Marion County Commission on Youth

MCCOY (Marion County Commission on Youth) is a nonprofit youth-serving intermediary that works to strengthen the systems, organizations, and people that support young people across Marion County. Since 1993, MCCOY has served as a connector, convener, capacity-builder, and advocate, helping ensure that youth-serving organizations have the resources, training, partnerships, and information they need to provide high-quality opportunities for children and youth.

MCCOY’s work spans several interconnected areas. We provide professional development and technical assistance to youth-serving organizations; convene partners around shared community challenges; elevate youth voice in civic and community decision-making; support programs that build leadership, resilience, and career readiness; and use data and advocacy to improve the broader youth-serving ecosystem. Our programs include the Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council, Youth Working for Indy, The Resilience Project, The Learning Network and Leadership Development Pathways programs, Fever Confidence, and support for the Summer Youth Program Fund network, along with training and learning opportunities for youth workers throughout the community.

MCCOY’s role is intentionally broader than operating individual programs. We help organizations work more effectively, connect partners who might otherwise operate in isolation, identify gaps in services and systems, and develop solutions that can have impact beyond any single program or organization. This intermediary role is especially important in a community with hundreds of organizations serving young people, but limited infrastructure dedicated to connecting and strengthening that network.

Funding is needed to sustain and expand this work, particularly MCCOY’s ability to provide accessible training and technical assistance, convene cross-sector partners, strengthen youth voice and leadership opportunities, develop and administer robust evaluation tools and reports, and respond to emerging needs within the youth-serving community. Grant funds would support the staff, program delivery, training resources, evaluation tools, technology, evaluation, communications, and convening costs necessary to carry out this work.

Flexible funding is especially valuable because it allows MCCOY to connect individual initiatives into a stronger overall system rather than operating them in isolation. Support would help MCCOY continue building the capacity of youth-serving organizations while strengthening the relationships, infrastructure, and shared strategies that create more equitable opportunities for young people throughout Marion County.