Meridian Foundation Inc.

## Approach Strategy

Meridian Foundation Inc. is a Naples, Florida-based private family foundation (EIN 83-2602411) that channels its philanthropy almost exclusively to Indianapolis, Indiana nonprofit organizations. This geographic disconnect — a Florida-domiciled foundation with an Indiana grantmaking footprint — strongly suggests the founding family has deep roots in Indianapolis and retains strong ties to the Central Indiana community despite a Florida residence.

Grantmaking Philosophy: The foundation operates as a discretionary, invitation-only grantmaker. All grants are made to pre-selected organizations; unsolicited applications are not accepted. This is a hallmark of small family foundations where the trustees have long-standing personal relationships with recipient organizations rather than running an open competitive process.

Ticket Size: The foundation's standard grant is $10,000 (flat), with occasional anchor grants of $50,000 to organizations with deeper relationships (e.g., $50,000 to Lutheran Child and Family Services of Indiana in 2022). The $10,000 standard grant makes operational budgeting predictable for recipients and signals a portfolio approach — the foundation spreads support across 10–13 organizations per year rather than concentrating in one or two.

Cause Areas: The grant portfolio reveals a broad, community-benefit orientation: social services, workforce development, health and human services, arts and culture, education, and economic development. Notable recurring themes include organizations serving vulnerable populations (Meals on Wheels, Medical Mutts Service Dogs, Joy's House adult day services), workforce and economic development (16 Tech Community Corporation, Latinas Welding Guild, Be Nimble Foundation), arts and civic institutions (Indianapolis Film Project, Conner Prairie Museum, Naptown African American Theatre Collective), and education and youth (Christel House Academy, Purdue Polytechnic High School, Early Learning Indiana).

Foundation Size Context: With approximately $1.99M in assets and annual giving of $122,000–$134,000, Meridian Foundation Inc. distributes roughly 6–7% of its assets annually — above the 5% minimum required for private foundations and a sign of active charitable intent.

## Funding Patterns

Five-Year Giving Trend (2019–2023):

The foundation entered active grantmaking in 2019 (its ruling date is November 2019) and rapidly scaled to a steady-state giving level of approximately $120,000–$134,000 per year by 2021. Giving has plateaued at this level for three consecutive years, suggesting the trustees have reached an intentional equilibrium.

Documented Past Grantees (2021–2023):

*2023 Recipients:* United Way of Central Indiana ($12,500), 16 Tech Community Corporation ($10,000), Medical Mutts Service Dogs ($10,000), Indianapolis Film Project ($10,000), Deeply Ingrained ($10,000), Project Will ($10,000), Christel House Academy ($10,000), Martin Luther King Multi-Service Center Indianapolis ($10,000), One Voice Coalition of Martindale-Brightwood ($10,000), Purdue Polytechnic High School of Indiana ($10,000), Naptown African American Theatre Collective ($10,000), Eskenazi Health Foundation ($10,000).

*2022 Recipients:* Lutheran Child and Family Services of Indiana ($50,000), Be Nimble Foundation ($10,000), Conner Prairie Museum ($10,000), Latinas Welding Guild ($10,000), Meals on Wheels ($10,000), Overdose Lifeline ($10,000), Patchwork Indy ($10,000), Joy's House ($10,000).

*2021 Recipients:* CICP Foundation ($15,000), Central Indiana Community Foundation ($10,000), CICO Aging & In-Home Solutions ($10,000), Early Learning Indiana ($10,000), Pattern ($10,000), Society of St. Andrew ($10,000), IU Foundation ($10,000), Launch Hope Foundation ($10,000), The Milk Bank ($10,000).

Grant Size Distribution: The vast majority of individual grants are exactly $10,000. Anchor grants of $15,000–$50,000 appear once or twice per cycle, typically to larger established organizations (United Way, Lutheran Services). No grants below $10,000 have been recorded in the available data.

Geographic Concentration: 100% of documented grants go to Indiana-based organizations, with strong concentration in the Indianapolis metro area.

## Peer Comparison

The table below compares Meridian Foundation Inc. to similarly-sized private family foundations based in Naples, Florida with assets between $800,000 and $3,500,000.

Key observations: - Meridian Foundation's $10,000 standard grant is at the median for this peer group, making it a predictable mid-tier supporter rather than an outlier in either direction. - The foundation's payout ratio (~6.7%) is healthy and above the 5% legal minimum, consistent with peer foundations in this asset range. - Like virtually all small Naples family foundations, Meridian does not accept unsolicited applications. All peer organizations listed above operate on an invitation or relationship basis. - Meridian is unusual within the Naples cohort for focusing entirely on Indiana: most peer foundations direct giving to the states where principals have business or family ties, but the singular Indiana focus here is particularly strong and concentrated on Indianapolis metro nonprofits specifically.

## Recent Activity

Fiscal Year 2023 (most recent available): - Total distributions: $133,582 across 12 Indianapolis organizations - Assets held steady at ~$1.795M (essentially flat from 2022's $1.797M) - Revenue: $175,082 (down from $234,685 in 2022), reflecting a smaller contribution inflow and modest investment income ($81,530 in dividends) - New in 2023: United Way of Central Indiana elevated to the largest single grant at $12,500 (a modest anchor increase from the standard $10K); One Voice Coalition of Martindale-Brightwood and Naptown African American Theatre Collective appear as new grantees

Portfolio Evolution 2021–2023: The foundation has shown increasing diversification across issue areas, moving from a more social-services-heavy 2021 cohort (aging, food security, child welfare) to a more culturally and economically diverse 2023 portfolio that includes arts institutions, workforce development organizations, and community development corporations. This evolution suggests trustees are actively expanding their knowledge of the Indianapolis nonprofit ecosystem.

Foundation Status: The foundation was established in 2019 and remains actively grantmaking. No officers receive compensation (all activity is volunteer-based). The excise tax on net investment income was $1,086 in 2023 — a routine indicator of an active investment portfolio.

Website Status: The foundation does not operate a public-facing website. The domain previously associated with this entity has been confirmed as belonging to a different California-based organization.

## Application Tips

Important Notice: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. Meridian Foundation Inc. is a private family foundation that makes grants exclusively to pre-selected organizations. There is no open application process, RFP, or grant portal.

For Organizations Seeking Consideration:

1. Build a connection in Indianapolis. All documented grantees are Indianapolis-area nonprofits with community-facing missions. The foundation's trustees are almost certainly involved in or familiar with Indianapolis civic, philanthropic, or business networks. Any path to consideration runs through those networks.

2. Target the right issue areas. The foundation's portfolio suggests strong interest in: community development and neighborhood equity (One Voice Coalition, Martindale-Brightwood), workforce and economic opportunity (Latinas Welding Guild, Be Nimble Foundation, 16 Tech), health and human services for vulnerable adults (Eskenazi Health, Medical Mutts, Joy's House, Meals on Wheels), arts and cultural institutions with community access missions (Indianapolis Film Project, Naptown African American Theatre Collective, Conner Prairie Museum), and child and youth education (Christel House Academy, Purdue Polytechnic High School, Early Learning Indiana).

3. Understand the grant size. The standard grant is $10,000, with occasional $12,500–$50,000 anchor grants for organizations with deeper, longer-term relationships. Budget your ask accordingly — proposing projects in the $10,000–$15,000 range aligns with demonstrated giving behavior.

4. Do not expect multi-year commitments. Based on the grantee list, many organizations appear once or twice across multiple years but do not appear to receive annual repeat grants as a rule. There is some year-over-year repetition (e.g., several organizations appear in both 2022 and 2023), but the foundation regularly rotates new organizations in.

5. No public contact information is available. The foundation has no listed website, public phone number, or contact email associated with grant inquiries. The registered address is 16618 Firenze Way, Naples, FL 34110.