Stronger Partners, Brighter Futures: meet the 2025 CICF Collaborative Cohort

Submitted

Stronger Partners, Brighter Futures (SPBF) has announced its 2025 cohort.

This nine-month initiative is led by the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), Hamilton County Community Foundation (HCCF), and the Indianapolis Foundation – all members of the CICF Collaborative – and supports nonprofits in strengthening their planned giving strategies. It is open to organizations with endowments or similar funds held at CICF Collaborative entities.

The program is facilitated by Cape Fletcher Associates, a philanthropic consulting firm.

“As community foundations, it is important that we equip our community partners with the best tools to help them succeed in their missions,” CICF CEO Jennifer Bartenbach said. “Planned giving provides a route for both not-for-profits and donors to make larger and more sustainable contributions to their communities.”

“Stronger Partners, Brighter Futures is about ensuring that nonprofits in Hamilton County have the resources and knowledge to thrive for generations,” HCCF President Danielle Stiles-Polk said. “When organizations can build sustainable funding through planned giving, they’re able to stay focused on what matters most: supporting our neighbors and strengthening the fabric of our community.”

Planned gifts, such as those made through wills, estate plans, trusts, and life insurance can allow donors to make more impactful contributions than traditional, day-to-day giving alone.

“Charitable giving from individual donors to nonprofits has long been one of the most sustainable forms of financial support,” said Michael Pettry, Principal with Cape Fletcher Associates. “Developing a strategy for planned giving is one way a nonprofit can redouble their commitment to sustainability, while also providing donors another option to make a significant contribution – one they may not have considered.”

The 2025 cohort includes the following organizations:

CICF, HCCF, and the Indianapolis Foundation view their support of SPBF as a strategic investment in the long-term strength of communities’ nonprofit sectors, empowering organizations to build deeper relationships with donors and offer greater impact across the community.

For insight into how the program has already made an impact, including helping raise $19 million in planned gifts for central Indiana nonprofits, click here.

About the CICF Collaborative
Central Indiana Community Foundation, Hamilton County Community Foundation, IMPACT Central Indiana, the Indianapolis Foundation, and Women’s Fund of Central Indiana are cornerstone entities of the CICF Collaborative, a formal partnership among several interconnected philanthropic organizations. Each entity within the CICF Collaborative brings deep knowledge, strong relationships, and its own individual, focused mission. The CICF Collaborative unites the entities by providing shared services, allowing the entities to operate more efficiently and effectively. By leveraging what each does best, the entities within the CICF Collaborative are able to better serve their communities and create more lasting impact, together. Click here to learn more.