Lilly Family School of Philanthropy students gain hands-on experience in how to make wise decisions about charitable giving
Growing Places Indy received a $10,000 grant today from students in the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis’s Learning by Giving class.
Growing Places Indy empowers people to cultivate individual, family and community wellness, with a vision to create a more just and equitable food system. It accomplishes this through a four-pronged approach focused on urban agriculture, access to fresh local foods, mind-body education, and entrepreneurship.
Students in the Learning by Giving class selected the local nonprofit for funding following a rigorous application and evaluation process. In the hands-on course, students learn and implement the process of making charitable grants and giving wisely, from deciding which community issues to address and writing requests for grant proposals to conducting site visits at nonprofits, evaluating applications and deciding where to award the money. The grant funds were provided by the Learning by Giving Foundation and PNC Foundation.
“From the beginning, the students were clear that they wanted to address pressing needs in Central Indiana and to help people live healthy and meaningful lives. They were committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and to exploring how to best support organizations in the context of COVID-19’s many challenges,” said Genevieve Shaker, Ph.D., the course’s instructor and an associate professor of philanthropic studies. “In making the grant, students experienced the hard and gratifying task of making big philanthropic choices, practiced working together to achieve a shared goal, and explored how to apply their new knowledge in their own lives.”
While many donors and funders often designate their charitable giving for a specific use or program, these Learning by Giving class students deliberately chose to focus on nonprofits’ need for unrestricted funding, i.e., funds that are available for current, general use, which allow nonprofits the flexibility to direct the support to meet priority needs.
"We are thankful for the generous contribution that we’ve received on behalf of the Learning by Giving Foundation and PNC Foundation," said Victoria Beaty, Executive Director of Growing Places Indy. "At Growing Places Indy, we know that just food systems exist when all communities have equal access to locally grown and fresh foods. Thanks to this grant, we will be able to continue our essential work serving the Indianapolis community."
Growing Places Indy’s Grow Getters program assists aspiring urban farmers, providing farm job training, mentoring and other business development assistance to new, beginning and underrepresented farmers. Its Plant it Forward program gives Indianapolis residents, community organizations, schools, and churches the tools, training, and resources needed to start their own home or community vegetable garden, including small tools, seeds, locally grown transplants, and hands-on workshops. The organization also manages the Indy Winter Farmers’ Market and the Indy Night Market, a festival-style event that celebrates and supports local farmers, restaurants and chefs.
About the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IU Indianapolis is dedicated to improving philanthropy to improve the world by training and empowering students and professionals to be innovators and leaders who create positive and lasting change. The school offers a comprehensive approach to philanthropy through its undergraduate, graduate, certificate and professional development programs, its research and international programs and through The Fund Raising School, Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram and “Like” us on Facebook.