The Mind Trust: Attracting Supporting and Empowering Educational Entreprenuers in Indianapolis, Indiana

history

The Mind Trust, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit,  was founded in 2006 to dramatically improve public education for underserved students by empowering education entrepreneurs to develop or expand transformative education initiatives. While building Indianapolis' award-winning charter schools initiative, The Mind Trust's founders, Board Chair Bart Peterson and President and CEO David Harris, saw first hand the value that education entrepreneurs brought to students in Indianapolis.  They saw an opportunity to meet the needs of more students by making Indianapolis one of the most attractive places in the country for talented entrepreneurs to start new educational ventures and expand those that have been successful elsewhere.  To capitalize on the opportunity, they launched The Mind Trust with the generous support of the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation.   

The Mind Trust builds on Mayor Peterson’s unique charter schools initiative.  Click here for an Education Next article describing the charter initiative and the launch of The Mind Trust.  In 2001, Mayor Peterson became the nation’s first mayor with the authority to grant charters and oversee charter schools.  Mayor Peterson appointed David Harris as the city’s first Charter Schools Director.  Together they built one of the nation’s most highly-regarded charter school authorizing offices.  In July of 2006, Mayor Peterson’s charter schools initiative was named a recipient of the Harvard University Innovations in American Government Award.  To view a documentary on the charter schools initiative, click here.