Girls Inc. to receive funding as Women’s Fund of Central Indiana expands statewide

After 30 years of investing in the well-being of women and girls, Women’s Fund of Central Indiana today announced its expansion to become the Women’s Foundation of Indiana, a statewide organization working to address persistent challenges facing women and girls across the state.

The transition reflects both urgent need and direct feedback from women themselves.

Across Indiana, women face significant disparities in health care access, economic mobility, safety and family stability, including:

• Over the last decade, Indiana’s infant and maternal metrics are among the nation's most concerning, including higher mortality and higher rates of pre-term birth. 
• 23 of Indiana’s 92 counties are maternity care deserts, leaving many women without local obstetric care. 
• Women earn about 70 cents for every dollar earned by men, 11 cents less than the national average. 
• More than 42 percent of Indiana women report experiencing domestic violence in their lifetime. 
• One in three Indiana women ages 18–44 report having been diagnosed with a depressive disorder by a health professional, ranking the state 33rd in the nation. 

Despite these challenges, issues affecting women and girls receive just 1.9 percent of all philanthropic funding in the United States.  

“Through research and community listening, women told us clearly: they need more investment, stronger support systems, and policy solutions that improve outcomes for women and families,” said Tamara Winfrey-Harris, president of the Women’s Foundation of Indiana. “We are responding to what women told us they need. As we expand statewide, we will not act on behalf of women without listening to them first.” 

The foundation will lead a series of 11 listening sessions across Indiana — including South Bend, Gary, Anderson, Lafayette, Franklin, Terre Haute, Bedford, Evansville, Jeffersonville, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne — to ensure local priorities guide future investments. The community voice will inform Women’s Foundation’s work and will be paired with county-by-county data to create a State of Women in Indiana Report, accessible on inwomensfoundation.org in March 2027. 

Investing in the Community 

The foundation will continue its longstanding commitments in Central Indiana including its competitive grantmaking and programs, while expanding its advocacy and research statewide. Its Central Indiana endowment dollars will not be shifted away from the community that built them. Instead, the foundation has created an Indiana Fund to make grants outside of the eight-county Metro Indianapolis region.  

To mark the debut of the Women’s Foundation of Indiana, the new organization is directing $336,000 in surprise unrestricted funding to Central Indiana nonprofit partners working to improve outcomes for women and girls in priority areas: health, economic mobility, girls’ empowerment and personal safety/intimate partner violence. 

Organizations receiving unrestricted grants include: 

• All-Options 
• Alternatives 
• Coburn Place Safe Haven 
• Columbus Regional Shelter 
• Center for Victim and Human Rights 
• GenderNexus 
• Girls Incorporated of Greater Indianapolis 
• Girls Incorporated of Johnson County 
• Girls Incorporated of Shelbyville Shelby County 
• Girl Scouts of Central Indiana 
• Health Care Education & Training 
• Indiana Diaper Bank 
• New Beginnings of Indianapolis 
• Prevail 
• Televerde Foundation 
• Women4Change 

“This moment reflects both where we’ve been and where we’re going,” said Dr. Nichole Wilson, board chair of the Women’s Foundation of Indiana. “For 30 years, this community has built something powerful, and we are honoring that legacy while expanding our reach to meet the needs women have shared with us across Indiana. I am proud to help lead this next chapter alongside the Women’s Foundation of Indiana.”