Indiana Grants for Nonprofits
Learn about grants to nonprofits in Indiana by browsing our curated list of top funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities in Indiana using the search tool for Grant Finder. Become a member.
Funding Landscape and Giving Trends in Indiana
With a population of approximately 6.9 million, Indiana is the 17th-most-populous state in the United States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis; the state has a smaller metro region in Fort Wayne and dozens of largely rural counties. With 45 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline located in northwest Indiana, the Midwestern state is part of the Great Lakes region. Indiana’s economy is dominated by manufacturing. Since 1975, Indiana has been the top steel-manufacturing state in the nation, and it is the number-two U.S. state for auto-manufacturing jobs, after Michigan. Hospitals are another leading industry in Indiana.
Philanthropy in Indiana
Philanthropically, Indiana is home to more than 1,200 foundations that collectively award more than $5 billion in grants annually, according to the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance. That makes Indiana’s philanthropic landscape much smaller than that of neighboring states Illinois and Ohio, but significantly larger than that of its neighbor to the south, Kentucky.
Funding priorities for Indiana grants are education, human services, and religion, followed by community and economic development and arts and culture. Much of this charitable giving goes to the state’s universities, notably Purdue, DePauw, Notre Dame, Ball State, and Taylor. Indiana United Ways are also recipients of substantial charitable giving in Indiana.
Indiana Grantmakers
The vast majority of philanthropic assets in Indiana are held in family foundations, which collectively make the majority of grants for Indiana nonprofits, according to data from Candid and the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance. That said, Indiana is also home to a major private foundation: the Lilly Endowment, the second-largest endowed foundation in the United States. Lilly is an important regional grantmaker that also gives nationally. Lilly makes grants for a broad range of causes in Indiana, from housing to youth programs, including through the Strengthening Indiana and Strengthening Indianapolis programs.
There are more than 70 community foundations across Indiana. These can be an important source not only of funding for Indiana nonprofits but also of information about what communities need in different parts of the state. See, for instance, the community needs assessment published by the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana and the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne’s community dashboard.
Charitable giving via donor-advised funds provides insight into the priorities of individual donors in Indiana. DAF host Fidelity Charitable reports that Indianapolis is the number-one city in the United States for giving to religious causes, and Indianapolis DAF holders give locally at a higher percentage than the national average. After religion, human services and education are top funding priorities of Indiana residents who hold DAF accounts with Fidelity.
Additional Resources for Indiana Philanthropy
The first school in the world dedicated to the study and teaching of philanthropy is located in Indiana. The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University Indianapolis offers academic and educational programs, and publishes research about national and global philanthropy. The Indiana chapter of Associated Fundraising Professionals is another resource for Indiana grant seekers to know.
