Community Leadership
Impact-Driven. Future-Focused.
We don’t just help fund impact and change. We work to create it.
First5 Rush County’s Early Learning Coalition
With unrestricted dollars available in 2018, we took a new approach to grantmaking. A committee studied the greatest issues facing Rush County to determine a course of action that would make the most meaningful impact.
All signs pointed to early learning.
Our first proactive grant funded First5 Rush County’s Early Learning Coalition.
Love Community Center
Lilly Endowment Inc. released their GIFT VII (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) initiative in 2018. To encourage community foundations to “further develop and strengthen their effectiveness as local leaders,” The Endowment offered non-competitive planning grants. We provided community development training to local leaders and began seeking community input for a large-scale project.
We hosted county-wide listening sessions in 2019 and released an online survey, giving us insight into what large project would benefit Rush County most. The answer? A community center.
The initial $5M proposal was submitted on Friday, March 13, 2020 – just before everyday life came to a halt because of the Covid-19 pandemic. In December, we learned our proposal was funded! This grant jumpstarted the campaign for the Love Community Center Presented by Jay and Christie (Kile) Love, which opened in early 2025.
Community Based Action Planning
A smaller implementation grant from GIFT VII brought a new concept to our community development efforts – Community Based Action Planning or CBAP.
CBAP is a people-focused, placed-based approach to creating positive change. No one person or organization leads the way. Everyone has a say in CBAP. This work was done by the community, for the community.
In no particular order, the prioritized issues included:
- Mental Health; Explore New and Existing Programs; Accessibility
- Improve Local Gateways
- Downtown Beautification
- Tourism Promotion Behind Existing Assets
- Post-secondary Skill Trade Education and Apprenticeships
- Parks Programming: Add Value to Existing Parks
- County-wide planning; Land Use Planning Update; Zoning (Road Map)
- Local Pride Campaign (Blight Elimination/Clean up)
- Improving internet access
Rush County Rural Revitalization Plan
In the spring of 2024, a similar large-scale grant opportunity from Lilly Endowment became available, their GIFT VIII initiative. Leaning into community input from Rush County’s Comprehensive Plan, we determined the greatest needs to be:
- broadband access
- blight removal
- recreational opportunities outside of Rushville
We submitted another $5M grant for the “Rush County Rural Revitalization Plan” in the fall. Before the doors to the Love Community Center were open, we received news that our next large-scale project was funded. Initial planning began in early 2025.
