Glick Fund Boosts Starfish Program
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis-based Starfish Initiative has received a $75,000 grant from the Glick Fund. The money will boost Starfish's mentorship efforts designed to increase Marion County high school graduation rates among low-income students.
November 19, 2013
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — Starfish Initiative has announced that the Glick Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), has awarded the organization a $75,000 grant. Starfish is an Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization whose focus is to increase Marion County high school graduation success and college persistence rates among low-income students through its acclaimed mentorship model.
“This Glick Fund grant will further our work to inspire, encourage and prepare promising, economically-disadvantaged high school students for college and career success,” said Bob Kizer, president and CEO of Starfish Initiative. “Through our programs and unique pairing of each student with a college-educated mentor, we’re not only changing the future for these scholars, but also for the city of Indianapolis.”
Starfish, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2013, serves more than 350 scholars in nearly 40 Marion County high schools. Historically, 100 percent of Starfish scholars that complete the program graduate high school. Of those, 98 percent enroll in a college or university. Currently, 82 percent of these students are persisting in college – compared to just 23 percent of all Indiana students, according to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
“We hope our grants will help address the immediate needs of the community while also building the long-term capacity of the organizations delivering services,” said Marianne Glick, director at the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Family Foundation and The Glick Fund.
The Glick Fund is a donor-advised fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation. Eugene and Marilyn Glick established it in 1998 to support a variety of causes in four areas of community need: 1) the arts and creative expression; 2) education; 3) human needs and the alleviation of suffering; and 4) self-sufficiency and job skills. Grants are awarded byinvitation only, with no unsolicited grant applications accepted. In total, 49 local organizations were awarded grants from The Glick Fund totaling more than $4 million.
Source: The Glick Fund