Kendrick Foundation Announces 2024-25 Competitive Grantees

The Kendrick Foundation is pleased to announce its 2024-25 competitive grantees. After a thorough application process, the foundation selected 12 non-profit organizations to receive funding aimed at addressing critical health issues, including mental health, substance use disorder, and physical activity and nutrition.

"Our funding priorities directly address the urgent mental health and substance use challenges highlighted in recent Surgeon General reports, while also aligning with the top health needs identified in our local community health needs assessment," said Sara Dungan, J.D., Kendrick Foundation President." By focusing on these critical areas, we're responding to both national health priorities and local community needs, ensuring our initiatives make a meaningful and targeted impact on our community's health."

The following organizations received funding to support evidence-informed initiatives that address the health needs of Morgan County residents:

• Boys & Girls Club of Morgan County – $112,057 for youth programming focused on healthy lifestyles, including mind, body, and soul
• Catholic Charities Indianapolis – $100,000 to continue and enhance mental health counseling, case management, and outreach
• Churches in Mission – $22,780 to provide clients with coaching and resources for achieving stability
• Desert Rose – $90,000 for crisis intervention and counseling services for domestic abuse survivors
• Indiana Family to Family – $5,000 to support families raising children with mental healthcare needs
• Jackson Center for Conductive Education – $7,000 for a Special Needs Caregivers Conference focused on the transformative power of mindfulness and mental well-being
• Martinsville Youth Development Center – $39,650 to help local youth build self-esteem and adopt healthy lifestyles
• Morgan County Substance Abuse Council – $65,000 to provide free education, awareness, and community-based programs focused on preventing and reducing substance use disorder
• Peace Restored – $95,800 to establish a mental health retreat for women who have experienced trauma and related mental health struggles
• Stability First – $41,650 to provide intensive outpatient treatment for behavioral health services
• The Haven Youth Center – $1,910 to provide a safe environment and healthy activities for youth throughout the school year
• WellSpring – $37,698 to help people experiencing homelessness, hunger, and poverty

"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our grantees for their dedication and commitment to improving health and well-being in Morgan County," Dungan added. "Their efforts are vital in creating healthier, more resilient communities."

In addition to these grants, the Kendrick Foundation awarded $621,586 to Adult & Child Health, Centerstone, and Youth First in July for the first year of its school-based mental health initiative 2.0. This three-year initiative aims to improve access to mental health services for students in Morgan County’s public schools.

"The Kendrick Foundation's focus on mental health and substance use disorder aligns closely with recent Surgeon General priorities,” said Keylee Wright, M.A., Kendrick Foundation Executive Director. “Our initiatives, particularly in school-based mental health, echo the recommendations in the 2021 Surgeon General's Advisory on Protecting Youth Mental Health. By increasing the number of our grantees by 50 percent this year, we're answering the Surgeon General's call for expanded community-based mental health support and facilitating more opportunities for connection, community, parental support, and healthy behaviors."

The Surgeon General of the Public Health Service has focused the nation's attention on important public health issues. Reports of the Surgeon General on the adverse health consequences of smoking triggered nationwide efforts to prevent tobacco use. Reports and other publications on nutrition, violence, and HIV/AIDS—to name but a few—have heightened America's awareness of important public health issues and generated major public health initiatives. Surgeon General reports from 2001 to present can be found at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK45031/, including (but not limited to):

• 2024 – National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health & Well-Being of Parents
• 2023 – Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community and Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory
• 2021 – Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory and The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
• 2020 – Smoking Cessation: A Report of the Surgeon General
• 2018 – Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids
• 2016 – Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health and E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General
• 2015 – Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities

The Kendrick Foundation invests in conditions that support the physical and mental health of all Morgan County residents. For more information about how we’re leading health initiatives for Morgan County, please visit kendrickfoundation.org.