Basic Concepts

2021 was the first year of the Arago Honors by the Meridian Foundation and we followed that up with a second and third cohort of recipients recognized for nonprofit innovation in 2022 and 2023. In 2024 we did a smaller version of the review process selecting six nonprofits for recognition. Since we began we have honored 32 nonprofits.

We are planning to repeat our discovery process of nonprofit innovation in 2025 using a simpler application called a short inquiry form. The short inquiry form is designed to make it easier to discern nonprofit innovation for both the applicant and the Meridian Foundation. A pdf of the questions can be found here.

Interested nonprofits should continue to focus on the definition of innovation that we use. Nonprofit Innovation is a creative break in practice, large or small, solving a community problem.

We believe that solving a problem is at the heart of innovation. We want to you to define the community problem being worked on in both the short inquiry and longer (by invitation) application form.

Unlike many foundations, we look at the innovative work of nonprofits using a different lens. We do not seek to fund anticipated or future programs. Funds from the Meridian Foundation are unrestricted and can be used as the recipient chooses. No reports are required after funding. This delicate balance of looking at prior work and innovation makes it important for the applicant to avoid forward looking phrases in the short inquiry form. The application should focus on the long-term viability, impact and sustainability of their innovation and see it as a recognition award rather than a new partnership with the Meridian Foundation for future funding.

In 2025 we are using a short inquiry form with five simple questions to discern innovation at nonprofits. There will be no firm deadline for submission as the application process will be “rolling” and interested nonprofits that seek to be recognized should complete the short inquiry form by September 15, 2025.

When we started Arago Honors in 2021 we gave $10,000 awards to all recipients. Last year as we were more deliberate and focused on fewer nonprofits we gave out bigger awards in varying financial amounts to our cohort of innovating nonprofits. That more deliberate approach of looking at innovation (to include a site visit) before completing the longer application form for an Arago Honor will continue in 2025.

Because our award program does not follow the conventional wisdom of nonprofit grantmaking we continue to explain that our award is for prior work. Reading the case studies of recipients will help nonprofits understand our innovation definition. All 32 Arago Honor recipients have a rationale for selection document posted on this website in the News Tab.

In 2022 we initiated labeling the innovation practices of the seven Arago Honor recipients that year with a ranking to better distinguish the nuances of innovation. We want to show how nonprofit innovation has different influences and connotations.

The highest rank of disruptive innovation went to Be Nimble in 2022. Connor Prairie Museum earned both catch up and potential to be disruptive labels because their long-term impact is not fully realized. In 2024 we gave a new innovation ranking of disruptive sustainable innovator to Fonseca Theatre and Big Car Collaborative for their longer tenure of innovation overtime, and the need for continual funding and encouragement.

We use the start-up innovation ranking for nonprofits like Patchwork and Joy’s House, who need additional capital. The rank of incremental innovation, to create moderate advantage, went to Overdose Lifeline, Inc., and Meals on Wheels of Central Indiana, all in 2022.

These descriptions of innovation are featured in the compilation of case studies for all recipients. We use comments from volunteer readers during the review process to make innovation ranking decisions.