Category:Impact Story13 min read
Hoosiers are known for basketball, farming, manufacturing, and car racing—but above all, they are practical, hard working people who care deeply about their families, neighbors, and the places they call home. Across Indiana, that same pragmatic instinct is shaping how communities think about energy: not as an abstract concept, but as something that needs to work—every day, for everyone.
Because energy is invisible until it fails. When the lights go out or prices spike, the impacts are immediate. Medicine can’t stay cold. Small businesses lose income. Families scramble to keep routines running. Transforming Indiana’s energy system is about preventing those everyday disruptions while building steady, locally rooted work—installing solar and battery systems, upgrading homes, strengthening infrastructure, and keeping energy dollars circulating close to home.
That transformation is already underway.
“We do care about the environment. We do care about people,” says Chris Willman of the Indiana Community Action Association. “It’s a very genuine commitment to community here in Indiana.”
That commitment shows up not in slogans, but in service. From weatherizing homes to modernizing city infrastructure to financing clean energy projects that lower bills, Hoosiers are advancing solutions that make daily life more affordable, stable, and secure.
At the state level, organizations like the Indiana Energy Independence Fund are helping unlock that progress. As Indiana’s nonprofit green bank, the organization works behind the scenes to make sure families and communities can actually access modern energy upgrades.
“We collaborate with leaders across the state to help bring energy affordability to Hoosiers,” says Alex Crowley, Executive Director of the Indiana Energy Independence Fund. “Our mission-oriented financing options connect capital with critical clean energy projects in Indiana, helping residents and organizations lower their energy costs while making their homes and communities healthier and more resilient.”
That financing supports practical improvements—efficient heating and cooling, solar panels, and weatherization—so energy works better where people live.
At Shalom Mennonite Church in Indianapolis, clean energy isn’t just an idea or talking point—it’s visible on the roof and felt in the neighborhood.
“We’re generating way more than the church is using right now—so that goes right back out into the grid,” says Mike Wigginton of Shalom Mennonite Church. “In essence, I mean, we’re providing a backup for the power company in the neighborhood right now.”
Going solar wasn’t exactly a leap of faith—it made financial sense to save on energy costs. But that’s not ultimately why the church made the upgrade, that decision ran deeper.
“We evaluated the economics of doing this solar project, but on the other hand, we just felt as a congregation that it was the right thing to do,” Wigginton says. “There’s a whole idea of creation care, just being good stewards of the earth.”
The benefits ripple outward. With few green spaces nearby, the church grounds have become a gathering place.
“We try and include the neighborhood, because there aren’t green spaces in this area,” Wigginton explains. “Folks are welcome in the neighborhood, kids come over here and swing on the swings, and so I think, you know, we can have a real impact.”
“And then each one of those people that learn something, they’ll pass it on to other folks they run into,” he adds. “So it’s just kind of a ripple effect that takes place.”
Faith communities across the Midwest are tapping into that same inspiration. As Rev. Brian Sauder of Faith in Place puts it: “Local faith institutions are trusted anchors in their communities. They build civic trust through regular gatherings and rituals, and by showing up when people are hungry, sick, or facing a crisis. Given that shared mission to serve, it makes sense that houses of worship invest in solar, batteries, and green space.”
“These choices strengthen community care and resilience when it matters most, while showing neighbors what is possible,” Sauder says. “We are seeing faith communities across the Midwest step into this role together, with Indiana congregations lighting the way.”
In living rooms and basements across the state, energy improvements are changing lives more quietly—but no less powerfully.
“We primarily train in weatherization,” says Chris Willman, the training team leader at Indiana Community Action Association. Weatherization involves finding ways to protect homes from the elements, reduce utility expenses, improve comfort, and increase safety.
“All of our clients are within 200% of the poverty level,” she explains. Many live in older housing where inefficient systems drive up costs.
“If we can go into a home and improve the building durability while we’re doing the weatherization work, it allows them to actually afford to stay in their homes.”
The results are tangible.
“It’s a quality of life issue,” Willman says. “People call up crying, going, ‘Thank you so much.’ ‘My kid hasn’t been in the hospital.’ ‘Our energy bills are down.’ ‘We’re not cold in our house.’”
“So they also feel cared about,” she adds, “that somebody has come into their home and given them this wraparound service.”
In Evansville, Indiana, that kind of people-first approach guides city leadership.
“I think more than anything, inclusive leadership has better outcomes,” says Mayor Stephanie Terry of the City of Evansville. “And we’ve seen it time and time again that when people come around the table in a collaborative manner, you get stuff done.”
For Evansville, planning for climate resilience is about efficiency, reliability, and quality of life.
“The Climate Action Plan, really, for us is a blueprint for smarter infrastructure, for more efficient services,” Mayor Terry says. “Whether that’s planting more trees, improving our streetlights and being more energy efficient, cutting costs—those are the things that I think matter.”
“As mayors, we don’t have time to really get into the politics,” she adds. “We’ve got to be sure that we’re offering services that matter to people the most.” And, Mayor Terry shares, these efforts are uniting Evansville: “We’ve got nonprofit sector, the faith community, business community all coming together, actively engaged in the work.”
Across Indiana, organizations are helping residents connect clean energy to the things they already value: affordability, family security, and local jobs. In fact, over 90,000 people in Indiana now work in clean energy.
“Everything we get done comes down to building relationships within and among our communities,” says Megan Robertson of Indiana Conservation Voters. “Hoosiers care deeply about each other and the places we live.”
“And when people connect clean energy and conservation to lowering costs, boosting our economy, and protecting their families, they step up and take action,” Robertson says. “We’ve seen that time and again.”
Access matters too. As solar becomes more common—Indiana was third among all states behind Texas and California for new solar installations in 2025, doubling the state’s solar capacity in just one year—neighbors are choosing to move together.
“What Hoosiers love about solar is that it’s a package deal,” says Zach Schalk of Solar United Neighbors Indiana. “You don’t just get clean energy—you get lower electric bills, a stronger energy grid, and more resilient communities too.”
“And it doesn’t matter whose roof it is, either,” Schalk adds. “From homeowners to local businesses to churches and schools, more Hoosiers than ever are joining together to harness the power of the sun.”
Farmers are also tapping into clean energy in a big way, and in harmony with their operations. “My dad started as a row crop farmer, but we’ve always been livestock people,” shared farmer Bill Bope. “Solar was able to bring us back to a livestock operation in a unique way. We are able to do hay, chickens, pigs, and sheep under the panels,” he added.
Solar is also keeping generations of his family together on the farm. Because of the income from leasing their land for solar, “the farm is now profitable enough to bring my daughter back to the family operation. She was able to quit her 40-hour-a-week job to be on the farm and raise her children here,” growing strong rural communities for a strong future.
These developments paint a vibrant picture for the next generation of Hoosiers. And young people across Indiana are stepping up and speaking up for a cleaner, healthier path forward. “The power and flexibility of renewable energy is helping people and building resilience all across Indiana,” says Shannon Anderson of Earth Charter Indiana. “Our youth advocates have grown up with these technologies and they are some of their best supporters.”
“From talking with policymakers to using their voices as student journalists,” Anderson says, “they are leading with creativity and passion.”
Indiana’s story is not about chasing trends. It’s about strengthening what already works: communities looking out for one another, practical problem solving, and decisions made close to home.
“We have to find partners that can catalyze our work building people power, building bridges, and building economic opportunity,” says Stephanie Goodrid Lawson of the McKinney Family Foundation.
“At the end of the day,” she adds, “what matters most is the people, not the ideology. And we can find ways to meet people, because Hoosiers are worth fighting for.”
At McKnight Foundation, we believe that partnership accelerates progress. In Indiana we’re working closely with McKinney Family Foundation and Herbert Simon Family Foundation who know their communities best and can help grow place-based solutions with speed and trust.
“When we work together, we share risk and learning, and have a much greater collective impact,” said Sarah Christiansen, director of strategic climate initiatives at McKnight. “And we have found that climate solutions work best when people can feel the difference in their own lives—healthier homes, lower bills, steadier jobs, stronger communities, and a future where reliable, affordable power is simply part of everyday life.”
