INDIANAPOLIS – Indy Reads announced this week that it has been awarded two grants, totaling $125,000, from the Margot L. Eccles Arts & Culture Fund, a CICF fund, for general operating support and a new, innovative program: Literacy Through Art: Unlocking Student Artists.

“Margot Eccles was an avid supporter of our mission,” Ruba Marshood, Indy Reads’ chief executive officer said. “In fact, she was instrumental in helping us launch our bookstore more than ten years ago. We are honored by this continuation and expansion of her legacy of support for Indy Reads. Furthermore, we are thrilled to have received funding for our Literacy through Art concept, which will facilitate further literacy acquisition through tapping into the creativity within our student body. As our students develop their English language and literacy skills in our core adult education classes, this new program will afford students the opportunity to put their learning into practice by contributing their unique stories, talents, and art to the existing arts landscape in central Indiana,” Marshood added.

The Literacy through Art pilot initiative will launch in Indy Reads’ 2024-2025 program year. This innovative pilot program will be open to existing and newly enrolled adult learners with Indy Reads.

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About Indy Reads
Indy Reads builds literacy, English language, and job readiness skills to empower adults and their families to reach their full potential. For 40 years, the nonprofit organization has worked toward a vision of 100% literacy for all. High literacy levels grant access to greater developmental, educational, civic, and career opportunities. Current statistics show that 1 in 6 adults in Indiana read at or below a fifth-grade level. Through its Community Classrooms and Programming, Indy Reads advances social equity through education, helping adult learners increase their English language and literacy proficiency, prepare for their High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma, build workforce skills to improve their employability and advancement potential, and engage more confidently in the community. Indy Reads is proudly one of few organizations that serves adults of all literacy skill levels, including the most beginning-level and beyond.