Supports Marion County youth by funding, convening and building capacity for programs and systems that help children learn, grow and thrive.
Marion County Commission on Youth Inc centers its grantmaking on summer youth programs in Marion County, pairing operating support with recognition, capacity building, and youth-worker stipends. A large share of its recent grants supports the Indy Summer Youth Programs effort, including awards for school-community partnership work, hiring summer youth workers, and outreach tied to youth violence prevention. The foundation’s approach is practical: it funds the people and programs that deliver summer opportunities, then reinforces them through portals, awards, and coalition work. Recent grants show a strong preference for Indianapolis-based organizations, but the scope of work is broader than one program model. It has supported neighborhood centers, faith-based organizations, arts groups, legal services, and public schools, all within a Marion County youth-serving frame. The grant list also includes support for Central Indiana summer staff through educational stipend awards, showing attention to both program delivery and the youth workers who make those programs possible. Across the available grants, the foundation appears to back local providers that connect youth to learning, engagement, safety, and workforce experience during the summer months.
In school-community partnership work, Marion County Commission on Youth Inc made $20,000 grants to Aspire Higher Foundation, Dream Alive Inc, and Kids Dance Outreach, all for the Closing the Gap Program - Building Stronger School-Community Partnerships. That same program also supported Indiana Legal Services with a $19,965 grant and Indianapolis Public Schools with $13,170. For summer youth employment and program staffing, the foundation funded Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis for $14,250 and Zion Hill M B Church Inc for $13,300 to help cover the cost of hiring summer youth workers. It also backed Harrison Center for the Arts Inc and Deeply Ingrained Inc with $10,260 each for the same purpose. The foundation also invested in violence prevention outreach. We Bloom Inc and Chin Community of Indiana each received $7,596 for the Marion County Youth Violence Prevention Coalition, focused on outreach and education to reduce youth violence within Indianapolis.
$128K
$1.8M
$1.7M
$1.6M
Most grants fall between $7K and $10K, with a median of $8K.
25th Percentile
$7K
Median
$8K
75th Percentile
$10K
ELIZABETH COIT
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Typical awards are tightly clustered: p25 is $6,698, the median is $7,980, and p75 is $9,975. The recent grant list shows a mix of $20,000 partnership grants, mid-sized summer staffing awards, and smaller stipends for youth workers. The pattern leans toward repeat program areas rather than one-off thematic experiments, especially around summer youth programming and related coalition work. Marion County Commission on Youth Inc is a regular funder and makes grants to organizations rather than individuals. The portal-based summer youth programs and awards programs suggest an application-driven structure, and several active programs explicitly accept unsolicited submissions.
Grantmaking is overwhelmingly local. Ninety-three percent of grants go to recipients in Indiana, and the recent list is concentrated in Indianapolis, with additional recipients in Carmel and New York. Indianapolis addresses include Aspire Higher Foundation, Indianapolis Public Schools, We Bloom Inc, and Felege Hiywot Center Inc. Outside the state, one recent grant went to Girls Inc in New York, New York. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 22 grants in the United States.
The strongest pattern is summer youth programming in Marion County, especially through the Indy Summer Youth Programs and Summer Youth Program Fund. Recent grants also support school-community partnerships, youth violence prevention outreach, and staff stipends for summer youth workers.
Typical awards cluster in the single-digit thousands: p25 is $6,698, the median is $7,980, and p75 is $9,975. Recent grants also include larger $20,000 awards for partnership work and $1,000 stipend awards in the summer service education programs.
Most grants go to Indiana recipients, and 93% of grants are awarded in the HQ state of Indiana. The recent grant list is heavily Indianapolis-based, but it also includes a recipient in Carmel and one in New York, New York.
Yes, several active programs say they accept unsolicited submissions, including the Indy Summer Youth Programs portal, the Summer Youth Program Fund - Excellence in Summer Service Awards, and the Indy Summer Youth Programs portal for grants and program support.
The grants go to organizations, not individuals. Recent recipients include schools, neighborhood centers, faith-based groups, arts organizations, legal services, and youth-serving nonprofits such as Indianapolis Public Schools, Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis, and Felege Hiywot Center Inc.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Marion County Commission on Youth that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations that operate summer youth programming serving youth in Marion County/Indianapolis. Specific eligibility details are provided through the ISYP application materials.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KIDS DANCE OUTREACH | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $20,000 | 2025 | CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS |
| DREAM ALIVE INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $20,000 | 2025 | CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS |
| ASPIRE HIGHER FOUNDATION | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $20,000 | 2025 | CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS |
| INDIANA LEGAL SERVICES | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $19,965 | 2025 | CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS |
| CHRIS CENTER INC | CARMEL, IN | $19,850 | 2025 | CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS |
| INDIANAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $13,170 | 2025 | CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS |
| CHIN COMMUNITY OF INDIANA | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $7,596 | 2025 | MARION COUNTY YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION COALITION - OUTREACH AND EDUCATION TO REDUCE YOUTH VIOLENCE WITHIN INDIANAPOLIS |
| WE BLOOM INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $7,596 | 2025 | MARION COUNTY YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION COALITION - OUTREACH AND EDUCATION TO REDUCE YOUTH VIOLENCE WITHIN INDIANAPOLIS |
| BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF INDIANAPOLIS | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $14,250 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| ZION HILL M B CHURCH INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $13,300 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| DEEPLY INGRAINED INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $10,260 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| HARRISON CENTER FOR THE ARTS INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $10,260 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| GIRLS INC | NEW YORK, NY | $9,120 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| CONCORD NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $8,360 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| FREEWHEELIN COMMUNITY BIKES | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $7,980 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| FELEGE HIYWOT CENTER INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $7,980 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| GREAT COMMISSION CHURCH OF GOD | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $7,600 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| EAST TENTH STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $6,840 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| WESTMINSTER NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $6,650 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| HAWTHORNE SOCIAL SERVICE ASSOCIATION INC | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $6,413 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| EDNA MARTIN CHRISTIAN CENTER | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $6,080 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
| SAINT FLORIAN CENTER INCORPORATED | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | $5,320 | 2024 | TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS |
CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
DREAM ALIVE INC
$20,000CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CHRIS CENTER INC
$19,850CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CLOSING THE GAP PROGRAM - BUILDING STRONGER SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CHIN COMMUNITY OF INDIANA
$7,596MARION COUNTY YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION COALITION - OUTREACH AND EDUCATION TO REDUCE YOUTH VIOLENCE WITHIN INDIANAPOLIS
MARION COUNTY YOUTH VIOLENCE PREVENTION COALITION - OUTREACH AND EDUCATION TO REDUCE YOUTH VIOLENCE WITHIN INDIANAPOLIS
TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
ZION HILL M B CHURCH INC
$13,300TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
DEEPLY INGRAINED INC
$10,260TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
GREAT COMMISSION CHURCH OF GOD
$7,600TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
EAST TENTH STREET UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
$6,840TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
SAINT FLORIAN CENTER INCORPORATED
$5,320TO HELP COVER COST OF HIRING SUMMER YOUTH WORKERS
