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In the past year, Mirror Indy has reported on people in Indianapolis who run community gardens, provide free food in old newspaper boxes and bring public art to their neighborhoods. Each of them did so with the help of nonprofit grant funding. 

But grant writing takes a lot of time and skill. If you have a passion you want to turn into a nonprofit organization, and don’t know how to start, the Indianapolis Public Library is offering free workshops to walk you through creating a nonprofit, building an advisory board and writing a grant proposal.

The series of 10 workshops, presented by local nonprofit leaders and librarians, are at the Central Library from Feb. 22 to March 29. 

Workshops are in the special collections room on the sixth floor. You can walk in, but registering is encouraged. 

Free workshops in the nonprofit series

Learn more here about each workshop. 

Starting a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization 

🗓️ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 22 
🎟️ Register

Developing an Effective Board of Directors 

🗓️ 2-4 p.m. Feb. 22 
🎟️ Register

Intro to Foundation Directory: Finding Grant Funders 

🗓️ 2-4 p.m. Feb. 26, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 22 and 2-4 p.m. March 26
🎟️ Register

Strategic Planning for Nonprofits

🗓️ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 1
🎟️ Register

Successful Grant Proposals

🗓️ 1:30-4 p.m. March 1 and March 8
🎟️ Register

Planning Effective Programs

🗓️ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 8
🎟️ Register

Evidence-based Research for Grant Proposals 

🗓️ 2-4 p.m. March 12
🎟️ Register

Volunteer Recruitment, Retention, and More

🗓️ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 15
🎟️ Register

Fearless Asking: How to Build an Individual Giving Program

🗓️ 10:20 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 29
🎟️ Register

What’s Working? Utilizing Program Evaluation to Improve Service Delivery and Outcomes

🗓️ 2-4 p.m. March 29
🎟️ Register

Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.

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Learn how to start a nonprofit with free workshops at Central Library

by Sophie Young, Mirror Indy
February 18, 2025

<h1>Learn how to start a nonprofit with free workshops at Central Library</h1> <p class="byline">by Sophie Young, Mirror Indy <br />February 18, 2025</p> <p>In the past year, Mirror Indy has reported on people in Indianapolis who run community gardens, provide free food in old newspaper boxes and bring public art to their neighborhoods. Each of them did so with the help of nonprofit grant funding.&nbsp;</p> <p>But grant writing takes a lot of time and skill. If you have a passion you want to turn into a nonprofit organization, and don’t know how to start, the Indianapolis Public Library is offering free workshops to walk you through creating a nonprofit, building an advisory board and writing a grant proposal.</p> <p>The series of 10 workshops, presented by local nonprofit leaders and librarians, are at the Central Library from Feb. 22 to March 29.&nbsp;</p> <p>Workshops are in the special collections room on the sixth floor. You can walk in, but <a href="https://blog.indypl.org/business/nonprofit-program-series/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">registering is encouraged</a>.&nbsp;</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-free-workshops-in-the-nonprofit-series">Free workshops in the nonprofit series</h2> <p>Learn <a href="http://indypl.org/nonprofit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">more here</a> about each workshop.&nbsp;</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-starting-a-501-c-3-nonprofit-organization-nbsp"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857859" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Starting a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;</strong></h3> <p>🗓️ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 22 <br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857859" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-developing-an-effective-board-of-directors-nbsp"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12858080" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Developing an Effective Board of Directors&nbsp;</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 2-4 p.m. Feb. 22 <br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12858080" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-intro-to-foundation-directory-finding-grant-funders-nbsp"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12798241" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Intro to Foundation Directory: Finding Grant Funders&nbsp;</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 2-4 p.m. Feb. 26, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 22 and 2-4 p.m. March 26<br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12798241" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-strategic-planning-for-nonprofits"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857838" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Strategic Planning for Nonprofits</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 1<br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857838" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-successful-grant-proposals"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857988" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Successful Grant Proposals</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 1:30-4 p.m. March 1 and March 8<br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857988" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-planning-effective-programs"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857908" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Planning Effective Programs</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 8<br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857908" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-evidence-based-research-for-grant-proposals-nbsp"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857779" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Evidence-based Research for Grant Proposals&nbsp;</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 2-4 p.m. March 12<br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857779" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-volunteer-recruitment-retention-and-more"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12858056" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Volunteer Recruitment, Retention, and More</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 15<br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12858056" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-fearless-asking-how-to-build-an-individual-giving-program"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857816" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>Fearless Asking: How to Build an Individual Giving Program</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 10:20 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. March 29<br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12857816" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-s-working-utilizing-program-evaluation-to-improve-service-delivery-and-outcomes"><a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12858069" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>What’s Working? Utilizing Program Evaluation to Improve Service Delivery and Outcomes</strong></a></h3> <p>🗓️ 2-4 p.m. March 29<br />🎟️ <a href="https://attend.indypl.org/event/12858069" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Register</a></p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-public-library-free-nonprofit-workshop-series/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org&quot;&gt;Mirror Indy&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/mirrorindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-Mirror-Indy-square-logo-1.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://mirrorindy.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=45957&amp;amp;ga4=G-X0R0QW371R&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://mirrorindy.org/indianapolis-public-library-free-nonprofit-workshop-series/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/mirrorindy.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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