Top Charities in Indiana (2026)

Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, founded in 1980, is the largest food bank in the state. In fiscal year 2025, Gleaners and its wholesale food distribution arm Fresh Connect Central distributed 102,265,583 meals — a number that breaks into roughly 46 million through Indiana distribution networks and partner pantries, and 56.2 million more through Fresh Connect Central to Feeding America food banks in nine other states. Since 1980, Gleaners has distributed more than 750 million pounds of food through 250+ hunger relief agencies, schools, and community partners.

What's notable about the 2025 numbers: 69% of all food Gleaners distributed was ranked as nutritious per Healthy Eating Research guidelines — a quality metric that most food banks don't track or prioritize. Gleaners' SNAP outreach efforts assisted 3,444 neighbors in enrolling in benefits they were already eligible for, translating to 1.5 million additional meals worth of food purchasing power. The CARE Program sends mobile pantries into Indianapolis neighborhoods with high crime and food insecurity rates from June through August — a summer program specifically designed for children who lose school meal access.

$1 donated to Gleaners provides the equivalent of 8 meals through their purchasing power and rescue programs. Volunteer shifts run Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday at the Indianapolis facility.

Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity has been partnering with families in central Indiana since 1987, building and repairing homes in Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, and Marion Counties. More than 1,100 families have purchased homes in the Greater Indianapolis area through the program. Indianapolis has a poverty rate of 20.9% and was identified by the National Housing Preservation Database as having the highest housing cost burden among all Midwest cities for lowest-income residents. In 2025, half of the families Habitat works with were severely cost-burdened — spending more than 50% of their income on housing before Habitat's intervention.

Their 2025–2027 strategic plan targets 600 housing solutions: new homes, repairs, and Roads to Readiness homebuyer preparation courses. Indiana residents who donate to Habitat qualify for the Attainable Homeownership Tax Credit — a dollar-for-dollar state income tax credit up to $10,000, making Habitat one of the most tax-advantaged charitable giving options in Indiana. Women Build program runs annually with all-women volunteer crews. Regular Saturday build days are open to first-timers, with all training provided on site.

The Indianapolis Humane Society, known as IndyHumane, has operated since 1905 and is one of the largest open-admission, no-kill animal shelters in Indiana. They take in animals regardless of age, health, or temperament — including animals from cruelty cases and hoarding situations — and maintain a no-kill commitment for all treatable and manageable animals. Programs include adoption, low-cost spay/neuter, a community cat (TNR) program, a pet food pantry for owners facing financial hardship, and humane law enforcement covering Marion County.

IndyHumane runs one of the more active foster programs in Indiana — they need foster families year-round for neonatal kittens, dogs recovering from surgery, and animals awaiting placement. Volunteer roles include dog walking, cat socialization, adoption counseling, and community events. Their low-cost veterinary clinic provides affordable care for pet owners who can't afford standard private vet prices — a practical resource in a city where 20%+ of residents live in poverty.

United Way of Central Indiana distributes grants to nonprofits across an 8-county central Indiana region and manages workplace giving campaigns for major Indianapolis employers — Eli Lilly, Salesforce, Indiana University Health, and others. Their focus areas include early childhood education, economic opportunity, and basic needs. They operate 2-1-1 Indiana, the statewide helpline connecting residents to food, housing, utility, and health resources. Dialing 2-1-1 is the fastest way for any Hoosier to find local social services.

UWCI also manages the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) research for Indiana — the data that shows how many working Hoosiers can't afford basic necessities even while employed. Their annual campaign engages hundreds of Indianapolis-area employers. The Salesforce-sponsored tech platform they use for community investment helped build out one of the more sophisticated grant-making processes of any Midwest United Way chapter.

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana covers the east-central part of the state — the Muncie, Anderson, and Kokomo regions that include former manufacturing communities hit hard by deindustrialization over the past three decades. These cities have consistently higher poverty rates than Indianapolis and fewer nonprofit resources per capita. Second Harvest is the primary food bank for this area, distributing through a network of pantries, soup kitchens, and community programs in counties including Delaware, Madison, Grant, Howard, and surrounding areas.

Indiana has multiple food banks coordinated by Feeding Indiana, the statewide network: Gleaners (central/SE), Second Harvest East Central (east central), Community Harvest (Fort Wayne/northeast), Midwest Food Bank (statewide distribution), and others. Understanding which food bank covers your county is worth knowing before volunteering or donating — each has its own geographic territory.

The Red Cross Indiana Region responds to home fires (Indiana averages hundreds per year), tornadoes, flooding, and severe weather statewide. Indiana sits in a tornado-active region — the state averages 22 tornadoes per year — and flooding along the White River and its tributaries is a recurring issue in the Indianapolis metro. The region also collects blood at donor centers and mobile drives statewide; Indiana University Health and other major hospital systems depend on this supply for trauma care, surgeries, and cancer treatment.

Blood donation appointments are available within days at most Indiana chapters. Disaster volunteers complete several weeks of training. If you were displaced by a tornado, house fire, or flooding in Indiana and need immediate help, call 1-800-RED-CROSS. CPR, first aid, and babysitting certification classes are available at chapter locations across the state.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis runs programs across central Indiana including refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, mental health counseling, food assistance, and housing programs. Indianapolis has received refugees from Burma, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central America over the past decade — Catholic Charities handles the resettlement coordination, job placement assistance, and cultural integration support for many of those families in their first months and years in Indiana.

Their social services programs serve people of all faiths. Immigration legal services address both refugee matters and broader immigration issues for Indiana's Latino and immigrant communities. Volunteers assist with food pantry operations, English conversation partners for immigrants, and administrative support. The organization's refugee services have expanded substantially in the years since the Indianapolis metro began receiving higher numbers of resettled families.

The Salvation Army operates service centers across Indiana — Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, Evansville, Terre Haute, Muncie, and smaller communities. Programs include emergency rent and utility assistance, overnight shelter, food pantries, after-school programs, summer camps, addiction recovery, and disaster canteens. Indiana's rural communities — particularly in the southern and western parts of the state — have limited nonprofit infrastructure, and the Salvation Army's statewide network fills gaps that urban-focused organizations miss.

The Red Kettle campaign runs November through Christmas and funds a significant share of annual programs. Thrift stores accept goods year-round — proceeds fund local social services. Emergency assistance is available at local corps (service centers) statewide; call before visiting to find out what's currently available at your nearest location.

Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana has delivered meals to homebound seniors since 1956 — one of the older programs in the state. They deliver hot meals directly to senior citizens who can't leave their homes, providing not just nutrition but the daily social contact that meal delivery creates. For many isolated seniors, the Meals on Wheels driver is the only person they see in a day. The organization also conducts wellness checks during delivery and flags concerns to family members or emergency services when something seems wrong.

Food insecurity among seniors in Indiana runs at 11.2% according to Gleaners' data. The combination of fixed incomes, inflation, and reduced mobility makes elderly Hoosiers particularly vulnerable to hunger. Volunteer drivers are the most impactful role — you deliver meals on a consistent route and become a meaningful presence in the lives of recipients. Driving routes typically take 1–2 hours, usually in the morning.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana matches children facing adversity with adult volunteer mentors across the Indianapolis metro and surrounding counties. Indianapolis's 20.9% poverty rate — concentrated in the city's Eastside and Northside neighborhoods — means there is no shortage of children who would benefit from consistent mentoring relationships. Research consistently shows matched youth have better school attendance, higher graduation rates, and lower juvenile justice involvement than similar youth without mentors.

Community-based mentoring requires meeting 2–4 times per month for at least a year. School-based mentoring runs weekly during school hours — a more structured option for mentors with consistent but limited availability. BBBS also runs workplace mentoring programs for corporate volunteers in Indianapolis. Demand for Bigs consistently exceeds available mentors, so new volunteers are typically matched quickly after completing the approval process.