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Thriving Nonprofits to provide local organizations with free energy assessments of their facilities and matching grants to complete energy efficient building upgrades
Indianapolis, IN (May 7, 2025) – Today, the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability and IFF announced the launch of Thriving Nonprofits, a new initiative designed to help Marion County nonprofits improve the energy efficiency of their facilities and reduce operating costs. Funded by the McKinney Family Foundation, Thriving Nonprofits will provide free energy assessments and matching grants of up to $10,000 to up to 15 mission-driven organizations within the county. IFF’s Real Estate Solutions team will conduct the energy assessments, and grant money can be used to facilitate building upgrades that reduce energy usage and monthly utility bills.
“Public-private partnerships like Thriving Nonprofits exemplify the ability of the Indianapolis community to come together to achieve common goals like energy efficiency,” said Mo McReynolds, director of the Indianapolis Office of Sustainability. “We are excited to build upon our existing energy benchmarking program, Thriving Buildings, by offering new opportunities for our local nonprofits — entities that typically operate on very slim margins — to significantly invest in their physical infrastructure so that they may continue serving our neighbors in critical ways.”
Those eligible to apply for Thriving Nonprofits include nonprofits, schools, early childhood education centers, public libraries, medical facilities, and grocery stores in communities identified as “food deserts.” Applicants must own their facilities or have long-term lease agreements. Examples of building upgrades the matching grants will cover include LED lighting retrofits, HVAC replacements, roof repairs or replacements, weatherization, solar panel installations and the purchase of more efficient appliances, among others.
“Thriving Nonprofits is designed to help mission-driven organizations reduce their operating costs so that they can devote more of their resources to programming that benefits the communities they serve,” said Amandula Anderson, IFF’s executive director for the Indiana Region. “Organizations selected to participate in Thriving Nonprofits will also benefit from a cohort model that includes educational seminars that encourage collaboration and shared learnings that each participant can use to further refine their short- and long-term facility goals.”
Thriving Nonprofits is modeled after similar programs in South Bend and Bloomington also led by IFF in partnership with local offices of sustainability and CDFI Friendly organizations. The initiative will contribute to broader sustainability efforts already underway in Marion County. The City of Indianapolis’ Office of Sustainability administers Thrive Indianapolis, a citywide sustainability and resilience action plan that seeks to mitigate the effects of extreme weather events and guide Indianapolis to carbon neutrality by 2050. Thriving Nonprofits will advance several action items in the plan, including establishing financing options for energy efficiency and electrification improvements in new and existing buildings, deploying strategies to overcome barriers to solar energy installations, and promotion of initiatives that improve local water conservation efforts.
Organizations eligible to participate in Thriving Nonprofits are encouraged to submit an online application by June 9, 2025. An announcement of the cohort members accepted to participate in Thriving Nonprofits will be made in early summer, at which point energy assessments of participants’ facilities will begin. Using the assessment findings, each nonprofit will:
- Choose the building upgrades they plan to pursue
- Select contractors in partnership with IFF
- Secure the sources of funding and financing needed to execute the projects
In addition to the matching grants offered through Thriving Nonprofits, participating nonprofits will have access to low-interest loans from IFF to supplement project budgets, as needed. All energy efficiency upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of 2025 wherever possible.
“The McKinney Family Foundation is proud to partner with the Office of Sustainability and IFF through Thriving Nonprofits,” said Stephanie Goodrid Lawson, executive director of the McKinney Family Foundation. “This work will ensure that mission-driven organizations across Marion County have the opportunity to help build more resilient communities by improving energy efficiency in their facilities, while also saving money on utility bills that can be reinvested into programming that results in tangible positive impact for local residents.”
To learn more about Thriving Nonprofits and to view the application for the program, visit apply.iff.org/submit.
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Media Contact: Lindsay Trameri, Community Engagement Manager | Indianapolis Office of Sustainability | lindsay.trameri@indy.gov | 317-601-6993