LISC Indianapolis Names 12 Finalists for 2024 Love Thy Neighborhood Awards

LISC Indianapolis created the Love Thy Neighborhood Award in 2017 to recognize and celebrate the community development game changers in the Indianapolis region that transform their neighborhood into authentic places, profoundly attractive and livable for both residents and visitors.

Each year, 12 organizations or projects are recognized as finalists for their role in impacting their neighborhoods in four categories. The following have been named as 2024 Love Thy Neighborhood Award finalists:

Livability Category Finalists:

Through compassionate, comprehensive care and unwavering advocacy for human dignity, New Hope of Indiana supports individuals with disabilities and their families to live their most fulfilling lives.

Indiana Diaper Bank aims to eliminate diaper need in our community by providing a reliable and adequate supply of diapering essentials. 

Gleaners Food Bank optimizes equitable access to nutritious food to residents facing hunger and strives to overcome the conditions causing food insecurity.

Opportunity Category Finalists:

Bankable’s Indiana Hispanic-Owned Business Loan Fund serves Hispanic entrepreneurs in Indiana by making capital more accessible and specialized toward Hispanic business owners by breaking down barriers commonly faced in the Hispanic-owned business community. The fund provides accommodations for business owners who are Spanish speaking, access to relationships with partner Hispanic-led organizations, 0% closing costs for loans, and additional benefits such as chamber of commerce memberships and mid-states certifications for borrowers.

P30 is a coworking and office space, event space, and community center, representing a collective of many businesses and nonprofits who serve the Far Eastside of Indianapolis. Hosting ongoing business workshops and resources for entrepreneurs, P30 has created an ecosystem composed of business experts and community partners.

The Indianapolis Urban League Entrepreneurship Center assists entrepreneurs with developing, launching, sustaining, and growing minority small businesses through in-person and virtual workshops, short-term industry recognized training credentials, individualized coaching and support resources.

Vitality Category Finalists:

Kheprw Institute’s Community Land Trust (CLT) empowers Black, Brown, and low-income residents to use land and housing to build community wealth, self-reliance and self-determination. The program provides permanently affordable housing and enable residents to take control of their living environments.

Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corporation cultivates partnerships to build a holistic community through housing and workforce development. The organization addresses critical housing needs by offering home repairs and working with real estate partners to identify safe and affordable housing.

The Passage Apartments is a Section 42 affordable housing development with 38 units located at 50 Shelby Street in Indianapolis. This project reuses a vacant parking lot in the downtown core for affordable housing and creates a new use for a former brownfield site. With units set aside for those with an intellectual or developmental disabilities and an onsite career center, the development provides affordable housing for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, access to transportation, innovative financing and energy efficiency.

Education Category Finalists:

Marian University's Saint Joseph College Earn and Learn program is a transformative workforce development initiative that not only provides academic education but also pairs it with critical, hands-on work experiences through local internships and apprenticeships. This dual approach tackles the systemic barrier of transportation by integrating educational and employment opportunities, thus empowering students to navigate their paths without having to choose between earning and learning.

Indy Reads’ mission is to build the literacy, English language, and job readiness skills to empower adults and families to reach their full potential.

Public Advocates in Community Re-Entry (PACE) provides a variety of services to individuals and families impacted by the justice system to ensure they are afforded the opportunity to lead productive and responsible lives in their communities. 

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We have once again partnered with WISH-TV to produce and broadcast a 60-minute on-air special that will celebrate and tell the important stories of these 12 finalists. The broadcast will simultaneously stream on WISH-TV's Facebook channel and will live on WISH-TV's YouTube channel post event. The winners for each category will be announced during the broadcast and will receive $2,500 in unrestricted funds. In addition, a $5,000 People's Choice Award will be given, determined by viewers through an online voting process following the broadcast. The WISH-TV broadcast will take place this fall.