June fundholder Newsletter // Let’s Step Outside: How Nature, Parks & Philanthropy Connect Us

Dear fundholder,

Welcome to the CICF Collaborative’s fundholder newsletter. This bi-monthly email is created especially for those who hold funds with Central Indiana Community Foundation, Hamilton County Community Foundation, Indianapolis Foundation, and Women’s Fund of Central Indiana.

This month—as temperatures rise, students go on break, and our memories of winter vanish—we focus on time spent outdoors.

Most people agree it’s good to get out now and then, and research confirms it. Benefits to spending time outdoors include sharpened cognition, reduced stress and, of course, better physical health.

Central Indiana’s public parks are likely one of the first outdoor resources most of us think of. These natural spaces promote the benefits mentioned above while also bringing us all together through the enjoyment of nature and recreation.

Parks and greenspaces also offer plenty of volunteer opportunities. This past May, members of the CICF Collaborative did a little volunteer gardening with Growing Places Indy at their urban farm located in White River State Park.

Your philanthropy can help protect Hoosier ecosystems—not only for the sake of plants and animals, but also for our neighbors and ourselves. The Indiana Forest Alliance has been preserving Indiana’s native hardwood ecosystem since the mid-1990s. We’re lucky they do. Large, mature trees do everything from cooling the summer air to soaking up dangerous floodwaters. They also clean the air through photosynthesis, converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. That means car-centric communities, in particular, can benefit from forest preservation.

Beautification 

Many of our donors will be familiar with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB), operating for over four decades to clean, green and generally beautify Indianapolis neighborhoods. But KIB does more than beautify. They also offer a work readiness program for high school students and young adults interested in the environment. They also play a role in crime reduction believe it or not, as studies show that within a half-mile radius from locations where KIB worked with a community to create a greenspace, there was a statistically significant reduction (12%) of gun violence.

But KIB is certainly not alone. Keep Noblesville Beautiful (KNB) is another Central Indiana beautification nonprofit helping public spaces look more welcoming and thriving. From tree-plantings to recycling efforts to litter removal to contributing to the one-and-only Indiana Peony Festival, KNB is helping a fast-growing suburban community keep its public spaces looking their best.

Accessibility 

Our parks are common areas for our entire community. CICF partner The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis helps to ensure more of those parks are accessible for all abilities and areas of Indianapolis.

Learn more about accessibility at Indy your parks here.

Next Steps

Find your new favorite Central Indiana Park this summer

• Hamilton Co. »
• Marion Co. »

Connected Communities: a more connected Central Indiana
Years in the making, CICF partnered with the Lilly Endowment and the City of Indianapolis to supercharge Central IN’s trail network in 2022.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful needs volunteers
Get your hands dirty for a cleaner city.

• Schedule a time »

Reach out to your philanthropic advisor
They can help your gift have the biggest impact on our Central Indiana parks, trails and outdoor spaces

• Email us »

What if storytime could be the first step in raising a changemaker? Brandy Jemczura, founder and executive director of Seeds of Caring, makes a compelling case for how children’s literature can inspire empathy, spark tough but necessary conversations, challenge harmful stereotypes, and help kids discover the causes they care most about.

Jemczura shares examples of powerful books—like Those Shoes and Saturday at the Food Pantry—that gently introduce kids to real-world challenges while showing them their capacity to make a difference. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, you’ll come away with fresh ideas for using books to fuel meaningful conversations.

If you’re looking for a simple, joyful way to grow compassion in the kids you love, this article will give you the inspiration, and tools, to start.

Join us for upcoming events across the CICF Collaborative

• June 30 – July 4 |  A reminder that the CICF Collaborative’s annual office closure is happening the week of July 4
• Tuesday, July 8, from 9 – 11 a.m. | CICF hosts Nonprofit Office Hours in Hamilton County
• Thursday, July 17, from 4:30 – 6 p.m. | HCCF hosts Happy Hour at Hawthorns Golf and Country Club – Email TammyH@cicf.org to RSVP
• Tuesday, September 9 | Hamilton County Fundholder Bus Tour – Save the Date
• Wednesday, September 17 | Marion County Fundholder Bus Tour – Save the Date
• Thursday, Nov. 6, from 5 – 9 p.m. | Women’s Fund of Central Indiana presents Power of Women with Glennon Doyle – Tables Available

Grantee Research and Recommendations 
As grantmakers ourselves, our teams are uniquely familiar with the local landscape of nonprofits. We can provide information on specific organizations you are interested in, make recommendations within a category you are looking to impact, and vet organizations.

Site Visits 
Want to see an organization in action or get behind-the-scenes access? Let us coordinate an opportunity to see the work, meet the team, and learn more!

Succession Planning
There are various options for maintaining your fund’s legacy after your lifetime, from passing to future generations to being allocated to specific organizations or general impact areas. Working closely with in-house legal counsel, our philanthropy teams can help you explore and establish a plan for your fund.

Family Philanthropy 
Engaging your family in your philanthropic work makes it more meaningful for them, you, and even the organizations you support. We would love to advise you on strategies involving your young or adult children, or even your grandchildren.

Values, Interests, and Purpose Exercise
This unique exercise, facilitated by our philanthropic advisors, is designed to help you identify and narrow a purpose for your fund. By exploring the alignment of your family’s values and the causes you care about, we can help outline key areas of impact for your fund, complete with a custom mission/purpose statement to help guide your grantmaking.

Fund Growth Support 
We offer assistance with a variety of complicated assets at no additional charge and can support strategies that are a win-win for you and for the community as you grow your fund.