Foellinger Foundation launches new Thrive Initiative

Foellinger Foundation launches its Thrive Initiative with a nearly $900,000 initial investment in Southeast Fort Wayne nonprofits. 

The purpose of the Thrive Initiative is to invest in community-identified neighborhoods, especially those with the greatest economic need and least opportunity, by investing in nonprofits that provide resources affecting their ability to procure a life they choose for themselves—such as education, housing, jobs, childcare, and more. 

In its initial phase, the Thrive Initiative will focus on supporting the Southeast Fort Wayne community. 

Foellinger Foundation’s Board of Directors approved recommendations from Foundation staff and the Thrive Initiative Committee, made up of Foundation board members and community leaders, totaling nearly $900,000. These grants were distributed to more than twenty nonprofits that primarily serve the Southeast quadrant of Fort Wayne, and many of these organizations received their first Foellinger Foundation grant.

“Foellinger Foundation evaluates program outputs and outcomes, and the visual representation of this is called the Independence Continuum,” said a Foundation representative. “The Continuum reflects an individual’s journey from dependence to independence—and when a person is at their most independent, we consider them to be thriving. That’s our hope for all Allen County residents—and this concentrated effort will specifically support those in Southeast Fort Wayne.”