Stories of Change

Oppression Olympics: The Game That Needs to End

August 2, 2021 As people around the globe are tuning in for the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, there’s a variation that rewards no medals yet many insist on competing—Oppression Olympics. The first recorded use of the phrase was by Elizabeth "Betita" Martínez in a 1993 conversation with activist Angela Davis. Oppression Olympics is the idea that marginalization is a competition of determining the relative weight of overall oppression of individuals or groups, based on identity. Simply put, it’s comparing…Read More.

Housing to Recovery

August 2, 2021 The Housing to Recovery fund was established in 2019 as a partnership between the City of Indianapolis and CICF.  Acknowledging the time has come for a more permanent solution to our homelessness crisis, the City, CICF, Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP), and Corporation for Supportive Housing joined together to loudly call for a “housing-first” model in our community.  Housing-first is a proven approach in many cities across the country that verifies providin…Read More.

Central Indiana Racial Equity Fund Awards $860,000 to Organizations; Establishes Scholarship Fund for Individuals Impacted by Criminal Justice System

July 29, 2021 Central Indiana Racial Equity Fund (CIREF) has awarded $860,000 in grants to eight Black-led not-for-profit organizations working to advance racial equity in Indianapolis and its surrounding counties, in its second and final round of grant-making. Grants will support capacity-building and scaling up strategies for career training, mentorship, and justice-focused programs.Read More.

Mosaic Fellowship challenges organizations to build boards equitably

July 27, 2021 There is a lack of diverse board leadership in Indianapolis organizations causing boards to remain overwhelmingly White and male. Even organizations who have mastered diversity often fail at true inclusion and power-sharing with BIPOC, women, young people, and the LGBTQ+ communities. As a result, the community continues to witness public organizational failures.Read More.

Professional Advisor Leadership Council (PALC) Update

July 14, 2021 On June 23, the Professional Advisor Leadership Council (PALC) convened at the Hamilton County Community Foundation to kick off their first of several meetings this calendar year. The meeting was held at the new Collaboration Hub, a new space and resource for Central Indiana not-for-profits located at Hamilton County Community Foundation. After a brief welcome from Tom Kilian Jr, president of Hamilton County Community Foundation and IMPACT Central Indiana, the members in attendance too…Read More.

CICF responds to new legislation around donor-advised funds

July 14, 2021 Legislation has been introduced in the US Senate (Accelerated Charitable Efforts Act) which could be the most significant change to donor-advised funds since they were created 80 years ago. The proposed legislation is designed to accelerate payouts from donor-advised funds and foundations to get more money into the hands of organizations that need it more quickly, but, some have said, it is “a solution in need of a problem.”  Read More.