Hamilton County Community Foundation awarded national grant to grow local civic engagement

Hamilton County Community Foundation was awarded $375,000 through a 2026 Civic Hub grant from the Trust for Civic Life, a national grantmaker supporting rural communities. The funding will support the Foundation’s work to bring people together and strengthen civic life, with a particular focus on northern Hamilton County, where rural and transitioning communities are experiencing rapid growth.

Through its Civic Hub grants and small grants program, the Trust for Civic Life invests $10 million per year annually into locally-led groups across rural America that strengthen civic engagement and create opportunities for long-term community collaboration. These grants support a wide range of efforts like local events, public spaces, new programs, and community wide initiatives – all designed to bring neighbors together to solve challenges and build stronger connections.

The Trust’s grants program aims to reach and fund groups working on the ground that are difficult for national philanthropy to find and fund. The latest round of funding awarded $7.6 million in grants ranging from $300,000 to $425,000 each, with new grantees serving 16 states across the country. Hamilton County Community Foundation is the first organization in Indiana to receive a Civic Hub grant.

“These local Civic Hubs are rising to the moment and responding to the unique needs of their communities,” said Charlie Brown, Executive Director of the Trust for Civic Life. “In doing so, they build the connection, confidence, and capacity that community members need to shape the future they want. Because they have such a deep understanding of their communities, Civic Hubs can lead and adapt in ways national groups simply cannot.”

Through this support, Hamilton County Community Foundation will deepen civic engagement across northern Hamilton County by expanding access to local leadership opportunities, creating more spaces for community dialogue, and supporting resident-led efforts to address local challenges. This work is designed to strengthen connections among neighbors and ensure more voices are reflected in shaping their communities.

“Strong communities are built when people feel connected and have meaningful opportunities to participate,” Foundation President Danielle Stiles-Polk. “This funding will allow us to invest more consciously in our northern communities, helping residents come together, share their voices, and take an active role in addressing the challenges and possibilities within their own neighborhoods.”

For more information about Hamilton County Community Foundation visit hamiltoncountycf.org.

About the Trust for Civic Life
The Trust for Civic Life is a grantmaking collaborative supporting the community efforts that help Americans connect, solve problems together, and feel confident in a shared future. Launched in 2024, the collaborative brings together a cross-ideological team of over 20 national funders to invest in a new wave of local civic opportunities that increase trust, agency, and belonging in rural America. Through its grantmaking, the Trust funds both the critical groundwork and promising experiments that allow civic participation to take hold in rural communities and spread across the country. Learn more at trustforciviclife.org.