The IRH Fund mission is to financially support programs and services that promote quality living for older adults in central Indiana.

In 2004 the board of directors of the Indianapolis Retirement Home (IRH) established a $10 million donor advised fund with CICF that will make $500,000 available annually to address the needs of and provide opportunities to local residents as they age.

The 137-year-old not-for-profit began as the Indianapolis Home for Friendless Women. However, shortly after the Civil War and through the coming years, the home modified its mission to serve the community as times changed. Most recently, IRH was a small nursing home located at 1731 North Capital Avenue which closed last summer. An aging building, declining census, and reductions in Medicaid reimbursements led to the closure.

"Once the board made the difficult decision to close the home, it became clear IRH could once again re-focus our mission on serving the needs of the elderly from today's perspective. Aging no longer signals the end of productive life. It is a new chapter. We hope to award grants that will help the elderly flourish in addition to supporting some very genuine and immediate needs for survival," said IRH board chair Karen Whitney. 

The Fund’s goals for older adults are to:

• Promote overall good health and wellness
• Ensure that the basic needs of the low-income are met
• Enable older adults to reside in the environments of their choice
• Provide life-affirming opportunities

The fund's advisors, made up of former IRH board members, have established guidelines for awarding grants in these areas.

"Entrusting the endowment with CICF ensures the IRH mission will live on forever," according to CICF President Brian Payne.

IRH Fund Awards $1 Millionth Dollar
In 2006, the IRH Fund awarded $497,381 to 19 organizations serving older adults in central Indiana, bringing its total grant awards since its 2004 inception to $1.3 million!