Grantmaking 201

Carly Acree King is Nonprofit Support Network’s Relationship and Resource Director, who serves as a connector within the nonprofit sector in the Muncie-Delaware County community. With a warm and spirited approach, Carly thrives as a bridge-builder within the nonprofit sector, weaving connections that strengthen her community.
As the Relationship and Resource Director, Carly excels at nurturing the bonds that tie nonprofits together. She's a skilled collaborator, intricately connecting threads of collaboration that enrich her community. Like a puzzle master, she pieces together needs and solutions, creates a harmonious picture, and designs programs that seamlessly fill in any gaps. 

Carly’s nonprofit journey began with an arts organization when she was just 18 years old. She worked as a receptionist and dance teacher until she was hired full-time in 2010. In 2014, she was promoted to Director of Education and Communication, where she oversaw the arts program and managed the organization’s communications. She built strong relationships with instructors, families, students, and volunteers, which led to record-breaking class enrollment and program offerings. 
Fueling her passion for making a difference, Carly pursued a Master of Public Administration with a specialization in Public Relations Corporate Communications from Ball State University. Armed with knowledge and determination, she embarked on a mission to amplify her impact and joined the staff of The Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County as Program Officer in 2017.

In her role as Program Officer, she not only managed grant programs focused on rural philanthropy, land conservation, education, and scholarships but also played a pivotal role in building connections between nonprofit organizations and donors. Carly’s experience in philanthropy led her to pursue her Certificate in Fund Raising Management from IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy Fund Raising School. Carly's talent lies in crafting programs, building relationships, communicating effectively, and navigating the intricacies of nonprofit management.

With Carly around, there's no question that is too tough to tackle –there is seldom a question she can’t find the answer to. She's a supportive presence, a reliable guide, and a creative force that empowers nonprofits to do their best.

Chad started with the Tipton County Foundation in 2014 as the education program officer, coordinating scholarships and education grantmaking. In his current role as program director, he manages the Foundation's grantmaking, works with local government and non-profits on project management and fundraising, and coordinates community leadership efforts. Chad spends the majority of his free time as a board, crew, and cast member with the local community theatre.

Bryan is founder and president of Charitable Advisors. In addition to creating and publishing the Not-for-profit News, an e-newsletter for 14,000 subscribers in Central Indiana, Bryan co-founded the “Get on Board,” an annual board member recruiting event hosted by Leadership Indianapolis. He started Charitable Advisors in 2000 after more than 20 years of experience in leadership, management and consulting. In 2010, Charitable Advisors published the first Central Indiana Nonprofit Salary Survey.

Pamela currently serves as the Vice President of Community Leadership & Equitable Initiatives for The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate of the Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF).  She is responsible for the strategic alignment and leading the Indianapolis Foundation’s five community leadership initiatives – Economic Mobility, Family Stabilization, Neighborhood Empowerment & Placemaking, Criminal Justice Reform, and Dismantling Systemic Racism as well as the foundations reactive grantmaking, major donor philanthropic advising, and external racial equity work both locally and nationally.

Pamela joined CICF in September 2016 as a Community Leadership Officer and was promoted April 2018 to the foundation’s first Vice President of Opportunity, Equity and Inclusion to support CICF’s mission change. She led the organization’s internal process of ensuring equitable policies and practices are operationalized and exemplified in every aspect of foundation’s work with the goal of becoming an antiracist multicultural organization.

Pamela’s work at The Indianapolis Foundation is informed by 30 years of working in community-based organizations, almost exclusively proximate to communities facing unfair systems and structures.  Her belief that residents and neighborhoods closest to issues of survival and well-being have worth, solutions, and agency led the development of Neighborhood Empowerment Pathways, an internal framework specifically focused on elevating community organizing, resident leadership, infrastructure development in grassroots organizations, and community investment.  

Through her thought leadership and direct experience, Pamela has changed the conversation nationally in philanthropy around power and influence.  As a sought-after speaker, she reiterates the importance of uplifting power and leadership that currently exists within BIPOC communities and inspires traditionally White institutions to share power and engage people of color within our institutions to influence equitable change.  

Pamela achieved her masters in social work from the University of Georgia with a concentration on community development and program evaluation. Pamela serves on multiple boards and committees nationally and locally, including Trust-Based Philanthropy Project Steering Committee, Community Foundation Opportunity Network Advisory Council (CFON), Indiana Philanthropy Alliance (IPA), Kennedy King Memorial Initiative, and A Seat At The Table. She is a frequent speaker, panelist and workshop leader on issues surrounding racial equity; dismantling systemic and structural racism; corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion; and reclaiming and prioritizing Black joy.

Pamela is a native of Indianapolis and her passions have taken her across the country and to Africa. Above many things, she values her family, including seven amazing grandchildren, and living a purposeful life.  

Jeff Small joined the Trust in September 2014 after working with nonprofit groups in Indianapolis for more than a decade. Small served as a writer and project manager at Johnson, Grossnickle and Associates (JGA), a philanthropic consulting firm in Indianapolis specializing in strategic planning, development planning, feasibility studies and capital campaign counsel. Prior to his time with JGA, he held positions in the Research Department of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Indianapolis. In addition, he holds a master’s degree in philanthropic studies from Indiana University.

In his current position, Small oversees the Trust’s giving areas, sets grantmaking standards, designs grantmaking infrastructure, directs the program staff and evaluates the impact of various Trust programs on grantees, beneficiaries and the communities of metropolitan Phoenix and Indianapolis.

Marcus is a graduate of Ball State University and currently the Program Director for the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County where he is celebrating his 10th year with the team. Prior to joining CFBMC, he was introduced to the Community Foundation world at the Putnam County Community Foundation, where he was the Office Manager and administered the scholarship program. Marcus notes that the experiences in the earlier stages of his career, working in social services for twelve years and providing care for at-risk youth and their families at the Youth Services Bureau, proves invaluable for his current role and the type of work accomplished by the Community Foundation.

Marcus has served on a variety of councils and committees, including Indiana University’s Advisory Council for the Serve-IT Clinic, Independent Colleges of Indiana’s state-level review committee for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, and the steering committee for the regional Opioid Summit. Marcus also enjoys being a regular guest speaker for grantmaking classes at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

During his free time, Marcus enjoys relaxing with his family and two dogs, Charlie and Sammie. He finds that running and hiking provide a worthwhile respite from life’s everyday rigors.