Herbert Simon Family Foundation

Herbert Simon Family Foundation is a private non-operating foundation. Established in 1999, the foundation has been providing support for organizations in hopes of creating more equitable, sustainable and vibrant communities with an emphasis on Indianapolis and the state of Indiana. In 2011, Herbert Simon Family Foundation expanded its board to include the second generation of the family and engaged CICF’s philanthropic services, including strategic charitable advising and grantmaking counsel.

The foundation’s primary impact areas are:

  • Arts & culture
  • Basic needs
  • Environment & climate change
  • Jewish causes
  • Social justice

Herbert Simon Family Foundation Board of Directors 

  • Herbert Simon, Chair
  • Rachel M. Simon, President
  • Jennifer Simon
  • Stephen H. Simon
  • Sarah Meyer Simon
  • Asher B. Simon

Supporting artists

Herbert Simon Family Foundation’s arts and culture funding focuses on supporting, funding, and building the Indianapolis cultural economy in ways that:

(1) change mechanisms and power structures

(2) center individual artists, artist collectives, and arts organizations that have historically been outside of the mainstream local arts scene.

The foundation is pleased to announce three new opportunities within this focus:

  • Artists at Work Indianapolis – a one-year, salaried fellowship where artists are embedded with a social impact initiative to leverage the creative power of artists to respond to community needs.
  • Indianapolis Creative Risk Fund – a pilot grant fund for individual artists and artist collectives to encourage creative risk-taking and experimentation.
  • Indianapolis Artist Bridge Loan Fund – an ongoing bridge loan program for artists with contracted work to ensure they have the funding to complete larger projects and grow their careers.

GRANT APPLICATIONS

Herbert Simon Family Foundation is an invite-only funder and does not accept unsolicited grant applications. 

If your organization is interested in applying for funding from Herbert Simon Family Foundation in the future, please contact us first at HerbertSimonFamilyFoundation@cicf.org. 

Reporting on a Current Grant?

If you are a current grant recipient, please submit your report through the CICF Grants Portal at cicf.smartsimple.com 

If you have questions about the timing or content of your report, please contact HerbertSimonFamilyFoundation@cicf.org.