2025 Grant Recipient Updates
We’re gearing up for another great grant cycle at Impact 100 of Greater Indianapolis. As our Focus Area Committees (FACs) form and get ready to review the Change Maker Letters of Intent (LOIs), let’s take a look at updates from our 2025 grant recipients.
Big Car Collaborative Builds Out Kitchen and Culinary Arts Area of New Museum
The $15,000 Community Support Grant from Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis gave Big Car Collaborative important flexibility at a key moment in their growth. Although the grant was unrestricted, they chose to apply the funds to the same project they originally proposed: the kitchen and culinary arts area within their 40,000-square-foot museum and community building currently under construction.
This area is not included in the building’s primary construction budget, making flexible support especially impactful. Impact 100’s funding allowed them to continue moving forward with planning and early expenses related to this space — including construction-related needs, furnishings and equipment planning, and staff time — while they complete final fundraising. The support helped them maintain momentum during a period of significant growth and transition.
“Receiving unrestricted support from Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis allowed Big Car to make meaningful progress on the kitchen and culinary arts area during an active construction and planning phase,” said Jim Walker, Executive Director & Co-founder. “One of the most immediate successes was the ability to move from concept-level ideas into practical decision-making around how the space will function and feel. Together, these advances represent a shift from planning to execution. The Community Support Grant helped us keep momentum, make informed decisions, and ensure the kitchen and culinary arts area is thoughtfully integrated into the museum, which is now projected to open to the public in May.”
Coburn Place Ensures the Safety of the Survivors They Serve
Our 2025 Change Maker Grant awardee Coburn Place is using the $100,000 to fund a must-needed safety program for the domestic abuse survivors they serve. “The response from survivors has been overwhelmingly positive. Survivors have expressed deep appreciation for the immediate safety and stability provided through emergency housing and hotel stays, especially during moments of crisis when options were limited,” said Mitchell Reller, Director of Compliance at Coburn Place. “Access to safety classes has helped survivors feel more informed, prepared, and confident in making decisions that support their well-being.”
Several meaningful successes to date highlight the positive impact of this program and reinforce its value. They recently connected a survivor with an attorney for child support, custody, and protective order assistance, helping her take important steps toward long-term safety and stability. They also assisted another survivor in securing legal support to have her driver’s license reinstated, removing a major barrier to employment and independence.
In addition, the program has supported multiple survivors through emergency hotel stays, providing immediate safety during critical moments. These successes demonstrate how timely access to housing and legal assistance can create real, life-changing outcomes and underscore the importance of continued investment in this work.
Indiana Diaper Bank Supplies Diapers to Families in Need
The $15,000 Community Support Grant allowed Indiana Diaper Bank to help more families with diapers. They had been getting a lot of donations from a big box retailer but when that stopped they were able to fill the gap and purchase more diapers thanks to the Community Support Grant. Many of their partners have limited funding but the need has increased for families, especially with some food cuts over the months. These funds allowed Indiana Diaper Bank to respond in real time to the community needs.
“Indiana Diaper Bank was able to purchase 80,000 diapers/wipes to help 3,200 children have more diapers changes, attend daycare, and be happy and healthy, which is our mission,” said Ashley Burns, President and CEO. “With your help we were able to eliminate diaper need for those children.”
IndyHumane Helps Keep Animals with Their Families
IndyHumane is profoundly grateful to Impact 100 for their selection as a Change Maker finalist in 2025. The $15,000 Community Support Grant was highly impactful to the organization. These funds provided a vital infusion of cash into their Pet Resource Center program, which was the program they applied to the Impact 100 grant for. The grant enabled them to immediately open additional client appointments. Expanding PRC access also allowed IndyHumane to provide further support to other organizations in central Indiana’s animal welfare community.
“Over the course of 2025, they have been able to serve over 20 pets and their families,” said Donna Casamento, CEO. “These clients have received critical medical services, including spay/neuter surgery, amputation, hernia repair, and Parvo treatment.”
Nine13sports Makes Progress Towards Launching Their STEM Education Project
Nine13sports was able to leverage this funding to purchase some of the equipment they still needed to acquire for their proposed STEM education project. This equipment allowed them to remain on pace to implement the vision as outlined in their original Impact 100 proposal; and to secure funding from another grant opportunity to be able to stay on track with the project Timeline. They have successfully implemented the proposed concepts as outlined in the original Impact 100 concept and are thrilled to be able to bring the momentum from Impact 100 to other funders who saw the vision and impact the STEM deliverables will have across Central Indiana.
“Momentum breeds momentum and this was no different in terms of being able to carry the framework from Impact 100 and bring that to other funders,” said Tom Hanley, CEO. “We are thrilled that the catalyst of Impact 100 has seen us generate more than $150,000 in grant funding off of the same concept in addition to the $15,000 awarded by Impact 100. We have been able to secure both the van and the equipment outlined in the original concept and dedicate staff time to launching the program. We are thrilled to have been able to use Impact 100 as a launching platform for this new program.”