities.
• Kennedy King Memorial Initiative: The legacies of two fallen human rights leaders, MLK and RFK, require us to push for candid conversations to address issues of division and injustice in our society. The Kennedy-King Memorial Initiative will create a Visitor’s Center on the hallowed Dr. MLK Park Campus to unite stakeholders in bold dialogue and purposeful action.
• NeuroHope: NeuroHope is an outpatient physical therapy clinic providing longer-term therapy and wellness programs at affordable rates for individuals recovering from neurologic injury after insurance has expired (spinal cord, brain injury, stroke). Their goal is to launch an Occupational Therapy program to provide affordable access to activities of daily living and quality of life goals to better complete the continuum of care for patients in need following hospital discharge.

Grant Award 2017

Volunteers of America of Indiana received the $100,000 2017 Change-Maker Grant at the June 9, 2017 meeting held at Ritz Charles. VOA is using the $100,000 grant to expand VOA’s Fresh Start Recovery Center, a unique residential addiction treatment center focusing on helping mothers involved with the Department of Child Services recover from addiction and have healthy children. The VOA program is unique because it provides residential beds for children under 5, thus allowing mothers and children to remain together while mother receives residential treatment.

They have received news from a major funding source that our grant, along with others, is being matched TWO TO ONE!!! This makes our $100,000 worth $300,000 towards VOA’s work fighting the opioid crisis. 

The other four finalists, who each received grants of $15,000, shared updates on their activities since June:

• Big Car Collaborative (Arts & Culture FAC) got a match for $10,000 of Impact 100 $15,000 grant. This funder continues to match donations given through Patronicity. Click HERE to go directly to Big Car’s Patronicity donation page so your donation can be matched, too. Donations support their program bringing artists and neighbors together to bring a city block back from half vacant to vibrant through creative placemaking and equitable cultural community development.
• DirectEmployers Institute (Education FAC) is moving forward with their plans to include hands-on labs in two Indianapolis high shools, allowing students to learn more than theory about health care and manufacturing careers.
• Marian University (Environment FAC) has applied for further funds to see their dream of additional funding for their environmental education lab for younger students.
• Children’s Bureau (Health & Wellness FAC) participated in the panel discussion at the September 17 membership kick-off at the Glendale Library (see our blog on the evening here).

Grant Award 2016

Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis awarded a $100,000 grant to the IMPACT Program to Curb Runaway and Human Trafficking of Young Girls, a collaboration between Ascent 121 and Lutheran Child & Family Services, at their annual dinner June 7, 2016, at The Willows on Westfield in Indianapolis. The 2016 Change-Maker was announced following presentations by each finalist and a live vote by Impact 100 members.

The IMPACT Program which serves teen survivors of human trafficking. They increased capacity to help more survivors by hiring additional therapists and provided expert training for their clinical staff. Additionally, they want to make their residential unit feel like home for the girls. The grant provided fresh paint, colorful carpeting and some additional furniture in order to make their surroundings more conducive to recovery. Lastly, the program engaged the community by hosting a Human Trafficking Awareness Summit, bringing together thought leaders and experts to offer keynote addresses and workshops to better understand the issue.

The other finalists each received grants in the amount of $18,333: IndyFringe, Art With a Heart, and Dove Recovery House.

Grant Award 2015

Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis awarded $100,000 2015 Change-Maker Grant to Indianapolis Parks Foundation during the June 9, 2015 annual dinner. Indianapolis Parks Foundation used the $100,000 grant to expand the Indy Urban Acres (IUA) Flower Farm. The mission-driven eight-acre organic farm provides fresh fruits and vegetables to 80,000 people on Indianapolis’s east side who use food pantries to help feed their families. The Impact 100 grant enabled the Indianapolis Parks Foundation to expand IUA’s revenue-generating Flower Farm and increase farm food output by 30%—to 40,000 pounds per year. The income from the Flower Farm has exceeded expectations and Indy Urban Acres continues to grow.

The other 2015 finalists were WFYI and Ted Green Films for Attucks: A School that Opened a City, OASIS Indianapolis for Hi-Impact Tutoring, Lutheran Child and Family Services for The IMPACT Program to Curb Runaway and Human Trafficking of Young Girls, and Gennesaret Free Clinic for the Health Recovery Program for Homeless Women.

Grant Award 2014

Social Health Association of Indiana has received Impact 100’s $100,000 Change-Maker Grant for 2014 for its program, Step Up for Kindness. The Step Up for Kindness Initiative uses the most complete evidence-based, age-specific curriculum available to educate 31,800 students ages 5-14 in 100 schools and community locations throughout Marion County. Customized to meet schools’ specific cultural needs, students complete four sessions annually, totaling 5,100 hours of education. Through long-term, sequential instruction, students are empowered to exact behavior change, leading to measurable decreases in bullying incidents and increased safety in school communities. Bully Free Indy’s website portal provides free, online educational resources to an even larger audience.

The four remaining finalists each received unrestricted grants in the amount $4,250 were Big Car Collaborative for their DoSeum Launch, Lutheran Child & Family Services for their YouthBuild Indy Bridge Project, Indianapolis Parks Foundation for Indy Urban Acres, and John P. Craine House for their Backyard and Park Project.

Grant Award 2013

Tindley Collegiate Academy – Girls Middle School was the 2013 Impact 100 $100,000 Change-Maker Grant award recipient! Tindley Collegiate Academy is the first all-girls middle school in Indiana, serving a majority African American population in the Meadows, one of the most challenged neighborhoods in the city. The Impact 100 grant equiped the Tindley STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) lab with computers, CAD software, drills, 3D modeling printers, and tools of all types. Girls use the tools to put scientific theories to real world use. To find out more, visit www.tindleycollegiate.org.

The remaining four finalists received grants of $5,250 each: Ruth Lilly Health Education Center, Reach for Youth, People for Urban Progress, and The Oaks Academy.

Grant Award 2012

On June 19, 2012 the members of Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis awarded a Change-Maker Grant of $100,000 to Jameson Camp, a fully accredited residential summer camp for youth ages 7-17. Jameson Camp also provides outdoor educational programs, Youth Leadership programs and a Challenge Course for all ages. This $100,000 grant allowed Jameson Camp to expand their outdoor educational areas, double the number of children served and establish permanent staff positions.

The remaining four finalists – Earth House Collective, Challenge Foundation Academy, Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic and Dove Recovery House – each received $10,000 in unrestricted grants in recognition of their finalist status.

Grant Award 2011

June 9, 2011, Outside the Box was awarded the 2011 Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis $100,000 Change-Maker Grant. Outside the Box began in June 2008 and has in three years grown to 95 clients and 27 employees–maxing out its current space. Impact 100 funds were used to expand their services, facilities and spread the word of the good work they do for primarily young adult clients, without access to special education programs in schools. OTB is the only provider in Indiana that matches students in small groups sharing a bond of age, personality, interests and personal goals. Time at OTB is focused on skills and education in the areas of daily living, self-advocacy, community involvement and creative exploration in OTB’s art therapy program.

The following four finalists each received unrestricted grants of $11,250: Arts Council of Indianapolis; Indianapolis Parks Foundation; Brook’s Place; Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center.

Grant Award 2010

On June 10, 2010 Rock Steady Boxing received the 2010 Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis $100,000 Change-Maker Grant, and has used the funds to expand its services and facilities for its Parkinson’s disease physical therapy program, as well as to expand its outreach to ensure growth outside of Central Indiana. The first program of its kind, Rock Steady Boxing is revolutionizing the treatment and outcomes for people with PD. Participants train their muscles to remain vital – starting with posture, balance, voice, strength, and mobility. The rigorous non-contact boxing program eases PD’s debilitating symptoms, reduces the depression that often accompanies the disease, while fostering a community of support and infectious optimism. Perhaps most importantly, RSB provides the self-assurance needed to resume former activities that once brought participants joy and satisfaction. People at various stages of the disease are seeing dramatic improvement.

While Rock Steady Boxing received the $100,000 grant, the following finalists each received unrestricted grants of $16,250: Harrison Center for the Arts, Christamore House, Indianapolis Parks Foundation and the Business Ownership Initiative.

Note: We are thrilled to announce that Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis was the recipient of the 2015 Spotlight Award from The Women’s Collective Giving Grantmakers Network (WCGN), recognizing the impact of our $100,000 grant to Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) in 2010. WCGN created the Spotlight Award to recognize women’s giving organizations who practice impactful, transformational grantmaking. The criteria for the award is that a grant must be transformational to the grantmaking organization, the recipient’s organization, and/or the community.

Grant Award 2009

On June 11, 2009 Impact members attended the Annual Awards Celebration to hear presentations and to vote to determine the recipient of their $100,000 Change-Maker Grant – Outreach, Inc. In 2003, the Indiana Department of Education approached Outreach, Inc. about starting a program to work with the homeless student population in the Indianapolis Public School system. These youth were moving from house to house, or on the streets with no stability and little or no parental involvement. They were youth who, without an outside support system, were dropping out of high school at an alarming rate. Project G.O.A.L. (graduation, occupation, address, lifestyle) was created. The G.O.A.L. program is designed to meet the basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter of unaccompanied youth enrolled in local high schools; to provide job skills training; to provide post-secondary educational opportunities; and to provide meaningful mentoring relationships.

Working together with school counselors, and administrators Outreach has increased the graduation rate of homeless students who become involved in the G.O.A.L. program from 25% to well over 65%, and of those graduates an average 50% continue on to college, or vocational school. The Impact 100 grant allowed Outreach to double program enrollment, added staff members and helped expand the mentor corps and its costs.

The four other nonprofit finalists each received $16,000 in unrestricted funds. These finalists were Indianapolis Opera, Fathers and Families, Improving Kids Environment, Inc., and Trusted Mentors.

Grant Award 2008

On Thursday, June 12, 2008 Impact members attended the Annual Awards Celebration to hear presentations and to vote to determine the two recipients of their $104,000 Change-Maker Grants. Each of the two finalists received $104,000 supporting their proposed programs highlighted below:

Herron High School – Arts Equipment for Education Excellence
Herron High School is a public Charter School located in downtown Indianapolis providing a classical liberal arts, college preparatory education that integrates the arts into their entire curriculum. Herron High School students had the highest Language Arts scores in Marion County on this year’s ISTEP+ test. The proposed new project request for arts equipment (performing as well as visual) enabled Herron HS to foster student’s latent academic potential and cultivate their passion for the arts; thus, setting groundwork for the next generation of civic leaders.

Horizon House – Engagement Team Project
Horizon House serves as Indianapolis’ only multi-service day center serving the homeless of Central Indiana by providing comprehensive services to homeless individuals, including: day shelter, mail-pick-up, showers, laundry, long-term storage, employment training, case management, mental health and addictions counseling, medical care, legal counseling and referrals to local partnering agencies. Horizon House’s program is designed to restructure their operations to implement a new Engagement Team approach to serve the homeless more effectively and to better align their services with the Indianapolis Blueprint to End Homelessness. The Engagement Team Project would utilize a collaborative, specialized team approach that would give the homeless access to a greater number of services in a more timely manner, thus reducing the length of time they are homeless and increasing their chances for long term success.

Our Committees celebrated the accomplishment of the following other 2008 finalists: Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art (iMOCA) – Connecting Everyday + Art, Hoosier Heartland Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc. – Every Tree Counts, and Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic – Helping Hoosier Homeowners.

Grant Award 2007

On Tuesday, June 12, 2007 Impact members attended the Annual meeting to hear presentations and vote to determine the two recipients of their $102,500 Change-Maker Grants. Each of the two finalists received $102,500 supporting their proposed programs highlighted below:

Indy Reads – Volunteer Tutor Training Program Expansion
Indy Reads, the only provider of free basic literacy tutoring to adults in Indianapolis, seeks to expand current volunteer training for tutors to reach more students. The proposal requests funds for the program manager position, for contracted certified trainers, to print tutoring materials, to underwrite pro-rated office expenses to Indianapolis Marion County Public Library, to fund travel to a ProLiteracy Conference, and to purchase training software. Indy Reads is currently undergoing a significant organizational change, operating as an independent nonprofit for the first time in its twenty-two year history.

John P. Craine House / Fairbanks Collaboration – The Next Generation at Risk
This new and innovative partnership between Craine House and Fairbanks, “Parenting Education and Interventions for Substance Impacted Mothers and their Children” addressed substance abuse issues of incarcerated women and their children. They were successful in reaching their ultimate goal in preparing the families for success–both in the present and the future– while breaking the cycle of substance abuse and incarceration that plagues too many Indianapolis families.

Grant Award 2006

On June 27, 2006 Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis had the opportunity to put their “one woman one vote” philosophy into practice for the first time. After months of studying 123 central Indiana nonprofits’ grant requests Wishard Memorial Foundation (now Eskenazi) was selected as the group’s 2006 Change-Maker Grant recipient.

A check totaling $152,000 was awarded to fund the Pecar Health Center Pharmacy. The Center is one of nine community-based clinics operated by Wishard Health Services and IU Medical Group-Primary Care that provides a variety of health-related services to predominantly underserved residents in the northwest side of Indianapolis. Last year the facility served over 10,000 patients and has an expected growth of 20 percent in 2006. The goal is for Pecar to be a “medical home” by providing a full array of services, including primary and preventative care, disease screening and control, dental care and mental health services.

Missing from the medical home model was a full-service, on-site outpatient pharmacy. The Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis grant provided the funding to complete construction of the 2,000 square foot facility at Pecar which opened June 30, 2007. The Pecar Pharmacy has the potential to dispense 100,000 prescriptions on site per year. Many of the patients do not have prescription drug coverage and use Wishard Advantage (Wishard Health Services’ managed care program). This type of community based care provides the highest quality and lowest cost care for patients and makes it less likely patients use the county’s emergency rooms for routine care.