I Choose Indy!

Two years ago, when some friends and I finally took the leap to start a new non-profit here in Indianapolis I was surprised how many people in and out of our community commented on the easy we would have in receiving funding. We are very fortunate in Indianapolis to have a heavy concentration of charitable foundations and trustees located in our backyard. And because of this, there is a perception that non-profits here are given money growing trees by our local philanthropists. Contrary to popular notion, when you receive your tax exempt status in Indy, it does not become your ATM code to an unlimited bank account of cash. Our first two years as a non-profit have been financially trying and at the same time we have seen a programmatic boom, that most on lookers deem remarkable.

• The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
• The Lilly Endowment
• The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation
• The Clowes Family Fund
• The Stephen and Tomisue Hilbert Foundation
• The Chrystel DeHann Family Foundation

The list goes on and on of local Indianapolis Philanthropic institutions that give millions of dollars a year to organizations here in Indy and around the world. Even our local community foundation, The Central Indiana Community Foundation, is world class. As one of our countries oldest community foundations, CICF consistently is one the nations best financially performing community foundations.

With such a vibrant and growing history of philanthropy in Indianapolis, it should be easy for anyone to see why we choose Indy to start a new non-profit designed to engage young people to become stakeholders in our community through volunteerism. Volunteerism is the essential first step for anyone’s personal development as a philanthropist. The goal of the Emergent Leadership Institute(ELI) is to help Indianapolis students find their path to civic engagement. Through our online volunteer center, www.helpindyonline.com(HIO), local young people (ages 14-24) can search our database of hundreds of volunteer listings, from over 120 different non-profits right here in Indy. In 2006 we were able to track over 520 students that HIO helped place in volunteer roles around the city. In the fall of 2007 we will be launching our second program, Community Access Points (CAPs), with our educational partners in the Lawrence school district. We believe this program will assist hundreds of students in Lawrence’s three high schools to become civically engaged.

There are no free lunches for non-profits here in Indy. Some of the funders on the list above, along with others, have graciously come along side us to support our values and goals. Those that haven’t, we are actively building relationships with in anticipation for the day when they throw their support our way.

We know over time the community and these funders will see that by the Emergent Leadership Institute engaging students as stakeholders in our community through volunteerism, that those same students will then become the next names added to the long legacy of philanthropist in Indianapolis that have help take care of this city.