Funds will support CLD’s efforts to expand facility and services
Indianapolis’ Center for Leadership Development (CLD) has been named a recipient of a $300,000 grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Grant funds will be used to support the construction of a 20,000 sq. ft. addition to CLD’s headquarters as the organization plans a 60% increase in the number of students it serves by 2024. CLD fosters the advancement of minority youth in Central Indiana as future professional, business, and community leaders by providing experiences that encourage personal development and educational attainment.
“We know there are so many students in our community who do not have access to all the academic, career, and life resources they need to succeed,” said Dennis Bland, president of CLD. “but our current headquarters is at capacity. The only way to serve more youth is to make more space, and the grant from Nina Mason Pulliam Trust moves us significantly closer to being able to make that space for them.”
CLD has been working since 1977 to amplify the value of education as a gateway to personal success, career opportunities, better health, and improved quality of life for minority youth in Central Indiana. The organization currently has partnerships with more than two dozen of the nation’s top colleges and universities that offer a variety of scholarships for students who’ve completed CLD programs. Programming is centered on character development, educational excellence, leadership effectiveness, and community service.
“CLD’s unique and proven programs provide minority students with a continuum of support to ensure that each participant completes his/her academic programs prepared for future college and career success,” said Gene D’Adamo, President and CEO of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. “The Trust is proud to support CLD ‘s capital campaign to increase its existing space and expand its College Prep Institute.”
The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust was established upon the death of Nina Mason Pulliam in 1997 to support the causes she loved in her home states of Arizona and Indiana. The Trust seeks to help people in need, protect animals and nature, and enrich community life in metropolitan Indianapolis and Phoenix. Since its inception, the Trust has distributed nearly $341 million to 1,004 organizations. For more information visit www.ninapulliamtrust.org.
