Meridian Foundation’s Arago Honors Awards Six Nonprofits
The innovation recognition program continues to identify creative community solutions; in 4 years 33 nonprofits honored
Indianapolis—January 30, 2025-
Indianapolis-based Meridian Foundation announced today that six more nonprofits have been named 2024 Arago Honor recipients. In a break from the traditional $10,000 innovation award amounts made the last three years, this group of six recognized nonprofits received larger awards in varying amounts. Since the award program began in 2021, thirty-three nonprofits have earned nonprofit innovation honors from the Meridian Foundation. The 2024 cohort shares $122,000.
Honorees for 2024 are:
Big Car Collaborative is honored for its plans to adaptively reuse and build out a 40,000 square foot former factory building as a dedicated contemporary art museum when none exists in Indianapolis. The new museum will also feature performance and rental space, a commercial kitchen, business incubator storefronts, audio recording and visual artists studios. For over ten years the nonprofit has been a community developer in the Garfield Park neighborhood using the arts to mitigate adverse impacts. Big Car Collaborative receives $20,000 as a disruptive sustainable innovator.
Fonseca Theatre Company earns recognition for overcoming the 2020 tragic death of its namesake and boundary-pushing founder, Bryan Fonseca for continuing his passion to use theatre as a tool for advocacy and community building on the near westside of Indianapolis. The $15,000 award for disruptive sustainable innovation will fund the theater’s critical need for lighting and sound on their auxiliary stage next to Haughville Park.
Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana is recognized for building transformational and complex innovative partnerships in the northeast corridor at 38th and Sheridan that began in 2020. Goodwill and a vast array of industry (Cook Medical), nonprofit, government, bus transportation (Indy Go Purple Line), health, grocery store partners and new infrastructure facilities are creatively lowering barriers for hard to employ workers in the neighborhood. Goodwill will share $10,000 of this $30,000 award for disruptive innovation with UNEC, United Northeast Community Development Corporation.
St. Matthew’s House of Naples, Florida is recognized for integrating five social enterprises—brick and mortar thrift stores, an e-commerce platform, a restaurant, catering company and a hotel and conference center—to create a diversified revenue portfolio that also serves as a job training network for the homeless they shelter. The funding model of St. Matthew’s House removes its reliance on donations and grants, offering the nonprofit more sustainability and self-sufficiency. The $12,000 award for incremental innovation is the first given to a nonprofit outside central Indiana.
Trinity Free Clinic has built three workforce development programs (medical and dental assisting and medical interpreting) for underserved students seeking entry-level healthcare careers. This innovative program: mitigates financial and educational barriers for students; offers concurrent classroom instruction and clinical experience; and enhances clinical staff resources. Skilled- volunteer doctors, dentists, nurses and hygienists provide students both mentoring and encouragement. The clinic is recognized with $25,000 as a disruptive innovator.
You Yes You! (YYY) Is recognized as the only program within the Indiana Department of Corrections focusing on improving the relationship between incarcerated fathers and their children. YYY is changing the traditional rehabilitation prison model using one-on-one re-entry planning, post release support, and carefully planned bonding events for fathers and their children, trainings, and mental health services. The state of Indiana’s recidivism rate is 30 percent; YYY’s recidivism rate is 13.5 percent. YYY receives $20,000 as a catch-up innovating nonprofit.
This year marks the fourth anniversary of the Arago Honor Awards. Except for the award to Fonseca Theatre, the awards are unrestricted which allows the nonprofit recipient to use the award however they wish, helping carry forward a new cycle of investment and innovation.
To learn more about the innovation selection criteria of previous honorees, visit the Meridian Foundation website, www.indymeridianfoundation.org. Plans for the 2025 Arago Honors for Innovation will be announced on the website May 2025.
Congrats to our 2024 Recipients!
Big Car Collaborative
Fonseca Theatre Company
Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana
St. Matthew’s House of Naples, Florida
Trinity Free Clinic
You Yes You!
About the Meridian Foundation
Founded in 2019, the Meridian Foundation aims to support, accelerate, and celebrate nonprofit innovation. For more information, visit, www.indymeridianfoundation.org.