- About
Our Values
Arthur Dean Family Foundation believes philanthropy requires curiosity, clarity, empathy and trust. We use these values to guide us as we humbly work alongside our grantee partners to create a unique relationship-centered approach to grantmaking.
In addition, we are dedicated to addressing the imbalance of power and building equity in the philanthropic space.
In addition, we are dedicated to addressing the imbalance of power and building equity in the philanthropic space.
- Directors' Letters
Ruthie's Letter
Drew's Letter
River's Letter
Ruthie's Letter
Though Arthur Dean Family Foundation was officially founded in 2016, 2021 was the year we became truly established with a clear direction, purposeful intention, and the adoption of an organizational structure to implement our plans. Centering relationships from board to staff to grantee partners to the community became the power that decided our direction. A Trust-Based Philanthropy approach became Our Foundation’s playbook as we worked to establish our culture, improve our grantmaking, streamline our processes, and questioned traditional philanthropy assumptions.
We invested in 36 grantee partners who shared our vision of developing deep relationships with youth. As we move forward, we hope to lift up our grantee partners, learn from them and support their expertise as they work in our neighborhoods and communities supporting youth and families.
I could not be more grateful to the generous family that makes this all possible. It is their legacy that we are creating. I am honored to work alongside my talented team, building a unique community asset that will change the face of the community and philanthropy for years to come.
I can’t wait to see where we go!
Ruthie Purcell-Jones
Executive Director
Drew's Letter
Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of working for a fledgling family foundation is managing an evolutionary, exploratory grants program that seeks to positively impact the lives of children, youth and families while aligning with the philanthropic hopes and aspirations of our Board.
In addition to providing nearly $3 million in grant support, ADFF also joined the Summer Youth Program Fund funding collaborative, the Indianapolis Education Funders group, the national Trust-Based Philanthropy Collaborative, and other groups dedicated to striving to continuously improve their grantmaking, stewardship, and support of the communities in which we serve.
Through these experiences, we learned a great deal about developing and refining our own priorities, better understanding the unique role of Arthur Dean in the local philanthropic landscape, and evaluating the role of relationships and trust-based philanthropy in our day-to-day work. These learnings led to a grants portfolio focused on the areas of Education, Youth Development, and Youth Employment/Career Exploration. Several grant highlights from this year include:
- Investing in the expansion of VOICES Corporation’s Power & Promise Program, preparing young people to become mentors, community organizers, and policy change advocates while stabilizing their lives and leading them to bright futures
- Supporting Elevate Indy’s Pathways to Purpose postsecondary readiness and attainment program, coupling mentorships with career exposure, internships, and academic and social-emotional supports for middle and high school students
- Investing in the second year of Asante Arts Institute’s Zora’s Daughters program, which celebrates Black girls while promoting their self-expression, writing, and creativity
- Supporting Mission25’s Miami Village Community Center in Whitley County, where neighborhood-based multi-generational programming is stabilizing households and providing children and youth with a safe and engaging space staffed by caring adults that are focused on their academic, social, and personal development
As we head into 2022, we look forward to another year of growth, relationship development, and community partnership.
Drew Black
Director of Grantmaking & Community Impact
River's Letter
2021 was a year of listening and learning for the foundation. The consistent conversations and honest relationships with our grantee partners helped us understand how to support their work in meaningful ways. These conversations have prompted us to continue pursuing an Equitable Evaluation Framework, Emergent Learning Principles, and the Trust Based Philanthropy approach.
This next year, you’ll find us reimagining evaluation and exploring new ways of learning. We see evaluation as an opportunity to learn and evolve as stewards and partners, rather than taking on the narrow – and virtually impossible – task of proving that limited grants make a measurable impact on longstanding, complex social issues. We’re committed to making our thinking and assumptions visible to others in pursuit of constant learning and assessment. Asking questions of ourselves, grantee partners, and colleagues in the field allows us to continuously examine these early iterations of our work for ongoing improvement. We know that we don’t have the “right” answer, strategy, or approach. Instead, we offer up our best current thinking so we can learn and deepen impact alongside our grantee partners.
We are also looking forward to providing support for our grantee partners in ways that extend “beyond the check.” By embracing a “yes, and” model where we provide support through grants and resources that bolster grantees’ impact and strengthen the fields of education, youth development, and youth employment and career pathways. Our hope is that these resources will provide grantee partners with greater access to technical assistance; networking with other ADFF partners; capacity building; peer-to-peer learning; and national knowledge and insight. We sincerely appreciate the open dialogue and candid conversations we’ve had with our partners over the past year about this program.
River Sturdivant
Director of Learning and Impact
- Our Year In Grantmaking
Grantee Partners
0
Total Amount Awarded
$
0
Average Grant Awarded
$
5000
Grantmaking by Interest Area
Grantmaking by County
In 2021, our grantmaking was focused in four areas: Youth Development, Education, Youth Employment & Career Exploration, and Family Success. The majority of our grantee partners were in Marion County (82%), followed by Whitley County (13%) and then Hamilton County (3%).
2021 Grantee Partner Listing
Asante Art Institute of Indianapolis Inc
Aspire Higher Foundation
Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis
×
Brightlane Learning
Center for Leadership Development (CLD)
Center for Whitley County Youth Inc.
×
Child Advocates Inc.
Communities in Schools
Community Action of Greater Indianapolis Inc/We CANN Program
×
Community Assets
Community Foundation of Whitley County (CFWC)
Dove Recovery House for Women
×
DREAM Alive, Inc.
Dress For Success Indianapolis
Eclectic Soul Voices Corporation (VOICES)
×
- Financials
Total Assets
$
0
Total Expenses
$
0
2021 Expenses
| Amount | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Operations | $381,638 | 12% |
| Grants | $2,793,052 | 88% |
- Looking Forward
Future Grantmaking
We will remain responsive to our communities and continuously learn and evaluate our role in supporting them. 2021 showed us that no matter the year, the following will be upheld as we consider future grantmaking:
- Relationships will continue to be at the core of what we do
- We will always be interested in exploring meaningful experiences that promote the well-being, development, and progress of children and youth in understanding their value helping them define their own, preferred
- Equity is at the center of who we are, who we support, and who we want to benefit as a result of our investments
- We strive to continue improving our relationships and partnerships in the field and leverage our resources
- We will continue to learn alongside our grantee partners, those they serve, and our communities to ensure representation and diverse perspectives inform our grantmaking strategies
