About Silver Linings Fund

Silver Linings is a Fund created to help provide an equitable opportunity for BIPOC communities through investments in CICFs equity partners fund and providing grants to local grassroots organizations.

In July 2020, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Silver in the City. To mark this milestone, we established a philanthropic extension to our retail business. The Silver in the City Silver Linings Fund (at the Central Indiana Community Foundation) was created to participate in addressing racial disparities in housing, healthcare, education, employment and criminal justice within Central Indiana communities.

Since January 2021, 1% of all sales are donated to our Silver Linings Fund which provides grants in the amounts of $500-$2,500 to grassroots organizations in Central Indiana working to address issues of racial disparity within their communities, as well as providing social impact investments in businesses and enterprises led by people of color through CICF's IMPACT fund.

Learn more about previous Silver Linings Fund recipients here.

About Silver in the City’s Silver Linings Fund Grantmaking

Silver in the City’s Silver Linings Fund seeks to invest in grassroots organizations that assist in empowering people affected by systemic racism and in closing the racial equity gap. Eligible organizations serve a population that is a majority Black, Latinx or immigrant in Central Indiana (Marion County and the seven surrounding counties).

We are looking for locally-grown organizations with annual operating budgets under $900k. Local chapters of national organizations are not within our scope.

Silver in the City’s Silver Linings Fund, a fund of Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), shares CICF’s mission to mobilize people, ideas and investments to make this a community where all individuals have equitable opportunity to reach their full potential, no matter place, race or identity.

Applications for Silver Linings Grants are always open, with 2 rounds of determinations made annually in June (for submissions received by May 31) and November (for submissions received by October 31). Any applications received following a cutoff date will be carried over into the next round.

• Our application has been streamlined into an online form which can be found here
• Questions should be addressed to Kristin Kohn at silverlinings@silverinthecity.com
• Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Please only apply once per year
• Applications received by 11:59 p.m. on May 31 will be determined no later than June 30^th, with funds released in mid-July
• Applications received by 11:59 p.m. on October 31 will be determined no later than November 30^th, and funds released in mid-December
• Any applications received following a cutoff date will be carried over into the next round

Types and Size of Grant Awards

Silver in the City’s Silver Linings Fund accepts applications for operating and program support. As a small business, we are looking for small, grassroots organizations in Central Indiana working to address racial disparities in healthcare, education, housing, food and employment. Grants range from $500 to $2,500.

Who We Fund

• 501(c)(3) organizations serving BIPOC communities
• Organizations that have not yet received their 501(c)(3) status may use an approved fiscal agent

What We Fund

While we are open to all requests for funding, we are particularly interested in (in no priority order):

• Accessible healthcare
• Food access and affordability
• Programs and/or resources for minority entrepreneurs and small business owners
• Supporting programs for housing assistance
• Supporting educational programs for children and adults
• Job skills training to assist in connecting minorities to living wage careers

What We Don’t Fund

• Organizations or projects that discriminate based upon race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation
• Grants to individuals
• Political campaigns or activities intended to influence public officials
• Projects aimed at promoting a particular religion
• Construction projects of schools, churches or other religious institutions
• Special events or fundraising activities
• Medical, scientific or academic research

Since 2021, we've distributed $100,000 through Silver Linings Grants.

Silver in the City's history of philanthropic endeavors includes raising over $100,000 for reproductive rights through two 100% donation days, on January 21, 2017 and May 21, 2019; collecting over $7,000 in checkout donations for the Movement for Black Lives June-July 2020; donating a portion of annual Pride Flag Sales to Indiana Youth Group since 2016; and donating 10% of Midnight Shopper Sales to Second Helpings since 2012.