CREATING A DIVERSE PIPELINE OF SKILLED WELDERS (Winter 2025). The welding industry is experiencing a significant workforce shortage, with a notable lack of diversity. Nationally, only 5.3% of welders are women. In Indiana, the demand for skilled welders is projected to grow by 9% from 2020 to 2030, with an anticipated 1,920 job openings annually. Despite these opportunities, the field remains predominantly male, highlighting the need for initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion.

Latinas Welding Guild (LWG) is addressing this disparity by providing accessible welding education and workforce development programs tailored for women and underserved communities in Indiana. LWG’s efforts aim to bridge the gap between the growing demand for skilled welders and the underrepresentation of women in the industry.

ADVANCING SOCIAL EQUITY THROUGH EDUCATION (Fall 2024). For more than 40 years, Indy Reads has been working towards its vision of 100% literacy for all. Each program year, Indy Reads serves more than 400 adult learners in its tuition-free High School Equivalency (HSE), English Language Learning (ELL), Literacy Foundations, and workforce certifications Community Classrooms. Indy Reads also operates a community bookstore in Fountain Square that hosts more than 250 events annually and makes the joy of reading accessible to all.

CHANGING LIVES THROUGH IMMIGRANT LEGAL SERVICES (Summer 2023). The mission of the Indianapolis Immigrant Legal Services Fund is to provide equitable access to legal support and representation to immigrant Hoosiers in Marion County. In May 2021, the City-County Council of Indianapolis established the Indianapolis Immigrant Legal Services Fund in partnership with The Indianapolis Foundation, which administers and fundraises for the program that has amassed nearly $660,000 since its inception.

TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH CULINARY JOB TRAINING PROGRAM (Winter 2023). For 25 years, Second Helpings in downtown Indianapolis has offered a Culinary Job Training program as part of its mission to transform lives through the power of food. This free, 7-week program is available to unemployed and underemployed adults in central Indiana. Each step in the program’s curriculum is designed to secure employment upon graduation. More than 975 students have graduated from this program since 1998.

BUILDING FOUNDATIONS TO END HOMELESSNESS (Fall 2022). Horizon House is building the foundations to end homelessness by connecting individuals and families experiencing homelessness with an effective continuum of integrated, comprehensive services that help neighbors secure and sustain income and permanent housing. Services include: Basic Necessities like access to showers, laundry facilities and a place to receive mail; Case Management, including support geared to help those returning to the community from incarceration; Peer Support Services for people coping with mental health and/or substance abuse issues; Street Outreach to engage people who are unsheltered and connect them to housing services; Assessments for rental assistance and housing support services; Supportive Housing Services; and Job Readiness Training. R.I.S.E., Horizon House’s employment services program, helps neighbors Reach for Independence & Self-sufficiency through Employment by assessing employment skills, developing interview and job search skills, providing job leads, transportation assistance and job retention services.

SAFER SPACES (Winter 2022). Creating safer spaces since 1987, the Indiana Youth Group (IYG) is the longest continually operating LGBTQ+ youth center in the nation. The organization currently serves LGBTQ+ young people ages 12-24, as well as their ally peers. General programming focuses on building self-confidence, self-expression and self-sufficiency while developing relationships within the community.

BUILDING AN INDIANA THAT WELCOMES EVERYONE (Fall 2021). People with the courage and tenacity to move far from home to make a better life for their family are the ones who make our country the land of the free and the home of the brave. So when immigrants became the target of racist rhetoric, hate crimes and policies aimed at tearing families apart, Faith in Indiana sprang into action.

REDUCING BARRIERS AND EXPANDING ACCESS (Winter 2021). The Immigrants’ and Language Rights Center (ILRC) is a department within Indiana Legal Services (ILS), created to reach vulnerable and underserved immigrant and limited English proficient populations within Indiana.

RESOURCEFULNESS & RESILIENCE – HALLMARKS OF IMMIGRANTS AND THE IWC (Summer 2020). In 2005, then First Lady of Indianapolis, Amy Minnick Peterson, founded the Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC). Since then, the IWC has been on a mission to connect Indy's immigrant community to the people, places and resources they need to thrive.

PROGRESS FED BY DATA AND INNOVATION (Winter 2020). For nearly 120 years, the Flanner House of Indianapolis has sought to support, advocate for and empower individuals, children and families on the northwest side and beyond by applying educational, social and economic resources that move members of the community towards stabilization, and self-sufficiency.

HELPING HANDS (Fall 2019). The Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic is a well-known and trusted organization based in Indianapolis that seeks justice for socioeconomically disadvantaged people.

EXEMPLARY FATHERHOOD PRACTITIONERS (Fall 2019). For 25 years, the Fathers and Families Center has delivered exceptional programs and services that dovetail with the Fund’s workforce development funding priority.

ENHANCED TRANSITIONAL JOBS DEMONSTRATION (Winter 2019). RecycleForce is a social enterprise designed to reduce recidivism while safely recycling electronics in Indianapolis. Through its transitional jobs program, RecycleForce hires formerly incarcerated men and women and provides them job training and support services in preparation for their transition to full-time employment.

INVESTING IN JOB SKILLS INSTEAD OF JUVENILE DETENTION (Winter 2018). Philanthropy can play a major role in encouraging breakthrough social change, but breakthroughs often require a bit of risk.

PARTNERS LIGHTING THE PATH (Summer 2017).  Collaborative efforts provide many benefits to participating members, including opportunities to raise awareness and to encourage unified community effort.

FOSTERING A LEGACY OF IMPACT (Winter 2016).  In Indianapolis, The Clowes Fund’s support for the arts is limited to two legacy grants that honor our founding donors. One is the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, which exhibits the Clowes Collection of art, and the other is the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) on the merits of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (MYO) program.

TIRELESS EFFORTS FOR REFUGEES (Fall 2016).   Exodus Refugee Immigration has welcomed refugees to Indiana from more than 33 countries since its beginning in 1981.

INSPIRING EXAMPLES OF PERSEVERANCE (Summer 2016).  The Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) hosted the 2016 Postsecondary Counseling Institute (PCI) in June. A session titled “Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize: Equipping First-Generation Students for Success after High School,” featured a panel of Indiana first-gen students who found pathways to success, despite the odds.