2026 and Beyond: A Regional Agenda
Written by Jeff Bennett, Chief Innovation Officer
Central Indiana enters the new year with a tension familiar to communities across the country: Basic needs are rising, at the same time nonprofits and local governments confront much leaner budgets.
What is our most effective response? The two studies I linked to above show that major challenges, such as hunger and housing instability, transcend county lines. A regional approach is one of the most practical ways to stretch nonprofit resources, attract more funding for everyone, reduce duplication, and make sure that effective solutions benefit every community in Central Indiana.
When nonprofits, funders, employers, and public partners share data, coordinate strategies, and back one another up, our region becomes stronger than any single organization can be on its own.
With that in mind, here are some of the major issues our region will face in 2026 and beyond. This is not an exhaustive list, but it reflects what we’re hearing across the region.
1. Food Security
Cuts to SNAP are underway, with or without another government shutdown. As part of 2025’s Budget Reconciliation Act, Congress passed new reductions to SNAP funding, eligibility, and nutritional education.
Last fall, Indy Hunger Network and CICF partnered on a regional study of food security. It showed communities throughout Central Indiana already faced significant challenges prior to last year’s shutdown and SNAP cuts.
In fact, survey results demonstrated similar rates of food insecurity both in Marion County and the surrounding eight-county area. Furthermore, because the 1,307 survey respondents were overwhelmingly employed, the study revealed that hunger impacts more working Hoosier households than many realize.
2. Housing Affordability
Indiana’s homes are increasingly unattainable to those who work some of the most common jobs across the state. In fact, of Indiana’s 30 most common occupations, nine pay less than $18.39/hour – the minimum wage required in Indiana to afford a modest one-bedroom apartment. Those nine low-wage positions include the state’s number one most common occupation: fast-food/counter worker, a job that pays a median wage of $13.84/hour.
Consequently, Indiana maintains some of the highest rates of eviction and foreclosures in America.
But just as critical in a discussion about housing affordability is housing scarcity, measured by the vacancy rate of available rental housing. A vacancy rate under 5% is known to contribute to an increase in homelessness. In 2024 the Central Indiana region had a vacancy rate of 4.2% according to the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana (FHCCI). That’s down from 9% in 2012.
In their most recent State of Fair Housing Report, FHCCI also found that nearly 5,000 rental units in Central Indiana have affordability rates that will expire over the next five years. This year alone, the 11-county metro area will see affordable rents expire for over 1,300 units, including 352 units located outside Marion County.
3. Quality of Place
In the face of food insecurity and affordable housing, promoting causes like parks, trailways, or local arts may seem like unaffordable luxuries, especially for municipal governments currently reeling from funding cuts.
However, while the value may not always be apparent to everyone, supporting effective quality-of-place initiatives absolutely leads to a more thriving community. That includes improved health outcomes and increased business/talent attraction which can eventually lead to better rates of upward mobility.
Parks, for instance, not only offer benefits to public health, but they are also found to improve public safety. When Keep Indianapolis Beautiful added new public green spaces to underserved neighborhoods, it was shown to reduce gun violence specifically in those areas by 12%.
Similarly, a wealth of research demonstrates the economic benefits of a well-connected trail network, including better access to jobs for those without private transportation. Supporting ongoing efforts to better connect the Central Indiana region through trails will be especially important for areas competing for new talent and businesses.
Similarly, those who support local artists can address sceptics by pointing out the proven benefits to economic development. Some of our region’s biggest-ever turnarounds for distressed neighborhoods began specifically with an influx of artists and other creatives; think of Garfield Park in the 2010s, Fountain Square in the 2000s, Mass Ave in the 1990s, or even Indiana Avenue in the early to mid-20th century.
In a time of cuts to government services, major investments in quality of place are more important than ever.
4.Immigration
In 2024, Indiana saw the most substantial population growth since 2008, and foreign immigration played the biggest part. From Matthew Kinghorn, senior demographer at the Indiana Business Research Center:
“In 2008, natural increase — or the difference between births and deaths — accounted for 77% of Indiana’s growth. In 2024, by contrast, a net international migration of 30,852 residents accounted for 70% of the state’s growth.”
Critically, not every municipality experienced that growth, and those that did weren’t necessarily prepared for it. Add in shifting federal immigration policy, and we’re left with an incredibly daunting immigration landscape for 2026.
However daunting it is, it’s important for us to get it right. A shrinking population is in no one’s interest. Immigration represents real opportunity as a social and economic lifeline, especially for the 70% of Hoosier counties that are losing population.
There are ways for experienced communities to share what they know with Hoosiers who want to welcome new neighbors – and new growth.
5. Healthcare Costs
Like the first entry on food security, a combination of preexisting needs in Indiana alongside recent funding cuts is fueling a healthcare affordability crisis. This comes just as reports had shown Indiana’s relatively expensive medical costs were in decline.
First, according to KFF (formerly Kaiser Family Foundation), federal cuts to Medicaid are projected to cost Indiana $23 billion over the next ten years. Changes at the federal level also include added eligibility requirements for people who use Medicaid coverage.
Second, the New Year brought about the expiration of COVID-era subsidies for those enrolled in an ACA insurance plan. That includes an estimated 500,000 Hoosiers.
Indiana’s rural hospitals – nearly a third of which operate at a loss – will be especially vulnerable to these overall funding reductions.
Taken together, these issues point to the same lesson: our challenges do not stop at county lines, and neither can our response. Hunger, housing instability, quality of place, immigration, and healthcare affordability all move through every neighborhood, employer, and school system in our region.
Fortunately, the nonprofit sector is home to some of the most resilient, committed, and community-focused Hoosiers you’ll ever meet. When nonprofits and philanthropy step into their role as conveners and problem-solvers, we do more than respond to needs; we help the region align, act, and deliver results that last.
About the CICF Collaborative
CICF Collaborative is a partnership of philanthropic organizations working together to strengthen communities across the region. Each entity within the CICF Collaborative (including the cornerstone entities, Central Indiana CICF Collaborative, Hamilton County CICF Collaborative, IMPACT Central Indiana, the Indianapolis Foundation, and Women’s Fund of Central Indiana) brings deep knowledge, strong relationships, and its own individual, focused mission. The CICF Collaborative unites the entities by providing shared services, allowing the entities to operate more efficiently and effectively. By leveraging what we each do best, we’re able to better serve our communities and create more lasting impact, together. Learn more »
About the Author
Jeff Bennett, chief innovation officer, brings nearly 30 years of civic, nonprofit, and government leadership experience to CICF. He develops new partnerships and advances CICF’s regional impact. Prior to joining CICF, Jeff served in key leadership roles for the City of Indianapolis, where his work in neighborhood development, housing stability, human services, and pandemic response helped shape long-term strategies to support residents and strengthen communities.
