At Riley Children's Health, we know a child’s health is shaped as much in the community as it is in the hospital. Families often face barriers to accessing care, support, and preventive services where they live. That's why we're focused on child health and well-being in the communities we serve, through community-rooted programs, meaningful partnerships and real pathways to care.
In 2025, we launched the Office of Community & Child Health to lead this work across Marion County—made possible through the generosity of the Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation.
Grant Application
The Office of Community & Child Health (OCCH) at Riley Children's Health invests in community-led, prevention-focused initiatives that improve child health and well-being across Marion County. Applications for funding will be open July 14, 2026 through Aug. 16, 2026.
About the Office of Child & Community Health (OCCH)
Our Mission
We exist to transform child wellness by creating community-led partnerships, innovative programs and clear pathways to world-class care, reconnecting Riley Children’s Health to the communities it was built to serve.
Our Vision
A healthier future for every child through connection, prevention and community power.
Our Priorities
Injury Prevention
Keeping children safe at home, at school, and in their communities.
Childhood Immunizations
Increasing access to and confidence in routine vaccinations.
Whole-Child Wellness
Supporting the physical, emotional and social well-being of children, alongside healthy pregnancies and births.
How Priorities are Identified
How Priorities are Identified
Every three years, Riley Hospital for Children conducts a community health needs assessment (CHNA) —a look at the health challenges children and families face, informed by data and the voices of the community. This process deepens our understanding of those challenges and focuses our efforts where they can make an impact. To explore the full assessment and how we're responding, visit Community Benefit.
How Support Happens
Our support is focused on three core areas for Marion County:
- Programs are the solutions that the OCCH directly designs and pilots.
- Partnerships reflect OCCH’s belief that sustainable progress is shared progress.
- Pathways represent the bridges that help families access care, service and support before crisis escalates.
Impact in Action
Impact in Action
The 2025 grants, totaling $250,000, were awarded to the following organizations:
Boys & Girls Club of Indianapolis
$45,000 grant to support the Community Diversion Initiative aimed at preventing gun violence and high-risk behaviors among vulnerable youth in Marion County.
The program provides relevant services in partnership with schools, law enforcement and community organizations, fostering protective factors and positive life pathways.
Indiana Immunization Coalition
$40,000 grant to expand vaccine access by operating at least 40 mobile clinics in Marion County neighborhoods and administering approximately 1,500 vaccines to at least 500 children aged 12 and under while working to remove barriers to care. They aim to ensure all recommended vaccines are available at no cost to uninsured or underinsured families.
Struggle Made Us
$45,000 grant to support trauma-informed prevention-centered programming for 150 youth, ages 12-18, and 75 caregivers in high-risk Marion County zip codes. The initiative fosters resilience, connection and long-term mental wellness being delivered in trusted community settings by trained facilitators and mentors with lived, shared experiences. Learn more at struggleuniversity.org.
Indianapolis Public Schools Foundation
$40,000 grant to launch a districtwide swimming program to provide life-saving aquatic skills and water safety education to over 1,000 K-12 students, prioritizing communities with disproportionate drowning rates. The program will combine certified instruction, family engagement and community partnerships to address lack of swimming education access, reduce injury risks and promote lifelong physical wellness.
Eclectic Soul Voices
$45,000 grant to expand its Power & Promise Youth Council and engage 15-20 system-involved youth from Indianapolis’ Far Eastside to co-design and lead a public health-informed gun violence prevention campaign. Participants will develop leadership, advocacy and peer-education programs to address community violence and mental health in one of the city’s highest-need areas. Learn more at voicescorp.org.
Jump IN for Healthy Kids
$35,000 grant to fund their multi-sector effort in reducing childhood obesity in Central Indiana by embedding evidence-based nutrition and physical activity practices into early childhood education, schools and community systems. The project prioritizes children in economically challenged and high-risk neighborhoods where families live, learn and play. Learn more at jumpinforhealthykids.org.
Office of Community & Child Health in the News
Contact Us
To learn more about Office of Community & Child Health or explore partnership opportunities, contact us at OCCH@iuhealth.org.