We're working to turn Central Indiana into a place where everyone thrives.
How do we do that? We’ve got an interconnected, four-part system that we share below.
But in short: We link funding and ideas with the people and organizations who turn them into lasting impact.
Pathways to a Stronger Central Indiana
Everything we do is guided by our Pathways to a Stronger Central Indiana, the framework outlined in our strategic plan. These four pathways shape our priorities, our partnerships, and the way we show up for the region. Read on to learn more about what we do and how it all connects to the pathways we’re building together.
We strengthen regional connectivity.
We bring people and organizations together across county lines so that Central Indiana can work as a connected, collaborative region, not just as separate communities.
Connected Communities
Supported by CICF, Connected Communities is a multi-year initiative to improve how people access and move through their neighborhoods by investing in trails, greenways, and safer connections. By linking homes to parks, schools, jobs, transit, and each other, Connected Communities enhances everyday life—making it easier to walk, bike, and connect to opportunity. This increased connectivity supports healthier lifestyles, reduces transportation barriers, encourages economic development, and helps residents feel more connected to their communities.
BY-Plus
To capitalize on the increasing number of rewarding career opportunities in the growing construction industry, CICF partners with Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation, Home Repairs for Good, and the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society on a collaborative and creative approach to support the construction training and development of underinvested, low income, under represented and under employed individuals within Indianapolis. This program is called BY-Plus.
Data & Research Support
CICF supports data and research efforts that power community enhancement and solutions to challenges facing our communities. When we see needs or trends emerging across multiple counties, we work to ensure that more comprehensive data is available particularly to point to root causes and lead to more effective, coordinated solutions.
Two recent efforts show this in action. We partnered with Indy Hunger Network to expand its annual hunger study beyond Marion County to include eight additional counties across Central Indiana. This expanded scope provides a fuller picture of food insecurity in our region. Similarly, our collaboration with Indy Arts Council and IEDC on a first-of-its-kind Venue Inventory and Needs Assessment is examining how performance spaces across the nine-county region are serving residents. The study will help identify gaps, connect resources, and inform strategic decisions in the arts sector.
The CICF Collaborative
The CICF Collaborative is a formal partnership among several interconnected philanthropic organizations.
The five cornerstone organizations of the CICF Collaborative—Central Indiana Community Foundation, Hamilton County Community Foundation, IMPACT Central Indiana, the Indianapolis Foundation, and Women’s Fund of Central Indiana—work together to solve regional challenges in Central Indiana.
CICF serves as a member of the CICF Collaborative as well as in two additional roles:
- CICF provides shared philanthropic and operations services that allow each entity to focus on its mission while benefiting from consistent, high-quality operational support. This structure makes philanthropy and funding go further by reducing duplication and increasing efficiency.
- CICF brings the collaborative’s entities together to align efforts, share learning, and identify opportunities for greater impact.
We inspire and enhance giving.
We work with individuals, families, and companies to help them give with purpose and make a bigger difference through philanthropy.
Individual Philanthropy
CICF works closely with individuals and families to help them give in ways that are meaningful, effective, and aligned with their personal goals. Our philanthropic advisors have deep knowledge of the Central Indiana community and are here to guide fundholders toward giving opportunities that reflect their values and make a real impact. We offer a variety of fund options to fit different interests and levels of involvement. In 2024, CICF fundholders granted $22.8 million to 1,493 organizations, supporting a wide range of causes and communities across the region and beyond.
Major Funds & Foundations
CICF provides personalized support to major funds and family foundations, partnering closely with families and their trusted teams to help them advance their philanthropic goals. We offer strategic guidance, administrative support, and deep knowledge of the local community to ensure their giving is both meaningful and effective. Whether a family is focused on a specific cause or taking a broad approach to impact, CICF helps manage the details so they can stay focused on the vision.
IMPACT Central Indiana
IMPACT Central Indiana is an investment partnership created by CICF, Hamilton County Community Foundation, and the Indianapolis Foundation. Its goal is to facilitate social impact investments into community-led development projects, undercapitalized entrepreneurs and small businesses, and affordable/workforce housing developments that generate positive and measurable social impact in the community.
Responding to Urgent Needs
We understand that many fundholders want to respond when urgent needs arise. That’s why we proactively share opportunities that align with their philanthropic priorities.
In 2024, we saw this commitment in action, including:
- $166,000 granted to recovery efforts from fundholders across the CICF Collaborative in response to Hurricane Helene
- $50,000 granted by fundholders from across the CICF Collaborative within 24 hrs. of an HVAF of Indiana fire, and a total of $135,000 granted by fundholders across the CICF Collaborative
We support and strengthen nonprofits.
We allow nonprofits to focus on doing what they do best, by doing what we do best. We help them build financial stability, operate more effectively, work together more efficiently, and navigate long-term challenges.
Charitable Organization Funds
CICF supports charitable organization fundholders at CICF and across the CICF Collaborative. By investing with us, nonprofits have direct access to our team of sustainability professionals and fund management experts. Whether it’s guidance on planned giving or complex gift administration, nonprofit operations or professional development, or help making meaningful connections across the community, by working with CICF, nonprofits gain a long-term partner committed to helping their endowments grow and missions thrive.
Office Hours
In Q2 of 2025, in response to shifting funding priorities nationally and locally, CICF offered a series of nonprofit office hours to offer direct support to nonprofits across Central Indiana. We invited nonprofit leaders to meet one-on-one with members of our team or others within the CICF Collaborative to talk through whatever was most pressing, including fundraising strategy, finance and operations, HR, marketing, or other challenges.
These conversations allowed us to provide immediate, tailored guidance while also helping us better understand the specific concerns nonprofits are navigating. The insights gathered are helping shape new resources to address the trends we’re seeing across the sector.
Nonprofit Resources
CICF creates resources specifically for nonprofits, grounded in the trends and challenges we see emerging across the nonprofit ecosystem. These resources address both big-picture issues as well as practical topics related to nonprofit operations, governance, and philanthropy. They are developed by in-house experts at CICF and our partners, and are designed to provide clear, actionable guidance to help nonprofit leaders navigate their work more effectively.
Grants Support
CICF provides administrative and technical grant support to several of its funds as well as the entities within the CICF Collaborative, helping ensure that grantmaking is efficient, consistent, and aligned with each entity’s mission.
Our team manages key processes such as compliance and reporting, as well as the systems and platforms that support grantmaking across the collaborative. This shared support allows each entity to focus on its strategic goals while relying on CICF for strong operational infrastructure behind the scenes.
We invest in people.
We support nonprofit professionals, our own team, and community leaders—because strong people build strong communities.
We call ourselves Path Builders because we’re the ones making change real on the Path to a Stronger Central Indiana.
At CICF, we’re committed to cultivating a workplace where every individual feels empowered, supported, and fulfilled. By investing deeply in our staff, we not only help each person grow into the best version of themselves, we also build a foundation of leadership and compassion that ripples out into the entire community.
The CICF Collaborative Team
CICF provides human resources and culture-related services for employees across the CICF Collaborative. That includes the teams at our cornerstone entities, where we focus on delivering strong HR support and helping shape a positive, connected workplace culture. While each entity has its own mission, we learn together, team up on shared projects, and take time to connect through collaborative activities. By supporting the people doing the work, we help ensure that their efforts to serve communities across Central Indiana are stronger, more connected, and more sustainable.
Nonprofit Professionals
Nonprofit professionals are the people behind the ideas, programs, and services that shape Central Indiana. One in every ten private sector employees in our region works at a nonprofit, and supporting their development is critical to the sector’s success.
In 2024, CICF surveyed nonprofit leaders across Central Indiana to better understand what they need to be successful. We asked about skill gaps, growth areas for staff, and preferred formats for professional development. That input is helping us design training and support that’s responsive to the realities of nonprofit work today.
CICF also serves as a place where emerging professionals can gain experience and grow their skills. We aim to provide a strong foundation for our staff so they can continue contributing to the region’s nonprofit sector in meaningful ways, wherever their careers take them.
