Noblesville Schools & Fishers YMCA receive early literacy grants from United Way of Central Indiana

United Way of Central Indiana has awarded $502,500 to 33 child care providers, schools, and community organizations to help them start or expand literacy initiatives, the nonprofit announced Monday.

United Way’s Literacy Fund provides grants of $10,000 to $50,000 to support literacy projects and efforts for children from birth to age 8 that improve language development, early literacy skills, reading, and writing.

Locally, Noblesville Schools received $16,000 and the Fishers YMCA received $6,500.

Earlier this year, United Way invited licensed nonprofit child care centers, licensed family child care homes, registered ministries, licensed out of school time providers, Title I elementary schools, and nonprofits from across its seven-county service area to apply for grants. A committee of 11 United Way staff members reviewed 56 applications in all, selecting 33 grantees that serve children in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, and Putnam counties.

Among all the grant recipients are 12 nonprofits accredited with United Way and 21 that are outside its accredited partner network. Five organizations are receiving funds from United Way of Central Indiana for the first time. Since its new strategic plan launched two years ago, United Way has sought to increase and diversify its investments in under-resourced areas to reach more people in all seven counties.

This is the first year for United Way’s Literacy Fund. The grants evolved from the previously offered Literacy Matters Fund, which supported literacy initiatives following the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Literacy Fund will help schools, child care providers and nonprofits pilot or scale initiatives that will have a meaningful and measurable impact on over 3,000 of Central Indiana’s youngest learners,” said Julie Kilger, United Way’s early care and learning director.

Learn more at UWCI.org.