16 Tech awards $500K in community grants
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Indianapolis-based 16 Tech Community Corp. has awarded $500,000 in grants to fund projects and resident-led initiatives. The company says the funding will help support neighborhoods near the 16 Tech Innovation District.
Fifteen recipients were selected for first round funding and include organizations that support education and workforce development, community development, neighborhood associations, and the arts.
“Today’s announcement of grant awards is the culmination of more than a year-long process to develop fund priorities and guidelines in partnership with the 16 Tech Investment Fund Advisory Committee, neighborhood associations and the City of Indianapolis. Grants will support new neighborhood-based projects and expand existing programs, helping residents start and grow small businesses, preserve and celebrate neighborhood culture and history, and deliver skills training for tomorrow’s workforce,” said Bob Coy, 16 Tech Community Corp. president and chief executive officer.
The company says it received over 60 grant applications and is planning to award a second round of grants, totaling $500,000, later in 2020.
The inaugural grants were made possible through the 16 Tech Community Investment Fund, a community-focused fund which launched in 2019. The company says the fund was established to ensure access, opportunity and revitalization of the neighborhoods in and around the 16 Tech Innovation District.
“Philanthropy is an essential piece of the American way of life,” said Starla Hart, director of Community Initiatives for 16 Tech. “Our community investment fund is providing innovation in the field by engaging residents in the decision-making process and making place-based investments as well as being the first development of our kind to employ this means of building community with neighbors.”
16 Tech says the Community Investment Fund was seeded with $3 million in public funding through the city of Indianapolis and tenants in the 16 Tech Innovation District.
The list of the recipients from each category can be found below.
Education and workforce development organizations:
- Marian University – $72,500
- Stemnasium Learning Labs – $43,500
- Believers United in Local Development – $42,000
- Elevate Indianapolis – $37,000
- Christel House – $33,000
- ProAct Indy – $25,000
Community development organizations:
- Christamore House – $70,000
- Flanner House – $57,000
- Near Northwest Governance Committee – $45,000
- Rebuilding Together – $13,000
Neighborhood associations:
- Near Northwest Governance Committee – $13,500
- Lillian Davis Foundation – $8,500
- Stringtown Neighborhood Association – $5,000
Arts organizations:
- Indy Convergence – $20,000
- Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library – $15,000