The Mind Trust seeks community leader to launch independent parent advocacy nonprofit
Indianapolis – (January 23, 2019) – The Mind Trust, an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit, today announced a search for its next Education Entrepreneur Fellow to design and launch an independent parent advocacy nonprofit organization in Indianapolis. The Education Entrepreneur Fellow will spend two full years creating a city-wide strategy for engaging and empowering Indianapolis parents to advocate for the changes they believe are needed to ensure that every student, no exceptions, has access to a high-quality school.
“Eliminating barriers and elevating opportunities in the community are core components of our work,” said Shannon Williams, Senior Vice-President of Community Engagement at The Mind Trust. “This fellowship and, ultimately, the advocacy organization that comes from it will amplify the voices of children’s most trusted advocates: their parents and families. This initiative will be truly transformative and I am incredibly excited about the positive impact it will have on the community.”
Independent parent advocacy organizations in other cities have demonstrated the critical importance of elevating the voices of parents, especially in neighborhoods most impacted by education inequity. Organizations like The Memphis Lift in Memphis, Tennessee and PAVE (Parents Amplifying Voices in Education) in Washington D.C. have provided powerful avenues for parents to shape key education issues and decisions.
Renowned education advocate and civil rights activist Dr. Howard Fuller says the Education Entrepreneur Fellowship gives voice to a demographic that has traditionally been ignored.
“Unfortunately, parents have long been denied a real voice in the educational affairs of their children. Generations of students have carried the burden of such denial, so working toward a comprehensive parent-let organization is not only needed, but also simply the best course of action to take. I am pleased The Mind Trust continues to be at the forefront of education innovation. The organization’s effort is an important step toward ensuring students, particularly low-income and students of color, have the proper conditions for success,” said Fuller, who founded the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO).
Application & selection
To apply for the Education Entrepreneurship Fellowship, applicants must have a deep understanding of the education landscape in Indianapolis and proficiency in community organizing. The Mind Trust prefers candidates with deep experience working with low-income communities and communities of color. The final application deadline is March 1st and the fellow will be announced in the spring.
The Mind Trust’s Education Entrepreneur Fellowship provides talented entrepreneurs with one or two full years of planning time and resources to design and launch a nonprofit that supports education in Indianapolis. Fellows receive salary, benefits, coaching, customized training, a travel budget, and more for the duration of their fellowship.
The Mind Trust’s most recent Education Entrepreneur Fellowships supported the launch of Enroll Indy and the Center for Innovative Education Solutions. Founded in 2016, Enroll Indy is an independent nonprofit that provides Indianapolis families with a one-stop enrollment process through its OneMatch application. Launched in 2018, The Center for Innovation Education Solutions is an independent nonprofit center that provides charter schools and Innovation Network Schools access to high-quality, cost-effective operations, finance, and state reporting services to maximize school leaders’ time for instructional leadership.
About The Mind Trust
The Mind Trust is an Indianapolis-based education nonprofit that works to build a system of schools that gives every student in Indianapolis, no exceptions, access to a high-quality education. The Mind Trust does this by building a supportive environment for schools through policy and community engagement, empowering talented educators to launch new schools, and providing existing schools with the supports they need to hire world-class talent and achieve excellence. Since 2006, The Mind Trust has supported the launch of 24 schools and helped place more than 1400 teachers and school leaders in Indianapolis classrooms. More information can be found at themindtrust.org.
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