Kendrick Foundation Inc.

The Kendrick Foundation operates from a singular conviction: that Kendrick Memorial Hospital's century-long legacy of serving Morgan County residents should be perpetuated through strategic health investment. Founded in 2001 from proceeds of the hospital's sale — an institution whose roots trace to Dr. William Kendrick's medical practice — the foundation holds $35.2M in assets and carries a clearly defined geographic mandate that never bends.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on evidence and collaboration. Every proposal must demonstrate 'scientifically supported, evidence-based, and/or evidence-informed strategies,' and the application guidance explicitly encourages partnerships to 'increase coordination, reduce duplication, and maximize resources.' First-time applicants who arrive with a named partner organization and documented evidence behind their program model stand measurably better than those presenting standalone projects.

The foundation uses a two-stage competitive process: Letter of Intent (LOI) followed by invited full proposal. For the 2026-27 cycle, the LOI window ran April 29 to May 22 (4 p.m. EDT), with full proposal invitations announced June 26, proposals due August 7, award notifications September 23, and the project period running October 1 through September 30. This October–September fiscal year matters: budgets and deliverables must align to this timeline, not a calendar year.

Beyond the competitive cycle, the foundation operates two special initiatives representing non-competitive funding pathways. The School-Based Mental Health Initiative commits $440,000+ annually under a three-year arrangement with Centerstone and school partners. The Behavioral Health Incentive Program is a pilot supporting new licensed mental health and substance use disorder positions entering the county's workforce. Organizations already delivering these services at scale in Morgan County should inquire directly about these tracks before pursuing a competitive application.

The foundation favors multi-cycle relationships: Adult and Child Mental Health Center, Centerstone, Desert Rose Foundation, Catholic Charities Indianapolis, and the Boys & Girls Club have each received multiple awards across multiple cycles. New grantees do break through regularly — 14 organizations received 2025-26 competitive awards ranging from $3,400 to $141,000 — but the most consistent path is a strong LOI, a demonstrable Morgan County footprint, and evidence-based programming in mental health, substance use, physical activity, or nutrition.

Total giving by the Kendrick Foundation has ranged from $1.0M to $2.24M annually over the past decade, reflecting the volatility of an endowment-driven payout model. Available IRS data shows: FY2012–$1.85M; FY2013–$1.87M; FY2014–$1.97M; FY2018–$1.50M; FY2019–$1.68M; FY2020–$1.10M (COVID low); FY2021–$1.66M; FY2022–$2.24M (decade peak); FY2023–$1.00M (investment income dip). The 2025-26 cycle of nearly $1.3M places it in the mid-range historically.

For 2025-26, competitive grant awards ranged from $3,400 (Pioneer Academy nutrition classes) to $141,000 (Boys & Girls Club of Morgan County). The majority of awards clustered between $25,000 and $125,000, with a median competitive grant of approximately $63,000. The school-based mental health initiative added $440,000+ as a separate non-competitive allocation on top of the $833,102 in competitive grants.

Large multi-year relationships define the historical record. Adult and Child Mental Health Center has accumulated nearly $788,000 across multiple awards. Centerstone of Indiana has received $385,000 across two database awards plus the school-based initiative. Desert Rose Foundation received over $230,000 across multiple cycles. Catholic Charities Indianapolis received $174,000+ across four awards. These anchor grantees in mental health and domestic violence services demonstrate the foundation's preference for sustained, deepening relationships over one-time project grants.

The Kendrick Scholars scholarship program runs parallel to organizational grants. In 2025-26, 28 scholars each received $17,500, totaling approximately $490,000 in scholarship commitments. Individual scholarship amounts in the database range from roughly $10,000 to $30,000+ for multi-year recipients. The standard annual award appears to be $15,000–$17,500 per year per student.

The foundation's payout rate from its $35.2M asset base approximates 3–4%, consistent with a perpetual endowment model. Net investment income drives total revenue and directly controls grantmaking capacity: income ranged from $235K (FY2023) to $1.6M (FY2020-21). Organizations projecting multi-year funding should model conservatively at $1.0–$1.5M in total annual competitive awards.

The Kendrick Foundation occupies a distinct niche among private foundations of equivalent asset size. Its five closest asset-size peers — all in the $35.1M–$35.2M range and classified under the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category — operate across Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Michigan, making Kendrick's exclusive Morgan County geographic mandate the sharpest differentiator.

Kendrick stands apart from asset-equivalent peers in three meaningful ways. First, it maintains an active website, published grant guidance documents, a named executive director (Keylee Wright, M.A.), and a professional program manager (Nikki Jo McCrady) — signaling a staffed operation rather than a passive family foundation. Second, its community-of-origin model (hospital sale proceeds fund a county health mission) creates an explicit stakeholder accountability to Morgan County that most Philanthropy & Grantmaking peers lack. Third, Kendrick's competitive grant cycle is genuinely open to eligible organizations — not invitation-only — a significant access advantage unavailable through the foundation's peer group.

The most consequential recent development is the 2025-26 grant announcement in which Executive Director Keylee Wright stated: 'Our growing network of grantees answers the Surgeon General's call for robust, community-based solutions to improve both mental and physical health for Morgan County residents.' Nearly $1.3M was distributed to 17 organizations — 14 receiving competitive grants totaling $833,102 and the remainder through the school-based mental health initiative ($440,000+).

Notable 2025-26 competitive awards include Boys & Girls Club of Morgan County ($141,000 for healthy lifestyles programming), Catholic Charities Indianapolis ($125,000 for mental health counseling at IU Health Morgan), Desert Rose ($100,000 for domestic violence crisis intervention), Peace Restored ($95,800 for trauma-centered mental health retreats for women), and Churches in Mission ($70,620 for stability coaching). Centerstone separately received $175,000 through the school-based initiative for embedded school therapy services.

Leadership: The board is clinically oriented — President Sara Dungan, J.D., is supported by Dr. Amanda Walter (M.D.), Dr. Paul Broderick (D.O.), Dr. Pamela Lynch (M.D.), JoAnn Fischer, BJ Pendill, and Lisa Arnold. IRS records reflect a transition from earlier presidents Dr. Eric Wymer (M.D.) and Greg McKelfresh to the current Dungan-led board. Keylee Wright holds the distinction of being the foundation's first formally designated Executive Director.

The foundation also assumed management of opioid settlement funds for Morgan County, meaningfully expanding its infrastructure role in community health beyond competitive grantmaking.

Confirm Morgan County eligibility before anything else. Every documented grantee operates in or explicitly serves Morgan County, Indiana. Organizations in adjacent counties — Hendricks, Johnson, Owen, Monroe — without a Morgan County program component will not receive funding. Establish the geographic nexus in the first paragraph of your LOI.

The LOI is the real filter. The foundation uses the LOI stage to screen for strategic fit before requiring a full proposal. Keep the LOI focused and concrete: state the specific health problem (mental health, substance use, or physical activity/nutrition), your evidence-based approach, the SDOH factors you address, your Morgan County reach, and named partner organizations. Do not pad the LOI with organizational history — the reviewers are evaluating strategic alignment, not credentials.

Name your SDOH connections explicitly. The application guidance requires identification of social determinants of health addressed. Executive Director Wright's use of Surgeon General framing suggests the foundation thinks in upstream terms — housing, food security, economic stability — as well as clinical intervention. Mapping your project to specific SDOH categories strengthens both the LOI and the full proposal.

Deadlines are hard stops at 4 p.m. EDT. For the 2026-27 cycle: LOI closed May 22; full proposals due August 7; award notifications September 23. Future cycles will follow similar cadences. Submit 24-48 hours early to avoid portal issues.

Build the relationship before the cycle opens. Program Manager Nikki Jo McCrady (njmccrady@kendrickfoundation.org) is the operational contact for grant inquiries. A brief pre-LOI email 4-6 weeks before the window opens — asking whether a proposed project aligns with current priorities — is appropriate at foundations this size and often welcomed.

Propose multi-year sustainability. Review the historical grantee list: Adult and Child Mental Health Center, Centerstone, Desert Rose, and Catholic Charities have each received 2+ awards across multiple cycles. Show how year two and year three programming builds on year one outcomes. Single-year pilots without a continuation plan are weaker proposals.

Scholarship applicants must determine their application track (first-time, returning, or non-traditional) before the January 5 annual deadline. Morgan County residency and healthcare/allied health degree enrollment are strict requirements; professional degree candidates receive explicit priority.