The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) announced the recipients of the Expanding What Works grant, an opportunity designed to increase access to high-quality summer programming for nearly 7,000 Hoosier students. The grant encourages regional collaboration between community organizations, local nonprofits, municipal partners and/or local school corporations to expand the successful Indy Summer Learning Labs (ISLL) initiative across the state, specifically targeting students with the greatest academic need.

“As a state, we continue to double down on solutions that are showing a proven return on investment for Hoosier students,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “Last summer, students who received high-quality instruction at one of our Summer Learning Lab sites saw double digit improvement in both reading and math. I applaud our communities for continuing to partner and find ways to maximize support for students, and look forward to another opportunity this summer to continue moving the needle for students.”

In addition to students in Marion County, a total of approximately $10 million was awarded to the following 2025 Expanding What Works grant recipients:

  • Boys and Girls Clubs of Northern Indiana Corridor in South Bend
  • Creating Avenues for Student Transformation (CAST) in Salem
  • Urban League and DHB & Associates in Gary
  • Wabash County YMCA in Wabash

In 2024, students participating in summer learning labs served close to 9,000 students across Indiana. Participating students saw a 26 percentage point increase in reading scores and a 24 percentage point increase in math scores, as measured by pre- and post-assessment data.

Each of the current year grantees serve as the anchor partner for their region’s Summer Learning Lab program. Anchor partners may support summer program sites that serve students outside of the city they are based in. Grantees will receive support from Indianapolis-based education nonprofit, The Mind Trust, and will partner with the Lavinia Group, which will provide five weeks of reading and math lessons for incoming first through ninth grade students, teacher planning resources, pre- and post-assessments and virtual onboarding training, as well as in-person coaching for facilitators. The award amounts represent approximately $1,500 per student served for the five-week summer program.

“The Mind Trust is thrilled to support the implementation of Summer Learning Labs across the state for a second year. We are proud to help regional anchor partners provide a safe, productive summer program for thousands of Hoosier students who need access the most,” said Brandon Brown, CEO of The Mind Trust. “The reading and math learning gains we’ve seen each year show that the Summer Learning Labs model and high-quality curriculum can help students accelerate learning over a five-week period. We are grateful for the leadership of Dr. Katie Jenner and the Indiana Department of Education team who invest in solutions that drive student learning year-round.”

Summer Learning Labs Funding for Expanding What Works is allocated through the state’s biennial budget. To learn more about the Expanding What Works grant, click here.