Bringing life-changing schools to Indianapolis

Every student deserves the opportunity to attend a world-class school. But in Indianapolis, we face a sad reality: The supply of high-quality public school programs is not sufficient to meet the needs of kids. This is evidenced by the fact that last year more than 2,300 Indianapolis students were left on waiting lists for public charter schools.

The Mind Trust aims not only to grow the capacity of excellent charter schools in Indianapolis, but to bring the very best charter models to our city - schools that show all students, regardless of circumstances, can achieve great results.

That's why The Mind Trust launched a first-of-its-kind Charter School Incubator. Through it, we are offering $1 million grants to entice teams of exceptional school leaders to start networks of powerful charter schools in Indianapolis. We are also open to making smaller investments in teams depending on specific circumstances. Over the next five to ten years, the incubator is expected to help to start 15 to 25 excellent charter schools serving up to 10,000 of Indianapolis students.

The application committee is eager to review applications that:

• Focus on school development in neighborhoods across Indianapolis with high needs for quality public school options,
• Propose school networks that can sustain almost entirely on public dollars alone, and
• Bring innovative school models to Indianapolis' students.

Read about our first winners, or learn how to apply.

Indianapolis offers a great policy climate and rich network of resources for those who want to launch charter schools. Learn more>