Press Releases | September 28, 2021

The Mind Trust launches free Equity Toolkit resource for schools and organizations

teacher with children huddled around her

Indianapolis schools will also have the opportunity to receive coaching to develop and implement equity plans

INDIANAPOLIS – September 28, 2021 – The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit, today announced the launch of the Equity Toolkit, a free, online resource for schools and organizations to help guide, structure, and audit their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work. The resource can be found at equitytoolkit.org. Additionally, The Mind Trust will invest in coaching for Indianapolis schools in Center Township to help them develop and implement equity work within their school communities.

“The Mind Trust is thrilled to offer the Equity Toolkit as a free resource to begin or build on their diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments and goals,” said Patrick Jones, Senior Vice President of Leadership and Equity. “While the Equity Toolkit can be utilized by any organization, we are particularly excited to invest in coaching for Indianapolis schools to help them implement the steps presented. We believe when school communities are committed and intentional about equity work, students can learn, families can thrive, and our entire city can prosper.”

The Mind Trust partnered with Beloved Community, a nonprofit organization that develops sustainable solutions for racial and economic equity, to develop the toolkit. Additionally, The Mind Trust connected with Indianapolis professionals working in DEI roles to gain feedback on the types of resources needed to help teams continuously improve, assess, and take action on equity commitments and goals.

“Beloved Community is thrilled to help provide this toolkit, as it directly aligns to our goals of supporting schools and organizations in deepening their commitment to racial and economic equity,” said Dr. Nicole Caridad Ralston, Director of Education & Programming at Beloved Community. “The Equity Toolkit provides steps and resources to get organizations critically thinking and re-thinking how they can operationalize diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments. We believe this action-oriented resource can help support many different types of schools and organizations across Indianapolis.”

The Equity Toolkit is divided into three phases: Mobilize Yourself, Mobilize Stakeholders, and Mobilize Organization-Wide. Schools and organizations can find descriptors for each phase to determine where they fall on this continuum and find the resources that will work best for their team. Each phase contains three stages and steps to lead organizational committees through the process of taking action at their school, district, or organization. Each stage includes questions to consider, actions to consider, and resources built into each sub-phase.

To connect with The Mind Trust team to learn more about using the Equity Toolkit or coaching for schools, please contact Patrick Jones at pjones@themindtrust.org or by using this contact form.

“The Mind Trust has benefited immensely from our decision to commit time and resources to make progress on our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and commitments. While we still have work to do, we hope the Equity Toolkit can bring more partners into this work, hold us accountable, and ultimately, benefit Indianapolis students and families,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust.

About Beloved Community

Beloved Community is a New Orleans-based non-profit consulting firm focused on implementing regional, sustainable solutions for racial and economic equity. Through the Equity in School and Equity at Work Cohorts Beloved Community deepens regional, sector-specific capacity to deliver on equity commitments for youth and adults.  The cohort series provides an opportunity for schools, nonprofits, and businesses to develop aligned language, goals, and partnerships that advance equity in their region. Beloved Community’s ultimate vision is to create regional tipping points for greater racial and economic equity so that historically marginalized people have real access and opportunity to live vibrant, productive lives.

About The Mind Trust

The Mind Trust is an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit that works to build a system of schools that gives every student, no exceptions, access to a high-quality education. The Mind Trust does this by building a supportive environment for schools through policy and community engagement, empowering talented, diverse educators to launch new schools, and providing existing schools with the support they need to hire world-class talent and achieve excellence. Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the launch of 49 schools, 15 education nonprofit organizations, and has helped place more than 1,800 teachers and school leaders in Indianapolis classrooms.