United Way of Central Indiana is awarding $199,000 in grants to five Hamilton County nonprofits to help meet residents’ basic needs and improve the education, financial stability, and well-being of families.
The grants come from United Way’s Basic Needs and Family Opportunity Funds.
The Basic Needs Fund supports the region’s most vulnerable neighbors, ensuring they have access to life’s essentials: safe and affordable housing, healthy food, transportation, and health services. The Family Opportunity Fund supports integrated programming that serves both youth and adults in the same household.
This is the second year United Way has opened funding of this kind to nonprofits outside its accredited network, part of United Way’s ongoing work to reach more people in more communities across its seven-county service area.
The Hamilton County nonprofits receiving grants are:
- Ascent 121: $25,000 Basic Needs
- Grace Care Center: $25,000 Basic Needs
- Heart and Soul Clinic: $9,000 Basic Needs
- Prevail, Inc.: $10,000 Basic Needs
- Trinity Free Clinic: $130,000 Family Opportunity
Wischmeyer
“We are incredibly grateful to United Way for their continued support of Health Careers Pathway Program,” Trinity Free Clinic Executive Director Mel Wischmeyer said. “This grant allows us to continue training young parents for meaningful careers in medical and dental assisting – careers that offer livable wages, stability, and long-term opportunity. Together, we are strengthening families and building a more equitable healthcare workforce in our community.”
Tami Wanninger, Executive Director of Prevail, Inc., had this to say:
Wanninger
“We are incredibly grateful to United Way of Central Indiana for this generous investment in Prevail’s mission. This grant reflects a shared commitment to ensuring survivors of crime and abuse have access to safe, stable housing and essential health services. Because of United Way’s support, Prevail will be able to directly address urgent housing and health disparities by connecting survivors to safe, affordable housing, as well as mental and behavioral health supports. Together, we are dismantling the barriers that keep individuals and families in crisis and creating pathways to stability, dignity, and the opportunity to truly thrive.”
While the other nonprofits that received funding in this grant cycle are headquartered outside of Hamilton County, many of them serve Hoosiers throughout the region, including Hamilton County residents.
“We’re committed to expanding our investments across Central Indiana,” said Shannon Jenkins, United Way’s vice president of impact. “These grants support essential basic needs such as transportation, housing, health services and food access while also funding family-focused programs that strengthen education and long-term economic mobility for children and their parents or caregivers. By investing beyond our accredited partner network, we can expand collaboration and increase impact across our seven-county service area.”
Hamilton County has been part of United Way of Central Indiana since 1966. Since 2019, United Way has invested over $5 million in Hamilton County and partnered with 47 nonprofits and schools.
United Way works to tackle generational poverty, with a focus on basic needs, early care and learning, economic mobility, and safe and affordable housing.
