Two Local Nonprofits Serving At-Risk Youth Awarded $100,000

Two nonprofits serving at-risk youth will expand their services with the help of grants from a local women's giving circle.

Impact 100 Greater Indianapolis announced Tuesday that Brookside Community Development Corp. and Trinity Episcopal Church were the winners of the 2018 Change-Makers competition. Each organization will recive a $100,000 grant from the giving circle to support their programs. 

Trinity Episcopal Church operates Trinity Haven, a transitional home for LGBTQ youth, and plans to use the funds in partnership with Indiana Youth Group to offer long-term shelter and programming for youth.

Brookside Community Development Corp. plans to use the funding to expand its after-school program, creating the Brookside Play Education and Employment Academy to serve at-risk middle and high school students.

"So what we are going to be able to do with this grant is we are going to be able to hire a program director, wel'll be able to provide transportation for kids after school to get to our program, and we're going to be able to actually hire them on as early as 7th grade to work as coach mentors with our elementary age kids," says Andrew Neal, Brookside's executive director. "So they'll get the full experience. They'll interview, they'll apply for the job, they'll be trained, receive feeback." 

Along with the larger grants, three $5,000 grants were provided to the three other finalists -- Earth Charter Indiana, Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, and NeuroHope.