16 Tech Community Corporation, the non-profit organization responsible for the 16 Tech Innovation District, has announced $300,000 to support seven projects in its most recent Community Investment Fund grants.
Formed in 2019, the 16 Tech Community Investment Fund ensures that the growth of the 16 Tech Innovation District is aligned with its ability to contribute to neighboring communities by contributing $0.20 per square foot of every lease in the 50-acre innovation district to the fund. To date, the fund has completed six award cycles totaling approximately $2.2 million in grants that support 65 projects that support community needs and enhance the quality of life for the District’s closest neighbors.
The 16 Tech Community Investment Fund is guided by an advisory committee, consisting of 16 Tech neighbors and neighborhood organizations, that ensure the fund, and its grants, align with priorities identified by residents in the Near West, Near Northwest, Historic Flanner House Homes and Ransom Place neighborhoods. Focus areas include workforce training, business support, education, neighborhood capacity building and infrastructure and beautification.
“Investing in the community and supporting visionary organizations and projects that will have a lasting impact is at the heart of what makes 16 Tech special,” shared Sibeko Jywanza, 16 Tech’s Director of Community Relations. “This latest slate of grantees represents projects that directly align with the priorities of our neighbors especially in the areas of workforce development and education and training.”
Grants are awarded from two funding pools. The innovation pool funds requests up to $25,000 from neighborhood organizations with annual operating budgets of less than $1 million. The impact pool funds requests up to $100,000.
Applications for the next round of Community Investment Fund grants will be open in summer of 2025. More information can be found at 16tech.com.
The slate of 16 Tech Community Investment Fund grantees includes:
JUST COMMUNITY | $100,000
JUST Community is dedicated to fostering culturally responsive soluCons for sustainable, community-driven change. The JUST Doula Education and Certification Program addresses the criCcal need for maternal health services by providing advanced training for local doulas in areas like lactaCon support, mental health, substance use disorder, and peer recovery coaching.
ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE | $50,000
Marian University’s Saint Joseph’s College (MUSJC) empowers communiCes through accessible educaCon and workforce development. Through the Earn and Learn program, students gain affordable educaCon, job training, and hands-on experience, with added support services to remove barriers and foster career success and personal growth.
GROUNDWORKS INDY | $50,000
Groundwork Indy empowers youth with educaCon and job training for Green Collar careers. The 975 Burdsal Parkway Brownfield Remediation Workforce Training will remediate brownfield sites in the Near Northwest (NNW) neighborhood, led by local parCcipants. At their HQ, they will extend a nature trail, expand food producCon, remove invasive plants, and increase the tree canopy to promote environmental restoraCon and community impact.
ASPIRE HOUSE FOUNDATION | $25,000
Aspire Higher FoundaCon (AHF) transforms underuClized spaces into community assets, focusing on youth. BlaTinas Empowered is a STEAM program offering construcCon and carpentry pathways for black and laCna females, ages high school and up. Through training at a neighborhood job site and 16 Tech’s Machyne Makerspace, tradespeople teach carpentry and design, empowering parCcipants to build their communiCes.
MOTHER LOVES GARDEN | $25,000
Mother Loves Garden is an urban educaConal garden focused on teaching youth how to grow produce organically and the importance of good nutriCon. The organizaCon runs a summer camp for youth and provide organic produce to the community. To scale their operaCon and support other local growers, they are renovaCng a garage to aggregate produce.
PER SCHOLAS | $25,000
In 2025, Per Scholas will introduce a Zero Percent Loan program, offering 75 IT Support enrollees a $3,000 interest-free loan for living expenses during training. The Career Accelerator will help graduates diversify the tech industry by providing ongoing technical upskilling and professional development for leadership roles.
A PLUS CHILDCARE AND LEARNING CENTER | $25,000
A+ Childcare and Learning Center, Inc. serves 151 youth across five locaCons. The Pathway to Success project targets the academic achievement gap for African American students in the 46202 ZIP code, offering tutoring, digital literacy, and STEM tools in partnership with Blessed Mind Tutoring. This program enhances academic outcomes, confidence, and 21st-century skills.
Hear from the grantees directly here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyb2n81fVEQ
