16 Tech awards grants to 11 Indy-area projects

February 6, 2023

Monday, February 6, 2023 03:07 PM EDTUpdated: Monday, February 6, 2023 11:38 PM EDT
By Mary Roberts, Writer/Reporter
Hawthorne Social Service Association is receiving a $52,000 grant from 16 Tech Community Corp. (photo courtesy of 16 Tech)
INDIANAPOLIS - Indianapolis-based 16 Tech Community Corp. is awarding $325,000 in grants to 11 resident-endorsed projects designed to directly benefit the vitality of nearby neighborhoods. The nonprofit says grants were awarded from two funding pools; the innovation pool funded requests up to $25,000, and the impact pool funded requests up to $100,000. The grants mark the fourth cycle of funding of the 16 Tech Community Investment Fund, which was launched in 2019 to promote access and opportunity among residents of the 16 Tech Innovation District. The fund is operated by an advisory committee, made up of residents and neighborhood organizations, that focuses on workforce training, business support, and education, among other areas. The grant recipients and amounts are listed below:

Innovation Cycle 4 Awards

Re-Generation Indy – Community Comic Book: $21,200 Re-Generation Indy and its partners will develop a creative writing and illustration program for 44 middle school and high school students who live in the Near Northwest. Youth 2 Greatness – Chess in The Park Initiative: $25,000 The initiative will provide a platform for residents to connect with resources, tools, techniques, and relationships that support personal and community wellness. Code Black Indy – Workforce Development for Adults: $25,000 Code Black Indy aims to introduce young adults and working age adults to foundational computer science skills and opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials that can open the door to technology jobs and other entrepreneurial pathways. Growing Places Indy – Indy Winter Farmers Market: $23,800 Growing Places Indy aims to increase food access for area residents through usage of their SNAP Triple-Match program and Fresh Bucks program at the Indy Winter Farmers Market. Community Assets – Pipeline: Classroom2Career: $25,000 Community Assets will advance community, school, and business partnerships to build a collaborative, after-school learning space where youth can learn at their own pace in an entrepreneurial environment with individualized academic support, enrichment, and interventions.

Impact Cycle 4 Awards

Vanguard Collegiate of Indianapolis – STEAM Education Initiatives: $50,000 Vanguard Collegiate scholars will participate in “STEAM Fridays,” where students in grades 5-8 will take coding, robotics, fine arts, foreign language and mass media classes during the first semester of 2023-2024. In the second semester, students will take engineering and drone technology classes. Hawthorne Social Service Association – Promoting Educational Attainment and Stability for Near West Families: $52,000 The association will provide income-based scholarships to 40 low-income families to reduce barriers and promote equitable access to early childhood program. Scholarships will be used to support families that are transitioning employment, returning to work, or in the process of accessing vouchers. Herron-Riverside High School – Design Week: $28,350 Herron-Riverside High School will establish a low-cost educational summer camp option for middle school students on the Near Northwest side of Indianapolis. “Design Week” will expand Herron-Riverside High School’s ability to serve families year-round by offering a high-quality STEAM enrichment summer program for 6th-8th graders. Flanner House – Bridges to Health: Improving the Pathway to Affordable Healthy Food: $20,000 Flanner Farms and Cleo’s Bodega and Café offers the Near Northwest community access to healthy food and household needs. The organizations will offer customer-based training in food trauma, nutrition awareness, cooking classes for healthy food, value added food, and direct delivery. Triple T Academy – Nine 2 Six: $25,000 The Nine 2 Six program provides a learning track that aims to launch participants into a career in drone technology, including services in aerial photogrammetry, aerial inspections on cell phone towers, solar panel and wind turbine farms, and powerline towers and sub stations. Excellence LLC – Maximum Impact: $30,000 Maximum Impact will further establish Xcellence Fitness Academy, a program designed to reduce the burden of vulnerable neighborhoods harmed by Type 2 Diabetes through nutrition and physical activity education, exercise classes, and health and wellness evaluations. 16 Tech says it has awarded more than $1.5 million to 51 projects since 2020.