The Center for Racial Equity and Economic Opportunity (CREEO) builds on the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to addressing economic disparities and systemic barriers in Indianapolis and Marion County — particularly for individuals and families in historically underserved and disinvested communities.
Led by Michael Twyman, Ph.D., CREEO focuses on innovative solutions and scaling effective practices to drive systemic progress in advancing equity and expanding economic opportunity across the region. The center will serve as a hub for collaboration, influencing policies and actions that remove barriers and build bridges, ensuring that all community members have the opportunity to thrive in a changing economy.
Programming
Since 2018, the Indianapolis Foundation has focused its grantmaking and community leadership efforts on addressing systemic and structural barriers that hold people back from achieving their full potential.
CREEO programming that will be continued and strengthened includes:
- Community Ambassadors, which puts the Foundation in direct relationship with active neighborhood leaders and community organizers and allows us to better understand the needs, opportunities, and talents of people with lived experience.
- Neighborhood Empowerment Pathways (NEP), a grantmaking and technical assistance initiative that holistically incorporates resident leadership training, community organizing support, infrastructure development, and grassroots community investment.
- Racial Equity Trainings and Community Dialogues on Race – engaging the community in trainings, workshops, conversations—including our Movement of 10,000 online platform—to promote candid and authentic learning opportunities on race and racism.
- National Leadership and Learning to bring best practices from across the community foundation and philanthropic sector to Indianapolis and share our learning with others.
In addition to building upon the Foundation’s existing programming and grantmaking, CREEO will expand to include two new pillars of work:
- Pursue research partnerships to support the development of innovative solutions and the scaling of effective practices that drive and track meaningful, systemic progress in expanding equity and economic opportunity — both now and into the future.
- Policy and Advocacy Work through collaboration and convening that will build bridges and remove barriers to improve outcomes, so that everyone in our community can thrive in a changing economy.