Five Indianapolis nonprofit organizations working to address poverty-related challenges have received a combined $100,000 to support their programs.
The grants are funded through the Christian Theological Seminary’s Faith & Action Project.
The 2025 round of grants will support programs focused on housing stability, youth mentorship and LGBTQ+ services. Three of the five recipients — Coburn Place, Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis and Holy Family Shelter — operate programs rooted in the “housing first” approach, which prioritizes stable housing as the foundation for long-term progress.
“The 2025 Grants Committee emphasized support for initiatives that are not only making a measurable difference but also have the potential to grow and be replicated,” said Lindsey Nell Rabinowitch, faith and action project director. “While the committee prioritized projects with demonstrated success, they also made space to elevate a few promising grassroots efforts that, with the right investment, can be scaled to serve more people.”
The five organizations receiving grants are:
Coburn Place ($25,000)
Located on the near north side, Coburn Place is a domestic violence treatment center that offers rent- and utility-free transitional housing. The grant will support programming that includes access to education, employment and health care, as well as survivor-centered goals related to housing, finances and emotional wellness. Faith partners contribute by hosting spiritual workshops and distributing care kits.
DREAM Alive ($20,000)
This nonprofit works with Indianapolis Public Schools students in Center Township, mentoring them from sixth grade through high school. The funding will allow DREAM Alive to expand to additional IPS middle schools and provide transportation, after-school meals and career-exploration trips. Partners include Shepherd Community Center, Midtown Church and Marian University.
Family Promise of Greater Indianapolis ($20,000)
Family Promise operates an Apartment Shelter Program that offers temporary housing to families ineligible for eviction diversion or other stabilization efforts. Apartments are leased by Family Promise and furnished by Mustard Seed of Central Indiana, with congregations donating housewares and other essentials. The program’s cost-effective approach reduces trauma and has support from more than two dozen faith partners.
Holy Family Shelter ($25,000)
A Catholic Charities program on the city’s near west side, Holy Family Shelter will use its grant to assist approximately 750 people through its Sustain, Support and Divert program. The initiative prioritizes keeping families housed, even in the face of short-term crises. In addition to housing advocacy, the program helps with deposits, transportation, child care and other urgent needs.
We Bloom ($25,000)
Focused on the LGBTQ+ community, We Bloom will use its grant to support two programs at Recovery Café Indy. One is a trauma-informed, queer-affirming recovery initiative, the first of its kind in Indiana. The other is a collaboration with Purposeful Design, a Christian nonprofit that offers job training for people overcoming addiction, incarceration or homelessness.
Since 2017, the Faith & Action Project has awarded $1.09 million through 47 grants to support poverty-alleviation work led by faith communities and local nonprofits.
For more information, visit cts.edu/faith-action.
Contact Health & Environmental Reporter Hanna Rauworth at 317-762-7854 or follow her on Instagram at @hanna.rauworth.
Hanna Rauworth is the Health & Environmental Reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper, where she covers topics at the intersection of public health, environmental issues, and community impact. With a commitment to storytelling that informs and empowers, she strives to highlight the challenges and solutions shaping the well-being of Indianapolis residents.
