COLUMBUS, Ind. — A local nonprofit is taking the lead on national networks for education and equity, with the help of $2 million in grant funding.
CivicLab has announced that it has been chosen by Lumina Foundation to assume responsibility for the foundation’s national Talent Hub network and its Community Network.
John Burnett, co-founder of CivicLab and president and CEO of the Community Education Coalition (CEC), said that Lumina has granted $2 million to support CivicLab’s work to “serve the Talent Hubs, the broader Community Network, and to expand the overall network over time.” He said that this will fund the operation over the next three years.
Lumina Foundation describes itself as “an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all.”
CivicLab is a program of the education coalition. The coalition and its largest regional initiative, the Economic Opportunities through Education (EcO) Network of Southeast Indiana, represent Columbus/Southeast Indiana, one of Lumina’s designated Talent Hubs.
The Talent Hub network includes 26 communities across the country, which were awarded the designation by Lumina and the Kresge Foundation. Each Talent Hub was chosen based on meeting “rigorous standards for creating an environment that attracts, retains, and cultivates talent, particularly among today’s students.”
Lumina’s Community Network includes nearly 100 cross-sector community and regional partnerships focused on equity and “improving education outcomes.”
For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Republic.
