OVERVIEW: The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation supports education, health and the vitality of Indianapolis in Indiana.
IP TAKE: The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation is a major player in the greater Indianapolis area. It takes a holistic view to education and workforce development that includes health and community revitalization initiatives. Fairbanks provides general operating, capital project, capacity building, start-up, matching, single-year and multi-year grants. This is a transparent funder that not only links to its financial reports on its website, but also provides detailed information about previous grantees in a searchable database. Grantseekers should reach out with questions or general inquiries before applying. Ultimately, this is a good funder for Indianapolis-based education nonprofits to keep on their radar.
PROFILE: Established in 1986, the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation is a private foundation based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Richard Fairbanks founded and owned Fairbanks Communications and was an innovator and leader in the radio broadcasting industry. He owned numerous radio and television stations, a charter airplane company and real estate interests. The foundation aims to “advance the vitality of Indianapolis and the wellbeing of its people.” It funds local efforts for education, health and the vitality of Indianapolis.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation works within its core areas of focus to maximize its local impact, and support for education is the throughline that runs through all of these. The foundation has two specific initiatives that support local school districts directly with regard to improving academic outcomes, providing access to job training, and improving college enrollment numbers.
Education grants help close the skills gap by supporting post-secondary education and job training. They also improve academic outcomes for pre-K through grade 12 students in Indianapolis and focus on professional development for teachers and leaders. Grants prioritize support for programs that that address racial and socioeconomic disparities.
College Matters grants work to increase college enrollment rates for seniors in Marion County high schools, “especially for students less likely to enroll in college, including students from low-income households, Black students, and Hispanic and Latino students.” Grants are executed in two phases:
o Meeting the Moment, which helps students complete the FAFSA application, a state requirement for all graduating seniors
o Reversing the Trend, which helps Marion County school districts create and implement plans to increase the number of students continuing from high school to college. These grants are disbursed in two phases: planning grants of $20,000 each, and invitation-only implementation grants of up to $1.5 million each.
Grants for Public Health and Access
Aligning with the Fairbanks Foundation’s broad focus on education, its health and healthcare grants are education-centered as well and target specific problem areas impacting local students’ academic achievement and long-term success in the workplace.
Health grants target tobacco addiction and substance use in children and adults through awareness campaigns, access to prevention programs, treatment and advocacy efforts.
Prevention Matters is a $13.5 million program aimed at helping Marion County schools design and implement effective substance use prevention programs for their students.
The foundation gives special consideration to applicants whose program addresses “infant and maternal mortality” and “racial and socioeconomic disparities.”
Grants for Work and Economic Opportunity
The foundation supports programs that improve Indianapolis’ job ecosystem for both workers and employers. It funds programs that help to educate and train a workforce prepared for 21st Century employment and help workers find and secure successful placement.
Vitality of Indianapolis encompasses three separate grantmaking initiatives.
o The majority of its grants work to “grow the supply of good and promising jobs,” address STEM and life sciences education and digital literacy as an economic driver, and develop, attract, and retain talented adult workers.
o The program also makes grants to Indianapolis organizations Dick Fairbanks designated as Family Legacy grantees before his death.
o And it makes unrestricted, one-time charitable grants of $25,000 to Indianapolis nonprofits based on the pressing needs of the community. These grants are by invitation only.
iLab Indiana works to implement a youth apprenticeship system in Indiana that is modeled on apprenticeship programs in Switzerland. This is a relatively new program that ultimately intends to support local school districts, industry groups, and institutions of higher education looking to implement this program.
Important Grant Details
Grants typically range between about $5,000 and $1 million. The most common amount is $15,000. The foundation held over $373 million in total assets at the end of a recent year.
Grantmaking focuses on Marion County and the Indianapolis metropolitan area of Indiana.
This foundation does not accept unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits and only reviews proposals on an invitation-only basis.
The Fairbanks Foundation does accept unsolicited letters of inquiry all throughout the year.
These inquiries can be submitted by letter, email or telephone.
The foundation then invites successful applicants to submit a proposal.
The Fairbanks board typically meets and awards grants four times per year.
Read more about LOI guidelines here and the entire application process here.
To get a better sense of the types of organizations Fairbanks funds, new grantseekers can read about previous grantees on the foundation’s searchable Grants Archive, as well as its Largest Grants page, which shows the foundation’s largest single grants, cumulative grants, and grant initiatives. Grantseekers should also read through the two FAQ pages before applying: Foundation FAQ and Grants FAQ.
Direct general questions to the staff at 317-846-7111 or to individual staff members by email.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
