Inspiring Minds: Our 20-Year Journey to Expand STEM Learning in Indiana
INITA Foundation, 2001-2003
Our Beginnings
In the spring of 2000, the Indiana Information Technology Association (INITA) board recognized that a demographic and socioeconomic divide existed between participants in the fledgling IT industry in Indiana. They saw little diversity, and participants were mostly college-educated white males. There was a skill gap that existed as well. This skill gap and the economic opportunity gap between those in the industry and those outside of it would only grow as time went on. So, the board, led by then chairman Mark Hill, decided that something had to be done to eliminate this gap and ensure a better, more equitable future for Indiana. A committee of the board was formed to develop a plan, and as a result of this effort, the INITA Foundation was created.
In creating the INITA Foundation, the board recognized that the limited financial base of the IT industry in Indiana at the time meant that any solution to this problem would have to involve more than just money. It would need manpower. As a result, the mission for this new organization included a clear commitment to mobilizing volunteers from the tech industry to encourage those on the other side of the divide, extend them a hand, and help them develop the skills necessary to succeed in the tech industry.
The INITA Foundation was launched at their annual gala, The Cyberstar Awards (later renamed the MIRA Awards), in the Spring of 2001 with a $1,000,000 endowment consisting of money raised from tech company leaders and a generous match from the Central Indiana Community Foundation(CICF). Thus was born the INITA Foundation.
Central Indiana Community Foundation
In 2001, the INITA Foundation and Central Indiana Community Foundation agreed that INITA would be organized as a supporting organization of CICF, and CICF would provide matching funds to assist INITA in building a robust endowment.
Original Mission
The mission of the INITA Foundation was to “Bridge the Digital Divide in Indiana '' by educating, informing and inspiring those in our community that have been left out of the information age.
The INITA Foundation had a twofold objective:
1. Grant funds towards projects that were helping to Bridge the Digital Divide
2. Establish “volunteer activism” within the INITA membership and Information Technology community as a whole.
The INITA Foundation would serve as a resource for INITA members to be philanthropic and to match INITA members with high-impact, worthwhile projects where they could share their much-needed skills with the rest of our community.
TechPoint Foundation, 2003-2010
Creation of TechPoint Foundation
In 2003 Indiana’s two major technology associations, INITA and the Indy Tech Partnership, merged to create TechPoint as both an association and a public policy advocacy organization for the technology industry in Indiana. Both of the original associations had charitable arms, and it was decided to carry the INITA Foundation forward and rebrand it as the Techpoint Foundation. The mission of the new TechPoint Foundation was refocused, with greater emphasis on at-risk youth in Indiana, and the vision expanded to embrace a spirit of partnership with other organizations to accomplish its mission.
Mission
TechPoint Foundation is a social venture capital organization, with the mission to assist Indiana’s at-risk youth develop the 21st Century skills needed for success in a global, information economy.
Vision
We accomplish our mission through investments in promising organizations throughout Indiana. Our goal is to discover those organizations that have the potential for high impact in the community, and then mobilize resources to help them build the internal capacity to achieve it.
This includes multi-year financial support, in addition to professional expertise, advice and other in-kind services recruited from members of the technology community.
TechPoint Foundation for Youth, 2011-present
Name Change + Rebrand + Expansion
In 2011, TechPoint Foundation announced a new name, logo and mission to reflect its work and impact on Indiana’s future workforce. TechPoint Foundation changed its name to TechPoint Foundation For Youth. The Foundation’s mission was focused on underserved youth and growing the next generation of Indiana technology leaders. The new mission added science, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to that charge, reflecting the cross-disciplinary use of technology in today’s STEM industries.
The Indiana State Robotics Initiative was created in 2016, expanding on a successful Indianapolis workforce initiative started in 2012 by former Mayor Greg Ballard to remove cost barriers associated with launching robotics programs. By 2023, Indiana had expanded to 971 elementary, 550 middle school and 244 high school robotics teams. TPF4Y offers programs in all 92 Indiana counties.
In 2021 a new 5-year strategic plan was introduced that outlines the path forward to increase investments in our future generation of STEM leaders. The plan calls for increasing and broadening our experiential programming, growing our partnership network, and strengthening our human and financial assets.
Current Mission
TechPoint Foundation for Youth ensures Indiana’s underserved and underrepresented K-12 students have access to experiential learning opportunities that increase STEM knowledge and inspire STEM career exploration.
Vision
Access to a STEM learning opportunity for every underserved and underrepresented student in Indiana.
TechPoint Foundation for Youth and TechPoint
The missions of TechPoint Foundation for Youth(TPF4Y) and TechPoint are connected and complementary. TPF4Y is a charitable organization focused on planting the seeds of STEM interest with K-high school students and TechPoint is an industry association that fosters the tech ecosystem by focusing on college students, technology companies and technology career professionals. The two organizations have continued working closely together on projects of mutual interest.