2024 IU Black Philanthropy Circle Grants

As part of the IMU Art Initiative, the Union Board is seeking funds to support the next phase of this project: focus on diverse student art and artists.

STEAM Education and Career Pathways is a comprehensive initiative designed to promote and improve access to community programs and services for populations living and operating in marginalized communities by providing opportunities to shadow professionals in STEAM and create interest and opportunities in the field for K-12 grade students.

Elizabeth Blevins
(812) 855-9772
eablevin@iu.edu

In 2025, IU Auditorium plans to proudly welcome back Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) for a week-long, statewide residency intentionally curated for youth, students, and community members that will celebrate diversity through the arts. The residency will be a collaboration with IU campuses, schools, and community centers across Indiana and feature programs that highlight DTH as the country's preeminent multi-ethnic ballet company and their mission to provide empowerment and access through dance.

Ryan Sheets
(812) 855-0640
rmsheet@indiana.edu

This project aims to expand outreach of, participation in, and success during the IU Honors Program in Foreign Languages (IUHPFL) among Indiana high school students from historically underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds including those from rural communities. The project will accomplish these aims through expanded recruitment efforts, increased scholarship opportunities, and the development and implementation of targeted preparation and training modules.

Taylor Lee-Moore
(317) 275-2199
tayclee@iu.edu

AfroFutures: Black Women and Cinematic Storytelling emphasizes original scholarly production focused on the role of visual art in crafting disparate stories of Pan-African and African American women. Often marginalized and disenfranchised in visual and cinematic culture, this project centers the lived experiences, stories, and creative contributions of Black women as germinal both to cultural development and as critical sites of generative research excellence.

Alicia Kozma
(812) 855-7632
akozma@iu.edu

The Kelley Challenge, a pre-college program from the Kelley School of Business-Indianapolis, gives high schools and community programs access to Kelley employer partners, company developed business cases, and Kelley Career Development professionals. The proposed project would expand the Kelley Challenge to include Kelley-Bloomington and add more educational partners.

Rob Clendening
(812) 855-3302
roclende@iu.edu

The CREST Summer YPAR Institute is a 5-day intensive program for high school youth to develop research skills through a methodology known as YPAR (youth participatory action research). YPAR is an innovative approach to positive youth and community development in which young people are trained to conduct systematic research to improve their lives, their communities, and the institutions intended to serve them.

Brayden Bridgeman
(317) 278-3748
bwbridge@iu.edu

The IU Black Student Leadership Conference is a student leadership event that provides a platform from which to address issues that impact Black students from all campuses. The conference exists to promote academic excellence, coalition building, diversity education, leadership development, peer relationships, personal empowerment, and overall student success.

Elizabeth Blevins
(812) 855-9772
eablevin@iu.edu

This project will support the pre-departure and socialization experiences of Black IU Bloomington undergraduate students who will study abroad. Given the bevy of travel novelties needed to feel confident about studying abroad, this project addresses the various travel needs of Black undergraduate students.

Elizabeth Blevins
(812) 855-9772
eablevin@iu.edu

Explore IU is a one-day on-campus open house for students in grades 10-12 from historically marginalized backgrounds. Attendees are introduced to the academic, cultural, and social opportunities available at IU Bloomington, and the application, admission, and enrollment processes.

Jessica Parry
(812) 855-0717
jjparry@iu.edu

This project seeks to mount and frame 38 celebrity handprints made by inductees into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame (BFHFI) between 1974-1992 for permanent preservation/display in the Black Film Center & Archive’s (BFCA) office.

Dr. Novotny Lawrence
(812) 855-6041
wnlawren@iu.edu

The Health Career Exploration Academy is designed to introduce young people to the many health related career opportunities. The project is a collaboration between IU Fort Wayne and the Kelley Career Center of the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne.

Marissa Lewis
(260) 257-6764
Marmelch@iufw.edu

Student National Dental Association (SNDA) Impressions Program is designed to expose underrepresented pre-dental students to a career in dentistry, with a long-term goal to help mitigate the access to care crisis. By fostering a sense of community and support, we can contribute to the creation of lasting connections that will benefit current and prospective students throughout their academic and professional journeys.

Sydney Reynoso
(317) 278-1850
sydmking@iu.edu

Since 1974, the African American Dance Company (AADC) has been a precious jewel in the IU crown. Through a year-long series of events and a culminating celebratory weekend, the IU African American Dance Company 50th Anniversary Celebration will both honor the shining legacy of AADC and its community, as well as concretize AADC's place in both IU and United States Black dance history.

Stafford C. Berry, Jr.
(919) 672-5310
berryst@iu.edu

Terrilyn Douglas
(812) 855-3676
jdennie@iu.edu