20 Years, 20 Milestones: Celebrating The Mind Trust’s Anniversary
In celebration of The Mind Trust’s 20th anniversary, we are sharing highlights from the last two decades of innovation, collaboration, and impact.
These milestones are a testament to the educators, community partners, families, and advocates who have worked alongside us to create transformative education change.
We look forward to continued progress for students in Indianapolis, and beyond.
2001: Charter Schools in Indianapolis
Indianapolis leads the way: Under Mayor Bart Peterson, Indianapolis becomes the first city in the nation to authorize public charter schools. With leadership from David Harris, the Mayor’s Office of Education Innovation is created, an office which now oversees more than 40 schools and close to 18,000 students. This work continues to shape how cities think about public education.
2006: The Mind Trust is founded
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and David Harris launch The Mind Trust to help Indianapolis think bigger about education. With the simple but powerful belief that every child deserves access to a great education, Peterson and Harris come together to imagine something new: supporting bold ideas, empowering educators, and investing in schools designed to meet the needs of every learner.
2008: A Fellowship for Entrepreneurs
To help solve education challenges in Indianapolis, The Mind Trust launches the Education Entrepreneur Fellowship, which provides one to two years of training, support, and resources to leaders who will launch new education nonprofit organizations. Education Entrepreneur Fellows have founded organizations that continue to drive impact today, including Enroll Indy, EmpowerEd Families, and Teach Plus.
2008: Building a Talent Pipeline
The Mind Trust recruits Teach For America and TNTP to Indianapolis to grow our pool of talented local educators. The Mind Trust also works to place high- performing principals in Indianapolis schools. This effort strengthens leadership capacity across both charter and district environments and results in the recruitment and placement of over 1,800 teachers across more than 100 Indianapolis schools.
2011: Creating Conditions for Success
The Mind Trust releases the Opportunity Schools report, which proposes the idea for innovation network schools, systemic changes like shifting resources from the district to school-level, and closing schools that don’t meet students’ needs. This is a blueprint for systemic redesign, influencing how districts could shift from centralized control to school-level innovation and accountability.
2012: Supporting the Future of Education
The Mind Trust’s Charter School Incubator provides school founders with funding, coaching, and operational support to turn their ideas into schools. The George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academies and Christel House International are the first recipients of $1 million school launch awards through the Incubator. Today, both networks operate several schools in Indianapolis and serve more than 5,000 students combined.
2014: Fueling Public School Innovation
New ideas unlock new opportunities for students: Indiana legislation makes it possible for Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) to authorize Innovation Network Schools. In partnership with the Mayor’s Office and IPS, The Mind Trust helps launch the Innovation School Fellowship to support leaders in creating autonomous district schools. Today, 42 percent of IPS students attend an innovation school.
2016: Opening Doors for Every Family
To reduce barriers and help families connect to high-quality school options, The Mind Trust supports the launch of Enroll Indy through its Education Entrepreneur Fellowship. Today, IPS and the vast majority of charter and innovation schools participate in Enroll Indy’s OneMatch system, making enrollment easier and more accessible for families across Indianapolis.
2018: New Leadership, Thriving Schools
Brandon Brown becomes CEO of The Mind Trust. Many of The Mind Trust’s supported schools are thriving, with strong ratings and growing enrollment. And Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes finds that students in Indianapolis charter and innovation schools make meaningful academic gains.
2019: Connecting Schools and Community
In recognition that student success does not stop at the classroom door, The Mind Trust launches School-Community Partnership Investments (SCPIs) to bring schools and local nonprofits together. Since 2019, The Mind Trust has awarded more than $2.2 million in SCPIs to Indianapolis community organizations—most led by people of color—to help remove barriers and expand opportunityfor students and families.
2020: Building Community Learning Sites
The Mind Trust helps schools navigate the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting leaders as they adapt staffing and learning models. To ensure students stay engaged in learning, The Mind Trust creates Community Learning Sites that provide a free, safe place for students to participate in e-learning.
2021: Summer Learning Labs Launch
In partnership with United Way of Central Indiana, The Mind Trust launches Indy Summer Learning Labs to provide students in Marion County with five weeks of free academic and enrichment programming. Today, the program has expanded throughout Indiana and served 12,000 students in 2025. Each summer participating students, on average, make double-digit percentage point proficiency gains in math and language arts.
2021: Amplifying Family Voice
What began as an independent effort to elevate family voice grows into a powerful part of The Mind Trust’s work. EmpowerED Families reflects a deep belief that families and communities are essential partners in shaping schools—and that when families are heard, students thrive.
2022: Results That Matter for Students
Independent research continues to demonstrate the impact of our work on Indianapolis students. Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes finds that Indianapolis charter school students experience 64 more days of learning in reading and 116 more days in math compared to their district peers. These gains represent real progress and real opportunity for students.
2022: Statewide Math and Reading Tutoring
The Indiana Department of Education partners with The Mind Trust to manage Indiana Learns, a statewide tutoring program in math and reading for eligible students. Indiana Learns helps ensure that more students receive the personalized support they need to succeed. As of 2026, Indiana Learns has provided more than 25,000 students with over 280,000 hours of tutoring.
2023, 2025: A Fair Share of Funding
The Indiana General Assembly passes legislation that ensures charter and innovation schools receive a fair share of local taxpayer funding. By 2028, students in these schools will have resources more closely aligned with their peers in traditional district schools.
2024: Summer Learning Labs Grow
In partnership with the Indiana Department of Education, Summer Learning Labs expands to four new regions, serving nearly 9,000 students statewide in 2024 and more than 12,000 in 2025. Students across the state gain access to academic support and joyful summer experiences.
2024: Expanding Impact Beyond Indiana
The Mind Trust’s work reaches beyond state lines. In partnership with Leaders for Education Advocacy and Diversity, The Mind Trust launches the North Star Fellowship to support the growth of high- quality charter schools in Connecticut, helping more communities access excellent education options.
2026: Together Under a Shared Structure
A historic step for public education in Indianapolis: Indiana House Enrolled Act 1423 creates the Indianapolis Public Education Corporation (IPEC), a citywide system designed to bring district and charter schools together under one shared structure. IPEC will manage essentials like transportation and buildings so schools can focus on what matters most: teaching and supporting students.
2026: Twenty Years of School Innovation
Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the launch of more than 50 public schools, and our fellowships have trained over 65 school leaders. Indianapolis charter and innovation schools now serve over 27,000 students—that’s more than 60 percent of the students attending schools within or near IPS boundaries. And our organization’s mission to provide an excellent eduction to every student has led us to expand our impact to Connecticut, New Mexico, and South Carolina.