About

Transformative education. Advancing opportunity.

The Mind Trust is a nonprofit that invests in public education to transform lives and increase academic achievement in Indianapolis, across Indiana, and beyond. This includes managing student-centered programming, growing new high-quality public charter schools, supporting existing schools and educators, and engaging the community in every region we serve.

What we do

Our team is passionate about improving education and life outcomes for K-12 students in Indiana, Connecticut, and beyond. We do this by: 

Growing Great Schools

The Mind Trust has supported the launch of more than 50 high-quality public schools in Indianapolis. We continue to support the growth of high-quality schools in Indianapolis, across Indiana, and in Connecticut through fellowships and strategic investments. 

Supporting Existing Schools

We manage investments and partnerships to foster collaborative learning, increase student achievement, and ensure operational excellence for a community of more than 60 Indianapolis charter and innovation network schools. 

Engage the Community

Great schools are essential for a thriving Indianapolis. We are proud to provide opportunities for people in our city to connect with schools, support students, and advocate to ensure high-quality education for every student.

Create and Manage Innovative Programs

Our team has helped develop and manage transformative programs that enhance student learning, such as Indiana Learns and Indy Summer Learning Labs. These programs play a crucial role in achieving our goal of tripling Indianapolis student proficiency by 2027.

Our Impact Outside of Indianapolis

In 2024, we began growing our impact in deeper ways outside of Indianapolis through initiatives like Summer Learning Labs and the North Star Fellowship. Our statewide and national growth is done in collaboration with local partners to support student success in their regions. 

Celebrating 19 years of impact.

In 2006, former Indianapolis mayor Bart Peterson and David Harris founded The Mind Trust to help Indianapolis think bigger about education. Since then, The Mind Trust has:

• Supported the launch of more than 50 public schools in Indianapolis through our School Fellowships and capacity-building awards
• Built a comprehensive strategy of support for existing schools and educators
• Deepened our community engagement efforts to work with families and neighborhoods to help them advocate for the change they want to see in our education system