By choosing to take part in our initiatives, you will be advancing equity in our communities. Whether you choose to utilize our educational tools, such as Movement of 10K, or attend a racial equity workshop, you are taking the steps to be a changemaker in your community.
Movement of 10k
The Movement of 10,000 (MVMT10K), is a digital platform to inform, inspire and ignite equitable change and justice in our community. It was designed to advance racial equity through learning, behavior change, action, and engagement.
When the digital app was first designed, the Indianapolis Foundation and its partners set out to collectively recruit and engage at least 10,000 people across the community over a three-year period to engage in racial equity work, commit to anti-racist actions, and make works of equity a life’s practice.
Join others in our community to learn, grow, and share perspectives with a shared goal of creating a Central Indiana community known for being the most inclusive and anti-racist region in the nation.
Racial equity workshops
Presented by the Racial Equity Institute
When the Indianapolis Foundation announced its new mission in 2018, it committed to a journey of expanding an understanding of the impact systemic racism has on Marion County communities. As valued partners, fundholders, and community members, we invite you to join us by signing up for an upcoming racial equity workshop.
Learn more about the Racial Equity Institute and its work before your session or to help inform your decision on your participation.
“ Like fighting an addiction, being an antiracist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination. ”
We are a proud partner of Groundwater Institute’s (GWI) training, narrative, and organizing approach. Learn more about GWI and its work before your session or to help inform your decision on your participation.
Through virtual GWI webinars, organizers use stories and data to present a perspective that racism is fundamentally structural in nature. The groundwater metaphor is designed to help people at all levels internalize the reality that we live in a racially structured society using three key truths:
- Racial equity looks the same across systems.
- Socio-economic differences do not explain the racial inequity.
- Inequities are caused by systems, regardless of people’s culture or behavior.
Virtual sessions are presented in two formats — a three-hour introductory session and a 1.5-day immersive experience.
The groundwater metaphor is based on a simple tale of dying fish that goes like this: If you see a fish in a lake by your house that is floating belly-up dead, you'll wonder what happened to that one fish. But, if in that same lake half of the fish are floating belly-up dead, you'll wonder what's going on in that lake. Now, imagine five lakes in your neighborhood and in each and every one … lots of fish … are floating belly-up dead. It's time to analyze the groundwater feeding all the lakes in your community.
Neighborhood Empowerment Pathways
Neighborhood Empowerment Pathways is a grants and technical assistance program to sustain grassroots not-for-profits. We believe these organizations are closest to the community’s assets and challenges, and uniquely positioned through their proximity to supply solutions and seize opportunities.
The initiative uplifts the leadership, creativity, and resilience of communities that have long invested in the well-being and vitality of their own neighborhoods. The program has four strategic paths to empowering neighborhoods and their residents:
- Community organizing
- Resident leadership
- Non-for-profit infrastructure development
- Community investment
The partnership makes possible training and consulting support to help strengthen the organizational infrastructures of grassroots and community-based organizations serving Marion County. This initiative features various cohorts designed to bring leaders together and dive deeper to address infrastructure development topics vital to sustaining their respective organizations. Skills-building and shared learning opportunities will also be backed with mini-grants to invest in the infrastructures of participating entities.
Training Opportunities
The Indianapolis Foundation offers workshops for grassroots and community-based organizations. Sessions are offered in person and through video conferencing during the winter months.
During the 90-minute virtual sessions, participants strengthen their leadership skills through selected training topics vital to enhance their organization’s performance. The purpose of the extended training opportunities is to provide leaders with specialized resources and tools so that they are more knowledgeable on crucial topics of infrastructure development. The in-person workshops are designed to provide leaders with more in-depth learning on key topics and utilize various adult learning techniques
Grant Preparation Clinics
The Indianapolis Foundation hosts several grant preparation clinics to provide application assistance. The purpose of these clinics is to help put applicants in the best position possible to secure funding for their organizations.
Infrastructure development support
The Indianapolis Foundation is committed to partnering with local consultants to strengthen and support the growth of grassroots organizations by providing essential infrastructure development services. These services are available to organizations in the Elevation Grant Program and through periodic public cohorts, ensuring broader access to critical capacity-building support for historically under-resourced groups.
A team of expert consultants offers guidance in board governance, program development, data management, resource development, financial management, and more. These services are available to selected organizations in the Elevation Grant Program and through periodic public cohorts, ensuring broader access to critical capacity-building support.