Pacers Foundation Commits $5,000 to Project Indy

INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced that the Pacers Foundation has committed $5,000 to Project Indy, the city's youth summer jobs program. The Pacers Foundation, which has long worked to invest in the lives of Indianapolis youth, funds programs that teach young people how to make winning life choices.

"In striving to eclipse the success of the Project Indy program last year, we recognized the need to involve more community stakeholders – including private and philanthropic partners – in order to reach as many Indianapolis teens as possible," said Mayor Hogsett. "Thanks to the generosity of the Pacers Foundation, we hope to grow resources, outreach, opportunities, and ultimately, jobs, for Indianapolis' young people."

Project Indy, Indianapolis' first comprehensive youth jobs program, unites non-profit and corporate partners with job providers to offer Indianapolis teens job training, internships, and employment opportunities throughout the summer months.

"We are proud to lend our support to this innovative initiative and are hopeful that our investment and those of others can bring much needed opportunities to our city's youth," said Rick Fuson, Pacers Foundation chair and President and COO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment.

Mayor Hogsett first announced the Project Indy initiative in May of 2016, bringing together community partners to leverage resources and provide support. This year, Mayor Hogsett set the ambitious goal of reaching 2,000 teens with jobs, internships and soft-skills training during the summer of 2017. Thanks in part to private sector employers' participation including Starbucks, Lowe’s and FedEx and the expansion of jobs within existing programs, Mayor Hogsett announced that this goal had been reached during this year’s State of the City.

The second year of Project Indy also includes an online portal and mobile app in order to seamlessly connect program participants to prospective employers who have joined Project Indy. Interested participants and employers should visit ProjectIndy.net to register and apply. The system allows participants to search and apply for available jobs based on geographic location.

The Pacers Foundation is committed to making a difference in the lives of youth in Indianapolis and throughout Indiana by funding programs that teach our young people how to make winning life choices. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded nearly $7 million to youth-serving non-profits.