Arts Council of Indianapolis Inc
Indianapolis, IN · EIN 31-1225893. Reported 436 grants totalling $15.0M to 146 organizations across tax years 2021-2025, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Arts Council of Indianapolis Inc, the IRS classifies it under arts & culture rather than as a grantmaker (NTEE A260) -- it is an operating charity that also makes grants.
- How spread out its giving is. 146 distinct organizations, with 5% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 83% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 4 year-to-year transitions. That is well above the 56% median for grantmaking charities, and above the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $18,548. Half of what it reported fell between $10,000 and $32,000; the smallest was $5,500 and the largest $537,500. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
203 of those grants were non-cash -- goods, property or services worth $4,003,604 in total. In-kind giving is real support but it is not a cheque.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $809,911 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $571,495 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Drum Corps International Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $553,245 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indiana Repertory Theatre | Indianapolis, IN | $537,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Conner Prairie Museum Inc | Fishers, IN | $507,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra Fou Ndation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Childrens Museum of Indianapolis Incorporated | Indianapolis, IN | $370,311 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Harrison Center for the Arts Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $310,421 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indiana State Museum Foundation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $310,411 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indiana Repertory Theatre Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $306,411 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| American Cabaret Theatre Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $294,402 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Artmix Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $288,161 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Heartland Film Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $263,411 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Madam Walker Legacy Center | Indianapolis, IN | $256,581 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Ballet Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $256,021 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Big Car Media Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $252,611 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Dance Kaleidoscope Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $252,111 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| River West Theater Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $236,216 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Art Center Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $228,860 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kids Dance Outreach Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $219,920 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $216,386 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Young Actors Theatre Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $210,471 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| American Piano Awards Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $208,668 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Young Audiences of Indiana Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $191,121 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway Foundation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $190,830 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Asante Art Institute of Indianapolis Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $181,816 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| New Harmony Artists Guild Inc | New Harmony, IN | $181,561 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indiana Symphony Society Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $174,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $166,671 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Partnerships for Lawrence Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $162,411 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Jazz Foundation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $162,203 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Josef Gingold Fund for the International Violin Competition O | Indianapolis, IN | $160,112 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Symphonic Choir Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $159,436 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Phoenix Theatre Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $155,321 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Iibada Dancers Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $148,411 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Newfields Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $146,616 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Writers Center of Indiana | Indianapolis, IN | $140,777 | 8 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indiana State Symphony Society Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $127,866 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Indianapolis Suzuki Academy Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $123,516 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Opera Company | Indianapolis, IN | $117,671 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Sapphire Theatre Company Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $116,591 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $116,171 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Urban Musical Theatre Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $115,411 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Summit Performance Indianapolis Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $112,416 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Summer Stock Stage Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $112,311 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Athenaeum Foundation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $111,952 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Cultural Trail Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $105,064 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Shakespeare Company Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $103,911 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Footlite Musicals Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $102,511 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Zoological Society Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $98,295 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $96,502 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN | $95,211 | 5 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Childrens Choir Incorporated | Indianapolis, IN | $92,911 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The District Theatre Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $89,654 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Storytelling Arts of Indiana | Indianapolis, IN | $86,096 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Kheprw Institute | Indianapolis, IN | $85,200 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Music for All Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $78,811 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Percussive Arts Society Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $77,549 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Freetown Village Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $74,861 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Philharmonic Orchestra of Indianapolis Incorporated | Indianapolis, IN | $72,850 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Indiana Black Expo Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $71,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Mens Chorus Incorporated | Indianapolis, IN | $70,765 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Performing Arts Conservatory Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $70,416 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indy Convergence Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $69,968 | 6 | 5 | 2025 |
| American Lives Theatre Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $69,700 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Storefront Theatre of Indianapolis Inc | Indianpolis, IN | $63,611 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Indiana Fashion Foundation Corporation | Indianapolis, IN | $58,611 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Claude Mcneals Musical Theatre Training Program Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $56,911 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Womens Chorus Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $54,395 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Naptown African American Theatre Collective | Indianapolis, IN | $53,500 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Pattern | Carmel, IN | $53,411 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Lafayette Square Area Coalition Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $53,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Youth Orchestra Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $52,266 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indybaroque Music Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $47,711 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Film Project Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $45,311 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Ross Foundation | Indianapolis, IN | $45,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Brick Street Poetry Inc | Zionsville, IN | $43,816 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indiana Wind Symphony Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $43,366 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Arte Mexicano En Indiana Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $43,116 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Philippines Cultural Community Center | Indianapolis, IN | $43,116 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| El Sistema Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN | $40,900 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Aurora Photocenter Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $39,616 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $39,379 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| 91 Place Incorporated | Indianapolis, IN | $38,473 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Festival Music Society of Indiana | Indianapolis, IN | $36,011 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Indiana Historical Society | Indianapolis, IN | $35,911 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Foundation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $34,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Indianapolis Foundation (gangang) | Indianapolis, IN | $33,600 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| City of Martinsville | Martinsville, IN | $33,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Boone County Government | Lebanon, IN | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| City of Franklin | Franklin, IN | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| City of Greencastle | Greencastle, IN | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hendricks County Tourism Commission | Danville, IN | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Flanner House of Indianapolis Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $27,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Trustees of Indiana University | Bloomington, IN | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Buck Creek Players Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $24,411 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Discovering Broadway Inc | Carmel, IN | $24,100 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Black Circle Dba Loom Indy | Indianapolis, IN | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| FORTY5 LLC the Vogue | Zionsville, IN | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rathskeller Restaurant | Indianapolis, IN | $24,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| White Rabbit Cabaret LLC | Indianapolis, IN | $23,944 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Echoing Air Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $22,216 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Square Cat Vinyl LLC | Indianapolis, IN | $22,121 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The John H Boner Community Center Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $22,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| The Jazz Kitchen | Indianapolis, IN | $21,868 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Ensemble Music Society of Indianapolis Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $21,816 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $21,760 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Bsl Entertainment LLC the Patron Saint | Indianapolis, IN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Radio Radio Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Hi-Fi Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Indiana Music Education Association Foundation | Indianapolis, IN | $18,616 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Indy Dance Council | Indianapolis, IN | $18,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Burnside Inn LLC | Indianapolis, IN | $17,900 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hoosier Salon Patrons Association | Indianapolis, IN | $16,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Piradical Productions LLC Hoosier Dome | Indianapolis, IN | $16,152 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Arts With a Purpose Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $15,400 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Fiscal Sponsorship Allies Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| 1000 Words Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $14,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Inspire Music Collective | Indianapolis, IN | $14,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Morning Brown | Indianapolis, IN | $14,300 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Indianapolis Downtown Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $13,832 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Castleton United Methodist Church | Indianapolis, IN | $13,100 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Southbank Theatre Company | Indianapolis, IN | $12,500 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Castlewood Chamber Singers Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $12,100 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Eclectic Soul Voices Corporation | Indianapolis, IN | $12,100 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Girls Rock Indianapolis Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $12,100 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Indiana Entertainment Foundation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $12,100 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Indy Folk Series Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $12,100 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Friends of Dr Martin Luther King JR Park | Indianapolis, IN | $11,033 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Musical Family Tree Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $11,016 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Anila Agha Fine Arts LLC | Indianpolis, IN | $11,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| City of Crawfordsville | Crawfordsville, IN | $10,583 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Taproot LLC Dba Wilson Art Lab | Indianpolis, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| State Street Pub | Indianapolis, IN | $9,199 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Arthentic Arts Incorporated | Indianapolis, IN | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Read for Joy Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $8,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Indiana Black Expo-Indianapolis Chapter Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Friends of the Park Association of Putnam County Inc | Greencastle, IN | $7,875 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Cumberland Community Development Corporation | Cumberland, IN | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Dove Recovery House for Women | Indianapolis, IN | $7,150 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Indy Juneteenth Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Haitian Association of Indiana Corp | Indianapolis, IN | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Indy Pride Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Irvington Presbyterian Church | Indianapolis, IN | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Epilogue Players Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Indyprov Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
96 of 146 (66%) received money in more than one year over the 5 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Eiteljorg Museum
ARTS PROGRAMMING & COVID RELIEF - Children's Museum of Indianapolis
ARTS PROGRAMMING & COVID RELEIF - Sapphire Theater
ARTS PROGRAMMINGARTS PROGRAMMING
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 105 of 146 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 75 | $6,725,097 | $26,135 |
| 2022 | 84 | $2,819,212 | $26,411 |
| 2023 | 74 | $1,405,000 | $10,000 |
| 2024 | 95 | $1,807,658 | $15,000 |
| 2025 | 108 | $2,195,946 | $14,450 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $18,548 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Indiana.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Arts Council of Indianapolis Inc's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 108 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 924 North Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, IN, 46204.
EIN 31-1225893 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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