A wave of fundraising pitches is about to wash over Indianapolis arts supporters. Five organizations either have announced
or are working toward the launch of major campaigns.
Juli Erhart-Graves, president of the volunteer-run organization, said demand has outstripped SNSI’s ability to raise
money and win grants during the economic downturn.
The not-for-profit hangs its hopes on efforts including more aggressive fundraising after reporting a $389,000 deficit for
its 2010 fiscal year. “It’s been a rough spell,” said CEO Jennifer Burk.
The Indianapolis chapter of Local Initiatives Support Corp. will receive $500,000 to open more of its one-stop centers that
help the working poor develop, grow and protect their assets.
Down Syndrome Indiana is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with Down syndrome.
CEO Pamela Altmeyer reevaluated her priorities
and decided to step down after a family tragedy and the agency's latest capital campaign.
The decision by Girl Scouts to divest the camps follows a consolidation among Girl Scouts councils nationwide in 2007 that
left the local council with a much bigger service area and more real estate.
Indiana University announced Monday that it has seen a 38 percent increase in private-sector grants and contributions from
a year ago, when such revenue declined during the recession.
College costs continue to soar, putting more pressure on students. Jamie Merisotis, CEO of the Lumina Foundation, offers advice on how to keep them enrolled and engaged in school.
Indy Reads works to improve the literacy skills
of adults in central Indiana who read or write at or below the sixth grade level.
Local arts patrons Jane Fortune and her longtime partner Robert Hesse started City Ballet in the spring of 2009, but it was
more of a pitch than a reality. More than a year later, organization leaders are still not sure when they will hire their
own dancers.
The organization uses its money to lure national reform programs like Teach for America to the city and to fund education entrepreneurship fellows to launch innovative programs for schoolchildren in Indianapolis.
The house in the 1300 block of East Ninth Street is the first low-income home in the state to achieve platinum LEED certification.
Red-tail Conservancy director Barry Banks says the group hopes to raise the full $150,000 as soon as possible to buy the 47-acre
Camp Munsee.
The lingering recession is cutting into the money Indiana’s not-for-profit groups generate from bingo, pull-tabs and other
gambling ventures, straining their budgets.
Through land protection, stewardship and education, the Central Indiana Land Trust protects natural areas, improving air
and water quality and enhancing life in our communities for present and future generations.
The 63-year-old head of the central Indiana food bank plans to leave after a nationwide search for her successor. She departs
as the group ramps up plans to move into a new headquarters.
Keira Amstutz of the Indiana Humanities Council has counterintuitive advice for fundraising pitches, plus counsel on
finding balance and avoiding overthinking.
A plan to build a 28-acre sports complex on the southeast side is sparking hopes that a polluted parcel across the street
that formerly housed a Citizens coke plant can be revived as a retail and industrial center.
Burd, who is president of Burd Ford, a mother of four, and a fixture on television commercials for the dealership, has become
an advocate for mental health following her husband’s suicide.
