The Indiana Climate and Democracy Catalyst Fund

Provided by collaborative member Indianapolis Foundation

The Funding Opportunity

  • The Indiana Climate and Democracy Catalyst Fund consists of local, state, and national funders who are committed to catalyzing movement building at the intersection of climate, democracy, and environmental justice in Indiana.
  • We believe that to create a robust ecosystem ready to take on local challenges, philanthropy should support the capacity and infrastructure building of frontline and place-based organizations so they can focus on community outcomes that help all people thrive.
  • Additionally, we must tell the story of Indiana’s challenges and successes to inspire change and galvanize additional funding for this integral work.

Grant Contact Info

Jamie Valentine

Jamie Valentine, Senior Community Leadership Officer, JamieV@indianapolisfoundation.org

Application Opens:
Jan 2025

Application Closes:
Dec 2025

Grant Notifications:
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Decisions are made monthly.

The Purpose of the Fund is to:  

  1. Leverage current and future funding opportunities 
  2. Attract philanthropic investments in Indiana  
  3. Strengthen relationships between environmental, democracy, and climate funders in the state  
  4. Maximize the impact of funding beyond what any one funder could achieve alone  
  5. Strengthen organizing capacity in Indiana toward power-building, climate justice, and democracy 

Fund Value #1

Center equity in process, funding priorities, and organizational outcomes  

Fund Value #2

Community-based solutions as the path to climate justice and democracy

Fund Value #3

Transparent systems that foster trust-based philanthropy  

What is Funded

Statewide funding support is provided for the following purposes:

  • Nonprofit staff for current organizational scope of work  
  • New or existing programs and/or projects  
  • Pay for services such as consultants, technical assistance, or contractors  
  • Convening, collaboration, and coalition-building

 

Funding Priorities

  • Frontline communities 
  • Place-based organizations 
  • BIPOC-led and/or BIPOC serving organizations 
  • LGBTQ+ led and/or LGBTQ+ serving organizations 
  • Tribal governments 
  • Rural communities Rural governments

 

Examples

(These are meant to be examples, not parameters on what the fund would consider)   

Democracy: Get Out the Vote activities, voter registration, organizer training, voting access, and voting rights protection.  

Climate Justice: Community convening on an Environmental Justice solution, consultant to develop a federal grant proposal, data collection for environmental challenges, or citizen science projects.  

Eligibility

Geographic Area:

  • Indiana

 

Eligible Organizations must be: 

  1. Centered in Indiana 
  2. Led by Indiana communities and/or center community voice in their work 
  3. Have measurable community outcomes 

Have a Question about Eligibility?

If you have questions about your organization’s eligibility or project eligibility, contact Jamie Valentine at the Indianapolis Foundation, jamiev@indianapolisfoundation.org. 

Grant Application Review

All applications will be reviewed and selected by majority agreement of the Indiana Climate and Democracy Catalyst Fund Governing Committee.  

Evaluators adhere to a strict conflict of interest policy and other internal controls to ensure that grant funding is distributed in an objective manner based on the merits of each proposal. 

Members of the Governing Committee include:  

How to apply

Applicants must submit all application materials using our Grants Portal (powered by SmartSimple). If this is your first time submitting an application through this system, you will need to create a user profile for your organization.

For guidance on setting up your account and navigating your applicant profile, please refer to our Grants Portal 101 resource for guidance.

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Apply Here

Need Assistance?

  • The Indiana Climate and Democracy Catalyst Fund wants all applications to be as strong and successful as possible. If you have questions that are not answered in the information provided or would like to set up a time to discuss your application, please reach out to Jamie Valentine at the Indianapolis Foundation, at jamiev@indianapolisfoundation.org.  
  • Grant Support staff for the CICF Collaborative are available to provide technical assistance for Grants Portal access and use throughout the application period at GrantSupport@cicf.org.