Press Releases | May 31, 2017

The Mind Trust announces $1.6 million in awards to current and new public schools in Indianapolis

The Mind Trust announces $1.6 million in awards to current and new public schools in Indianapolis

IndianapolisThe Mind Trust today announced $1.6 million in investments that will support the launch or development of several current and new public schools in Indianapolis.

Many of the investment recipients are also Innovation Schools, a category of public school that gives building-level school leaders full academic and operational freedom to innovate in order to improve student achievement.

“We know that opening high-quality schools requires strong parent engagement and access to the right resources and expertise.” said David Harris, founder & CEO of The Mind Trust.  “We are proud to support these schools as they expand our city’s ability to provide every student in every neighborhood with an excellent education.”

Implementation Awards. These awards, of up to $150,000 each, will help offset start-up costs of new schools, including non-recurring expenses, such as furniture and equipment, website design, hiring staff before state funding begins, curriculum or textbook purchases and other expenses. These Implementation Award recipients all will open in Fall 2017.  Recipients include:

  • Avondale Meadows Middle School
  • Circle City Prep Charter School
  • Ignite Achievement Academy
  • Purdue Polytechnic High School
  • Riverside High School

Parent Organizing Awards. These $50,000 renewable awards will be used to employ a full-time parent organizer at each school who will design and implement a plan for robust parent and community outreach and engagement. Recipients include:

  • Avondale Meadows Academy
  • Global Prep Academy @ Riverside 44
  • Ignite Achievement Academy
  • Kindezi Academy @ Joyce Kilmer 69
  • Herron High School and Riverside High School

Capacity Building Awards. These awards, which can range between $200,000 and $1.5 million, will enable high-quality charter school operators to enhance structural capacity – including establishing a robust central business system, staffing plan and network-wide academic supports – as they grow into multi-site networks and become operationally sustainable. The Mind Trust will make awards to Avondale Meadows Middle School ($520,000 over three years) and Herron High School ($200,000).

The Mind Trust created these investment categories to advance efforts to double the number of students attending a high-quality school in center-city Indianapolis.

Currently, only one in three students, or approximately 15,000, living in the Indianapolis Public Schools district attends an A or B-rated school.  The Mind Trust is raising funds through its Grow Great Schools campaign to double that number in seven years by launching new Innovation Schools; launching or replicating new, high-quality charter schools; and attracting and investing in world class teachers and school leaders.