Piece of the PI: Newsletter

A monthly publication for the members of Prosperity Indiana

We REAP prosperity by providing Resources, Engagement, Advocacy, and Programs that support our members' work!

New Prosperity Indiana Board Members

Prosperity Indiana's nonprofit organization members are entrusted with the election of board members, for a three-year term. This process ensures that our board prioritizes the needs and interests of Indiana's nonprofit sector.

We are pleased to announce that our membership has affirmed the following three nominees on the 2026 slate. Congratulations to each of these community leaders representing the northeast and southwest regions of our state.

Heather Presley Cowen
Executive Director
Housing Resource Hub
Fort Wayne, IN

Heather brings more than 25 years of housing & economic development-related experience along with expertise in strategic planning, leadership development and public policy.

Erik Tilkemeier
Chief Impact & Finance Officer
ECHO Housing
Evansville, IN

Erik brings over 40 years of experience in real estate development, property management, economic development, and community engagement.

John Zody

Executive Director 

CDFI Friendly Bloomington 

Bloomington, IN

John Zody brings 25 years of experience in public service at the federal, state and local levels, working in community development, communications and executive management.

2026 Annual Member Meeting

The annual meeting of the Prosperity Indiana membership will take place virtually via Teams on Friday, January 16, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. New board members will be introduced and retiring board members will be recognized followed by regular business of the board.

Prosperity Indiana Invites Advocates Across the State to Prepare for and Join the Legislative Process

Prosperity Indiana wants to prepare and empower advocates across the state to speak out on the issues that matter to them in the coming legislative session. Advocacy 101 is a three-part series you can attend virtually at no charge. Recordings will be provided if you are unable to attend a session due to scheduling conflicts. 

• Advocacy 101: The Rules (January 23, 1-2 p.m.) 
  The first installment of the series provides essential information about the rules that apply to partners in community economic development. You’ll learn the difference between lobbying, advocacy, and electioneering so you can move forward with confidence. 

• Advocacy 201: The Strategies (January 30, 1-2 p.m.) 
  The second installment prepares you to build relationships with your elected representatives and engage strategically on policies that matter to you. 

• Advocacy 301: The Experience (February 6, 1-2 p.m.) 
  The series concludes with simulated interactions between advocates and legislators. You’ll see how to work with legislative aides on matters of scheduling, build rapport with a skeptical lawmaker, and affirm and support a receptive lawmaker.  

Advocacy in Action: Statehouse Day 2026 

We hope you’ll take what you learn in this series and join us at Prosperity Indiana’s Statehouse Day, February 12, 2026. You’ll meet with your elected legislators to ensure they know how their constituents and the communities they represent are impacted by the decisions made in House and Senate chambers. You’ll see the legislative process in real time, and you’ll be an active participant. 

Want help registering? Email Rachel Cheeseman, and let her know which of these you’d like to register for. 

• December 18:  The Costs of Conformity: How OBBBA's Provisions Could Impact Indiana's Budget, Prosperity Indiana, A&O Network

• January 6: Navigating the Medicaid Program and State Budgeting, CSH

• January 16: 2026 Annual Member Meeting, Prosperity Indiana

• January 23: Advocacy 101: The Rules, Prosperity Indiana

• January 28: A Day at the Statehouse with Women United, United Way of Central Indiana

• January 30: Advocacy 201: The Strategies, Prosperity Indiana

• February 6: Advocacy 301: The Experience, Prosperity Indiana

• February 12: Prosperity Indiana Statehouse Day, Prosperity Indiana

Resources

Housing 4 Hoosiers: 

Prosperity Indiana’s Housing4Hoosiers website  is a renter resources created to promote educational information about tenant/landlord rights and responsibilities in Indiana. 

Our goal: to help Hoosiers count on safe and stable rental homes in their community. 

You are invited to check out some of PI’s newest H4H posts: 

Indiana Attorney General Office files lawsuit against Indianapolis based apartments alleging that they continually failed to make necessary repairs 

FHCCI Releases New Report on the State of Fair Housing in Indiana  

CLPHA Estimates the Cost to Preserve the Nation’s Public Housing to be $169.1 billion, or $188,090 per unit.  

Sanctuary Indy and Lynhurst Baptist Church have received rezoning approval from the city for Tiny Homes and Duplexes in Indianapolis 

Housing Navigation Training: 

As 2025 comes to a close, PI would like to congratulate to all participants who completed Housing Navigation 101 Training in 2025 – your interest in the content, participation in the course, and valuable feedback has helped PI make this training successful and effective!  

PI would also like to thank our partners (HealthVisions Midwest and Indiana Primary Health Care Association), subject matter experts (Indiana Legal Services, Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention, and Indiana Bar Foundation), and sponsors (Humana, Health Foundation of La Porte) who made these trainings possible! 

Watch for more opportunities to participate in this training in 2026. The 2026 training dates will be posted on our Upcoming Events and Training page and/or our Monthly Newsletter for HN101 training updates and announcements. 

To learn more about the HN101 training opportunities, please reach out to PI’s Danielle Drew at ddrew@prosperityindiana.org.   

Unlocking Capital for Community Impact Webinar Series 

In November, PI hosted three webinars focused on expanding equitable access to capital for economic growth in Indiana. The webinar series broke down the fundamentals of CDFI lending, best practices for loan readiness programs, and preparing Latino entrepreneurs and home buyers for lending processes. 

Thank you to the attendees of this webinar series. Additionally, PI would like to thank our partners at LISC Indianapolis, Intend Indiana, CDFI Friendly South Bend, Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Brightpoint, CDFI Friendly Bloomington, and IFF for sharing their knowledge and expertise. PI would also like to thank Flagstar Bank for their interest in this topic and funding support that made this webinar series possible!

If you are interested in watching this webinar series, click here to visit PI’s YouTube channel, where you can view the recordings of each webinar in the series.

Engagement

Holiday Service Project: Supporting Foster Success 

This holiday season, we partnered with our member organization, Foster Success, to support young people in foster care by donating 20 hygiene kits. Each kit included essential personal care items that’ll meet everyday needs during a time of year that can be especially challenging.  

We’re grateful to Foster Success for the work they do and for the opportunity to support their efforts in a tangible way. 

Membership Renewal 

Prosperity Indiana memberships expire on December 31, 2025. We encourage you to renew your membership before the year ends and continue to receive membership benefits.  

For more information contact Destinee Lewis at dlewis@prosperityindiana.org  

Help Shape Summit Content 

Prosperity Indiana needs your help! We’re seeking session proposals that align with this year’s categories: economic opportunity, housing, and organizational sustainability. If you have ideas or topics that would help improve your work, then complete our brief session ideas survey, to help shape content priorities. Your input ensures the Summit reflects the issues organizations, professionals, and Hoosiers are facing across the state.  

Advocacy

Throughout November and December, Prosperity Indiana visited communities around the state to share PI’s 2026 Policy Agenda and legislative outlook, and to connect community advocates with their lawmakers, and each other. More than 150 PI members, partners, and legislators attended this year’s ‘Policy & Pizza’ series across five meetings that made up this year’s statewide road show. 

Throughout the series, every attendee introduced themselves with a word or phrase that captured their sense of the state of housing and economic opportunity in Indiana. At each event, the specific words varied but the same core themes were consistent across the state: The challenges our communities face are complex and can feel insurmountable, but there is also a strong belief that positive changes are possible, particularly if we are creative and work together. We will continue to be creative and work with anyone and everyone working to ensure safe, affordable housing and economic opportunity for Hoosiers. 

Find a copy of the slides for each event: Fort Wayne (November 5), Indianapolis (November 10), Elkhart (November 13), Evansville (December 3), Lafayette (December 12)

Selection of Indiana legislators talking with PI members during the 2025 Policy and Pizza series, including Sen. Spencer Deery (District 23-Tippecanoe County), Rep. Chris Campbell  (District 26-West Lafayette), Rep. Alex Burton (District 77-Evansville), and Rep. Doug Miller (District 48-Elkhart)

PI & Member Jobs

• Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Northwest

• Sr. Manager, Public Policy and Advocacy, United Way of Greater Cincinnati

• Various positions, John Boner Neighborhood Center

• Energy Assistance Program Manager, Lincoln Hills Development Corporation

• Vice President of GIFT Technical Assistance, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance

• Program Officer, LISC Indianapolis

• Street Outreach Case Manager, Heading Home of Southern Indiana

• Client Services Vetting Specialist, Home Repairs for Good

• Diversion and Prevention Case Manager, Heading Home of South Central Indiana

• Landlord Engagement Specialist, Heading Home of South Central Indiana

• Street Outreach Case Manager, Heading Home of South Central Indiana

• Head Start Center Supervisor, Brightpoint

• Part-Time Teller, Lampco Federal Credit Union

PI & Members in the News

Senator Spencer Deery of West Lafayette at PI's Policy & Pizza event in Lafayette.

Connect with Prosperity Indiana on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to see more of what we're out in the community doing for you!

Additional Information & Opportunities

Upcoming SAVI Data Literacy Workshops

This hands-on curriculum builds skills for finding, analyzing, and applying data to make informed decisions. It includes four module groups (seven workshops) that help organizations use data effectively and strategically—at no cost to participants.

Learn more about the upcoming series here.

United Way’s Housing Stability Initiative to fund, expand guaranteed income programming

United Way of Central Indiana has launched a Housing Stability Initiative that will fund and expand guaranteed income programming in Indianapolis.

A $2.5 million grant from United Way will support the IndyEast Guaranteed Income Initiative.

Learn more here.

Reducing Unsheltered Homelessness

This one-pager from CSH provides five proven state actions to reduce unsheltered homelessness. In response to recent executive orders, these practical, evidence-based strategies for responding to unsheltered homelessness deliver measurable results.

View the downloadable resource here.

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