The Indianapolis Foundation

Name

The Indianapolis Foundation

Legal name

Central Indiana Community Foundation

Website

https://cicf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Community Development & Affordable Housing Funds (FSANAJAK), College Access, Scholarships & Student Success Nonprofits (BPAGADAE)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor-advised funds
• Charitable organization funds
• Scholarship administration
• Philanthropic advising

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management and Administrative Fees: CICF earns revenue through administrative fees on donor-advised funds, charitable organization funds, and other philanthropic funds it manages. These fees support foundation operations and investment management services.
2. Investment Management: CICF offers three investment pools (Long-Term Pool, Balanced Pool, Short-Term Pool) with associated fees for fundholders. Investment returns help grow funds while generating administrative revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Indianapolis Foundation, operating as part of the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) Collaborative, provides donor-advised funds, charitable organization endowment funds, scholarship administration, philanthropic advising, and investment management services (across three investment pools) to individuals, families, and nonprofit organizations in Central Indiana. It manages over $1.4B in assets and stewards more than $37M in annual grantmaking across nine Central Indiana counties.

Product overview

The Indianapolis Foundation, as part of the CICF Collaborative, operates as a community foundation offering a comprehensive suite of philanthropic products and services. The core offerings include Donor-Advised Funds and Charitable Organization Funds for personalized giving, supplemented by 50+ Scholarship Programs administered across multiple counties. The foundation supports nonprofits through programs including Stronger Partners, Brighter Futures (Planned Giving Cohort), Executive Leadership Cohort, Office Hours, and BY-Plus workforce development. Regional initiatives encompass Connected Communities, Greater Indy Trailways, IMPACT Central Indiana, and the Summer Youth Program Fund. Additional services include grants administration, philanthropic advising, investment management with three pool options (Long-Term, Balanced, Short-Term), and operational support for partner foundations including Hamilton County Community Foundation and Women's Foundation of Indiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stronger Partners, Brighter Futures (SPBF): A nine-month planned giving cohort designed to help nonprofits build long-term sustainability through planned giving programs.
• IMPACT Central Indiana
• Greater Indy Trailways
• BY-Plus
• Connected Communities

Products and services

• Donor-Advised Funds Philanthropic vehicles allowing donors to contribute assets, receive immediate tax benefits, and recommend grants to charities over time with professional investment management.
• Charitable Organization Funds Endowment management services for nonprofits, providing investment management, planned giving guidance, and operational support to help organizations build long-term financial sustainability.
• Scholarship Programs Administers 50+ scholarship awards across four-year, two-year, and technical programs through a single multilingual application supporting students pursuing higher education in Indiana.
• Stronger Partners, Brighter Futures (Planned Giving Cohort) Nine-month cohort program helping nonprofits build long-term sustainability through planned giving strategies, having secured over $66 million in planned and outright gifts over five years.
• Executive Leadership Cohort Partnership with the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and The Fund Raising School supporting new nonprofit executive leaders with less than three years of experience to build skills, confidence, and peer networks.
• IMPACT Central Indiana Social impact investment partnership facilitating investments into community-led development, undercapitalized entrepreneurs, and affordable housing.
• Summer Youth Program Fund (SYPF) Grant program supporting high-quality, safe summer experiences for Marion County children and teens ages 4-24 at little to no cost to families.
• Philanthropic Advising Services Personalized support including grantee research, values clarification exercises, succession planning, site visits, and family philanthropy engagement for fundholders.
• Grants Administration Administrative support for grantmaking including systems, compliance, reporting, and technical processes for funds and foundations within the CICF Collaborative.
• Investment Management Pools (Long-Term, Balanced, Short-Term) Three investment pool options: Long-Term Pool (5+ years), Balanced Pool (3+ years), and Short-Term Pool (1-5 years) for fundholders, including a No Minimum, No Fee DAF option.

Quantifiable outcome

• $37.3M granted by CICF fundholders in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Hamilton County Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of CICF Collaborative. CICF provides operational, philanthropic, and strategic services. Serves Hamilton County residents with scholarships, grants, and nonprofit support.
• Women's Foundation of IndianacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of CICF Collaborative. Women's Fund of Central Indiana supports gender equity through philanthropy and advocacy in the region.
• IMPACT Central IndianacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestment partnership created by CICF, Hamilton County Community Foundation, and Indianapolis Foundation. Facilitates social impact investments into community development, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and affordable housing.
• Indiana University Lilly Family School of PhilanthropymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF partners with IU Lilly Family School on Executive Leadership Cohort for nonprofit leaders and research initiatives including Democratizing Philanthropy Research Workshop.
• The Fund Raising SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF partners with The Fund Raising School on the Executive Leadership Cohort to build skills and peer networks for new nonprofit executive leaders.
• Indiana Construction Roundtable FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF partners with ICR Foundation on BY-Plus program providing construction training for underinvested, low-income, underrepresented individuals in Indianapolis.
• Home Repairs for GoodmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF partners with Home Repairs for Good on BY-Plus construction training program for underemployed individuals.
• Indianapolis Legal Aid SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF partners with Indianapolis Legal Aid Society on BY-Plus program providing legal support alongside construction training for program participants.
• Visit IndymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisit Indy leads Greater Indy Trailways initiative with CICF, bringing together 800+ miles of trails across Central Indiana into one connected resource.
• Indy Hunger NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF partnered with Indy Hunger Network to expand annual hunger study beyond Marion County to include eight additional Central Indiana counties.
• Indy Arts CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF collaborated with Indy Arts Council and IEDC on first-of-its-kind Venue Inventory and Needs Assessment for performance spaces across the nine-county region.
• Parks Alliance of IndianapoliscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParks Alliance transitioned from CICF supporting organization to special interest fund. CICF provides operational and administrative support for transformational parks initiatives.
• Big Car CollaborativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF is longtime partner of Big Car Collaborative, Indianapolis nonprofit arts organization that uses culture and creativity to build community. CICF helped connect Big Car with donors and made CAMi available to community.
• NextechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF provides operational and administrative support to Nextech, which prepares Indiana students for future through computer science, AI, data science, and teacher training.
• The District TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICF provides operational and administrative support to The District Theatre, which presents and amplifies voices of performing artists representing diversity of human experience.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Schwab Charitable: National DAF sponsor offering tax-efficient giving accounts and integrated brokerage/financial-advisor workflows. Competes directly for the wealth-management-referred donor segment that CICF also targets through its professional-advisor network.
• National Philanthropic Trust: Independent national DAF sponsor providing donor-advised funds, private foundation, and philanthropic advisory services. Competes for high-net-worth donors with cross-region charitable intent, particularly relevant during the Great Wealth Transfer.
• Fidelity Charitable: Largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor operating at national scale with infrastructure and advisor integration that competes for the same donor-advisory relationships CICF cultivates. Comparable product but vastly larger scale and different brand.

Direct peers

• Community Foundation of Greater Memphis: Regional community foundation offering DAFs, agency endowments, and scholarship administration across a mid-sized metro area. Highly comparable mission, scale tier, and service mix.
• The Chicago Community Trust: Major Midwest community foundation offering donor-advised funds, scholarship programs, and regional grantmaking across counties. Operates with a near-identical product set and serves as a benchmark on AUM scale and programmatic reach in the same region.
• Greater Kansas City Community Foundation: Mid-size metro community foundation with collaborative cross-county grantmaking, scholarship administration, and impact-investing subsidiaries. Structurally and operationally similar to the CICF Collaborative model.
• The Boston Foundation: Major metropolitan community foundation offering donor-advised funds, pooled investments, and multi-county grantmaking. Comparable in scope, sophistication, and collaborative ecosystem to CICF.
• The Pittsburgh Foundation: Mid-size city/Rust Belt regional community foundation with comparable DAF, scholarship administration, and impact-investing partnerships. Closely comparable operating model and target donor base to CICF.
• The Cleveland Foundation: One of the oldest and largest U.S. community foundations; similar DAF, scholarship, and nonprofit-support offerings, with concentrated regional focus analogous to CICF's Central Indiana footprint. Direct functional peer for community foundation services and investment pool model.

Others

• IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy: Indiana-based academic and research institution partnering with CICF on the Executive Leadership Cohort and democratizing-philanthropy research. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than competitor, but informs peer comparison given influence over regional sector capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CentralIndianaCommunityFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/central-indiana-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cicfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments16 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Indianapolis Foundation