The Mind Trust Inc
The Mind Trust Inc is an Indianapolis-based public charity that invests in public education to improve academic achievement and life outcomes for K–12 students. Its work includes growing public schools, supporting existing schools and educators, managing student-focused programs, and engaging communities in Indianapolis, across Indiana, and beyond.
The Mind Trust Inc at a glance
In short: The Mind Trust Inc gave $7.1M across 53 grants in 2025 (avg $134K), mostly in Indiana. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $7,093,266
- -59.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 53
- -8.6% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $133,835
- -55.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $30,000
- Total assets
- $58,731,314
- +72.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (14 of 47, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Indiana (69% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to The Mind Trust Inc
- Contact
Mailing address: 1630 N Meridian St 450, Indianapolis, IN 46202
Phone: (317) 822-8102
Website: https://themindtrust.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from The Mind Trust Inc
Who The Mind Trust Inc funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Teach for America Inc ($975K). Together the top 10 received $4.7M.
Organizations only. It also paid 7 grants to individuals ($1,279,860), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
254 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 113 grants of 254 (44%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Mind Trust describes its work as serving Indianapolis, communities across Indiana, and regions beyond Indiana. Its website identifies work in Connecticut, including the North Star Fellowship. In its 2025 grantmaking, 69% of grant dollars went to recipients in Indiana, 23% to New York, and 8% to Oregon; the filing also lists Florida at 0%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 53 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Mind Trust Inc open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 14 of 47 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $208K. How we count
Medians: $13K first-time, $57K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $7.1M (2025) to $17.4M (2024). In 2025 it made 53 grants totaling $7.1M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Teach for America Inc New York, NY | Partner Investment | $975,000 |
| Circle City Preparatory Inc Indianapolis, IN | Implementation award ($400k) + capacity building award ($250k) + school support award ($21.86k) | $671,860 |
| Enroll Indy Inc Indianapolis, IN | Partner Investment | $575,000 |
| Stand for Children Leadership Center Inc Portland, OR | Partner Investment | $550,000 |
| TNTP Inc New York, NY | Partner Investment | $550,000 |
| Paramount Schools of Excellence Indianapolis, IN | Capacity building award ($400k) + school support award ($10k) | $410,000 |
| Institute for Quality Education Inc Indianapolis, IN | Partner Investment | $307,500 |
| 7 grants to individuals Recipients not named | — | $1,279,860 |
| Marian University Inc Indianapolis, IN | Partner Investment | $250,000 |
| Believe Schools Inc Indianapolis, IN | Fellow School Investment | $250,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Mind Trust Inc?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Effective February 4, 2025, the organization’s public charity classification changed from a supporting organization under section 509(a)(3) to a publicly supported organization described in sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi).
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $58,731,314 | $57,932,587 | $35,611,037 | $7,093,266 | 53 | $1,152,619 |
| 2024 | $34,049,326 | $49,302,138 | $43,542,749 | $17,378,870 | 58 | $1,193,552 |
| 2023 | $26,440,445 | $29,881,369 | $21,711,220 | $8,553,863 | 52 | $891,331 |
| 2022 | $18,983,816 | $10,830,656 | $19,634,093 | $9,660,334 | 45 | $21,942 |
| 2021 | $28,455,192 | $26,157,589 | $22,006,276 | $10,845,911 | 46 | $71,201 |
| 2020 | $22,651,490 | $20,265,397 | $14,886,969 | $7,211,806 | 34 | $205,950 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The Mind Trust’s mission is to provide every student in Indianapolis and beyond with access to an excellent education. Its work includes school fellowships and investments, partnerships and support for existing schools, community engagement, and programs such as Indiana Learns, Indy Summer Learning Labs, and Expanding What Works. In FY25, it also supported a national partner in designing and facilitating the North Star Fellowship in Connecticut.
Its 2025 grants included schools and education organizations. For example, an individual recipient describes its mission as helping K–8 students become ambitious learners and responsible leaders through academic instruction and character development. Enroll Indy says it helps families choose schools by providing a one-stop enrollment process, accessible school information, and data for school improvement. Teach For America describes its mission as developing and supporting leaders to teach underserved students.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, The Mind Trust reported 53 grants totaling $7,093,266. Awards ranged from $5,250 to $975,000, with a median grant of $30,000. Grant purposes in the reported awards included partner investments, capacity building, school support, implementation, and fellow school investments.
Among the largest awards were $975,000 to Teach For America Inc., $671,860 to Circle City Preparatory Inc., $575,000 to Enroll Indy Inc., and $550,000 each to Stand for Children Leadership Center Inc. and TNTP Inc. Other notable awards included $410,000 to Paramount Schools of Excellence, $307,500 to Institute for Quality Education Inc., and $285,000 to Herron High School Inc.
The organization also manages program opportunities. The North Star Fellowship, described as active, is a one- or two-year experience for school leaders developing and launching public charter schools for Connecticut families, managed in partnership with LEAD. The Educator Empowerment Award supports Indianapolis public schools converting to IPS Innovation Network Schools; applications are not currently being accepted. The Emerging Leaders Fellowship is for eligible leaders working in Indianapolis charter or innovation schools and includes a $30,000 stipend contingent on remaining at the school during the three-year fellowship. Its listed application deadline is February 28, 2026.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Brandon Brown as CEO; Leslie Shegog as Executive VP and COO; Kristin Grimme as Chief Strategy Officer; Corrie Lapp as SVP of Finance; Patrick Jones as SVP Leadership & Equity; Kelli Marshall as SVP of Schools; Kimberly Preston as SVP of Policy; Seana Murphy as SD Indiana Learns; Lauren Peterson as VP of Community Engagement; and Luke Lennon as SD Leadership & Dev.
The Mind Trust Inc is led by Brandon Brown, CEO on every filing since 2020; 12 of 25 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Brandon Brown
CEO
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$254K (2020) → $363K (2025)
Jim Schumacher
Board Chair
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Bill Shrewsberry
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Harris
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David Shane
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Jane Pauley
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Maggie A. Lewis
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mark Miles
Director
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Miriam Acevedo Davis
Director
On filings since 2021
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Naeha Dean
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rodney Byrnes
Director
On filings since 2024
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Rebecca Kubacki
Director
New on the 2025 filing
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Corrie Lapp
Senior Vice President of Finance
Senior Vice President of → Senior Vice President of Finan, 2023
Senior Vice President of Finan → Senior Vice President of Finance, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$129K (2020) → $201K (2025)
Kristin Grimme
Chief Strategy Officer
Senior Vice President School I → Senior Vice President Strategy, 2021
Senior Vice President Strategy → Chief Strategy Officer, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$141K (2020) → $219K (2025)
Leslie Shegog
Executive Vice President & COO
Senior Vice President Communit → Executive Vice President, 2022
Executive Vice President → Executive Vice President & COO, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$176K (2021) → $257K (2025)
Patrick Jones
Senior Vice President Leadership & Equity
Senior Vice President Ldrshp → Senior Vice President Leadrship, 2024
Senior Vice President Leadrship → Senior Vice President Leadership & Equity, 2025
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$140K (2021) → $192K (2025)
Kelli Marshall
Senior Vice President of Schools
Senior Vice President of Schoo → Senior Vice President of Schools, 2024
On filings since 2023
40 hrs/week
$162K (2023) → $183K (2025)
Lauren Peterson
Vice President of Community Engagement
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$130K (2024) → $135K (2025)
Luke Lennon
Sd Leadership & Development
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$130K (2024) → $133K (2025)
Seana Murphy
Sd Indiana Learns
On filings since 2024
40 hrs/week
$141K (2024) → $140K (2025)
Kimberly Preston
Senior Vice President of Policy
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$183K (2025)
Madeline Poulakidas
Sd of Finance & Operations
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$126K (2025)
Stacy Helmuth
Sd of Developement
New on the 2025 filing
40 hrs/week
$123K (2025)
Ann D. Murtlow
Board Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Steven Jones
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (10)
- Former: Leigh Ann Pusey (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Tequilla Brownie (2021–2024) — Director
- Former: Gary Borden (2022–2024) — Director
- Former: Jeremy Smith (2024) — Sd of Corporate & Individual Giving
- Former: Porsche Chisley (2024) — Vice President of Expanded Impact
- Former: Samuel Odle (2020–2023) — Director
- Former: Lauren Rush (2020–2022) — Senior Vice President Administrator
- Former: Joe White (2020–2021) — Senior Vice President School S
- Former: Kenya Bradshaw (2020) — Director
- Former: Shannon Williams (2020) — Senior Vice President Communit
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $363K, to Brandon Brown (CEO). 12 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about The Mind Trust Inc
How much does The Mind Trust Inc give each year?
The Mind Trust Inc gave $7.1M across 53 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $17.4M across 58 grants.
What is The Mind Trust Inc's typical grant size?
The Mind Trust Inc's median grant in 2025 was $30,000, and its average grant was $133,835, across 53 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Mind Trust Inc that year got $15K on average.
Where does The Mind Trust Inc give grants?
The Mind Trust Inc gives mostly in Indiana: 69% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (23%) and Oregon (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Indianapolis, IN (37 grants), New York, NY (3 grants) and Carmel, IN (3 grants).
Does The Mind Trust Inc give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 53 grants with a stated purpose on The Mind Trust Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "School Community Partnership Investment" (18 grants), "School Support Award" (15 grants) and "Partner Investment" (10 grants).
Who are The Mind Trust Inc's largest grantees?
The Mind Trust Inc's largest 2025 grantees include Teach for America Inc ($975,000), Circle City Preparatory Inc ($671,860) and Enroll Indy Inc ($575,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. It also paid 7 grants to individuals ($1,279,860), which are not listed by name. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Mind Trust Inc?
The Mind Trust Inc reported $58.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $57.9M.
What does The Mind Trust Inc fund?
The Mind Trust’s mission is to provide every student in Indianapolis and beyond with access to an excellent education. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Mind Trust Inc?
The Mind Trust Inc has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Check themindtrust.org for current guidelines, or contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
What is The Mind Trust Inc's EIN?
The Mind Trust Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-4560286. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS December 3, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS December 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 21, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 20, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS December 8, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Mind Trust Inc's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Mind Trust Inc funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 9, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-mind-trust-inc-morg_c1bc6d898b564424ae491045d042f487
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_204560286_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Mind Trust Inc funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-mind-trust-inc-morg_c1bc6d898b564424ae491045d042f487},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-09. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from The Mind Trust Inc's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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