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New Nonprofit Program of the Year: Christel House International
When philanthropist Christel DeHaan launched her network of schools in 1998, she had a couple of questions in mind: How can we do more than just educate kids? How can we move them out of poverty for life? That’s been the framework for Christel House International, and that’s the motivation behind the $2.5 million Christel House College & Careers Collaboration.
The collaboration, which launched in 2024, will serve more than 1,700 students over four years across four partner schools—Lawrence Central High School, Lawrence North High School, Herron-Riverside High School and Irvington Preparatory Academy. Each student is paired with a dedicated coach who provides mentorship, career exposure and guidance throughout high school and for the subsequent five years, helping students overcome challenges and stay on track.
Whether students are applying to college, earning a technical certification or entering the workforce, coaches offer hands-on guidance to help them make the transition to early adulthood.
“We recognized as an organization … that that period from after high school through job attainment is when a lot of young people who don’t have resources and don’t have social capital get knocked off course,” said David Harris, president and CEO of Christel House International. “So that has been a central part of our model both at our schools here in Indianapolis [and] in our schools around the world.”
“We can’t assume that every young person is going to get the career coaching that they want or need or deserve,” added Caitlin Teague, vice president of programs and services at Christel House International. “Every young person deserves this opportunity to define their career goals and make a plan to reach their career goals.”
Christel House launched this collaboration based on more than two decades of results in its Indianapolis schools, where career coaching and counseling are part of the curriculum. According to state data, Christel House Indianapolis graduates earn higher median incomes five years after graduation than those from nearly every other public high school in the city and rank first among Marion County schools serving high percentages of low-income students.
“That really got us thinking: How can we take this one piece of our program … and extend that into non-Christel House schools?” Harris asked. “Let’s extend this into non-Christel House schools and see if we can get comparable results. And we think we can—which is why we’re doing it—and we’re partnering with Indiana University to evaluate this program so we can really get a sense of the efficacy of our work.”
The C&C Collaboration is funded by Christel House International, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, Lilly Endowment Inc. and Lumina Foundation.
“We are confident this effort will continue to take root and flourish, and we are excited to see the continued momentum and outcomes ahead,” Timothy Robinson, Lumina Foundation’s vice president, general counsel and chief of staff, said in a letter supporting Christel House’s nomination for this award.•
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