unGrid

Indianapolis, IN (July 28, 2010) – TechPoint Foundation, a leading social venture capital organization in Indiana, issued today a request for information (RFI) from 501(c)(3) entities interested in helping Indiana’s at-risk youth acquire the 21st century skills needed for success in school, career and life. The Foundation intends to identify three to six potential grantees, pursuing multi-year partnerships to start, grow or enhance those organizations’ programs.

According to the RFI, TechPoint Foundation defines at-risk youth as those at-risk for economic failure due to an inability to compete in today’s complex global information economy. To combat this risk, the foundation offers grants, management expertise, and in-kind support to organizations who seek to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication skills, collaboration skills, creativity and innovation among Indiana’s youth.

“As a social venture philanthropy organization, we invest in community programs that share our mission and have high-impact potential,” says Laura Dodds, Executive Director of TechPoint Foundation. “We develop true multi-year partnerships with our grantees, where our collective expertise and community connections ensure the maximum return on investment for our donors and our community.”

The social venture philanthropy approach to grant-making and program support has proven fruitful for TechPoint Foundation and its existing grantees. New Tech High @ Arsenal Tech is a secondary level, magnet option of Indianapolis Public Schools with a technology-supported, project-based learning approach to 21st century education. To date, TechPoint Foundation has provided more than $400,000 in financial and in-kind support to New Tech High @ Arsenal Tech, leveraging an additional $100,000 in support from its community partners. The program graduated its first class of seniors in May of 2010.

TechPoint Foundation encourages organizations to collaborate, and will consider joint RFI submissions. Funding considerations will be made in late December 2010 and all organizations submitting a RFI will be notified in late September of their status. To view and respond to the RFI or receive more information visit the TechPoint Foundation or email Laura Dodds at Laura@techpointfoundation.org.

About TechPoint Foundation:

TechPoint Foundation (www.techpointfoundation.org) is a social venture philanthropy organization whose mission is to assist Indiana’s at-risk youth with 21st century skills development needed for success in a global, information economy. The Foundation’s goal is to discover those organizations that have the potential for high impact in the community, and then mobilize resources to help them build the internal capacity to achieve it. This includes multi-year financial support, in addition to professional expertise, advice and other in-kind services recruited from within the technology community.

Founded and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, TechPoint Foundation has been a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization since its founding as the philanthropic initiative of TechPoint, Indiana’s premier program for growing a thriving technology-based economy.  TechPoint Foundation is a supporting organization of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) since 2001.

Media Contact
Laura Dodds, Executive Director
Laura@techpointfoundation.org

###