Staff Report written for the Statehouse File:
INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana Connected by 25 has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the Glick Fund to support its efforts to improve education outcomes for K-12 youth in foster care.
Only 43 percent of foster children in Indiana earn a high school diploma or GED by the time they reach 19. Indiana Connected by 25, based in Indianapolis, is a nonprofit that supports youth who age out of the foster care system without permanent families.
The Glick Fund, which is a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, has also provided $25,000 to match with individual donations to Indiana Connected by 25.
In the last legislative session, Indiana Connected by 25 successfully advocated for legislation requiring the state to track and report education outcomes for foster children as well as other vulnerable student populations. The legislation also requires the state to develop a plan to close the achievement gap for students in foster care.
Brent Kent, CEO of Indiana Connected by 25, said his organization is grateful for the support.
“The Glick Fund’s support will help communities analyze and make meaningful use of this important data, while raising public awareness around the need for additional educational supports for foster children,” Kent said.