Re-named Philanthropy Incubator becomes part of Indiana U’s philanthropy center. The Foundation Incubator, a philanthropic-service provider, has joined forces with Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy and changed its name to the Philanthropy Incubator. The two organizations say the combination will help the Philanthropy Incubator continue its mission to provide training and education in the field of charitable giving while giving the Center on Philanthropy an opportunity to expand its services to individuals, foundations and advisors.

“We are very fortunate that the Philanthropy Incubator will have as its foundation the outstanding, top-quality programs and services created by the Foundation Incubator,” says Gene Tempel, executive director of the Indianapolis-based Center on Philanthropy. “Combining [the Philanthropy Incubator’s] highly regarded strengths in this area with the Center [on Philanthropy’s] leadership in research, education and training will enable us to take these services to the next level and make them available nationally and internationally.”

Elizabeth Bremner, president of the Philanthropic Incubator, says she’s “thrilled” at the merger with the Center on Philanthropy. “Becoming part of Indiana University, whose work in philanthropy is unparalleled, is a strong vote of confidence in the approach [the Foundation Incubator] developed and gives the Philanthropy Incubator a terrific opportunity to meet a growing need for these services.” The Foundation Incubator got off the ground in 2001. As the Philanthropy Incubator, it is based in Indianpolis. Its erstwhile headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., has become a branch office.

The Philanthropy Incubator provides workshops, peer-discussion groups, customized training and other resources. It has become part of the Center on Philanthropy’s service unit, which includes the Women’s Philanthropy Institute and the Lake Family Institute on Faith and Giving.

An academic unit of the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University, the Center on Philanthropy is “dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy, improving its practice and enhancing philanthropic participation through critical analysis, research, teaching, professional development, public service, and public affairs programs,” according to its website. It was established in 1987.

Lynne O’Hara of the Special Hope Foundation, a pre-merger client of the Philanthropy Incubator, is keen on the new combination. “The Incubator has given me the chance to work with other philanthropists and to expand my understanding of the best way to actually make a difference,” she says. “Now I will have a larger network of colleagues to work with, and more tools at my disposal.” The Palo Alto-based Special Hope Foundation supports education and research aimed at integrating physically, emotionally, and developmentally disabled people with mainstream society. –FWR

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