Author: sHq_LoGiNz

• Recipient organizations are working to close child care gap in Fulton, Hendricks, Martin, Monroe, and Putnam counties
• Recent study shows Indiana loses out on an estimated $4.22 billion annually for the state’s economy due to child care challenges
• Duke Energy Foundation has awarded $265,000 in grants to Indiana organizations since 2023

PLAINFIELD, Ind., March 31, 2025 /3BL/ – With child care becoming a key workforce issue, Duke Energy Foundation and the Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation (IEDAF) are collaborating to support efforts to tackle it.

The foundations are together awarding a total of $150,000 in grants to four organizations to fund projects focused on improving access to affordable child care in Indiana communities. State and local government entities, local and regional economic development agencies, and public and private nonprofit organizations were eligible to apply.

“We know that Indiana’s child care challenges are complex, and we hope these grants will help develop the solutions needed to support working parents and local economies,” said Erin Schneider, managing director of economic development at Duke Energy. “We’re looking forward to seeing how their work removes significant barriers for parents and caretakers to participate and advance in the workforce.”

In September 2024, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce released a report examining the impact of child care challenges on Indiana’s economy. The study found that Indiana loses out on an estimated $4.22 billion annually for the state’s economy, including a $1.17 billion annual loss in tax revenue, due to shortfalls in child care. According to the report, only 61% of children needing care statewide can be served through existing capacity.

“Access to quality, affordable child care is not just a family issue – it’s an economic imperative,” said Matt Kavgian, executive director of the Indiana Economic Development Association. “When parents can fully participate in the workforce, businesses thrive, communities grow, and Indiana becomes a more competitive place to live and work. Investing in child care solutions is investing in the strength and stability of our economy.”

2025 grant recipients

This new round of grants for the following four organizations, follows more than $100,000 in funding awarded through the foundations in 2024 to five organizations in Indiana also working to close the child care gap in new and innovative ways.

1. Fulton Economic Development Corporation (EDC). A $40,000 awardee, the Fulton EDC will collaborate with an alliance of the Fulton County Chamber of Commerce, Northern Indiana Community Foundation, Caston and Rochester school districts to develop an innovative, community-driven approach to assess child care needs in Fulton County. This group will develop a sustainable model, while enhancing access to quality child care services. By leveraging the expertise of a consultant, the group plans to formalize its Fulton County Early Learning Coalition, which includes early learning professionals, employers, parents and caregivers, government officials and funders.

2. Greencastle Putnam County Development Center (GPCDC). With its $40,000 grant, the GPCDC will engage large corporations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to better understand how child care challenges influence their operations and employees’ decisions to live and work in the area. Through focus groups, stakeholder engagement, and consultant expertise, this initiative will identify innovative solutions – such as employer-supported child care models and facility repurposing – to enhance child care capacity, support economic development and strengthen the local labor force. A resulting “Child Care Expansion Plan” will provide a road map for sustainable improvements, ensuring Putnam County remains a competitive and desirable place for families and businesses.

3. Hendricks College Network. The Hendricks College Network – a nonprofit that provides access to and support for post-high school education, business training, and workforce development in Hendricks County and the surrounding region – plans to utilize its $30,000 grant to: expand access to higher quality care with weekend and evening programming; conduct a public education and engagement campaign to advocate for policies and innovative solutions that strengthen child care access for families and ease burden on providers; and increase the number of providers accepting Indiana Child Care Development Fund and On My Way Pre-K vouchers. The funding will also help the organization take a deep dive into data, research innovative practices, and advocate for policies that assist providers with increasing capacity, improving quality, and investing in new and unique solutions.

4. Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI). A nonprofit that works to advance economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands region – Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington – ROI plans to utilize its $40,000 grant to help fund comprehensive building expansion and feasibility assessments for three child care providers: Bloomington Center for Global Children, Bloomington’s Covenant Christian Early Learning Place and the Oak St. Village Project in Loogootee. These assessments, conducted by IFF, a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) working in collaboration with CDFI Friendly Bloomington, will analyze facility changes needed to maximize seat capacity and high-quality learning at each center, including space design, construction planning, and potential financing needs and opportunities.

Duke Energy Foundation

Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation

Supporting the economic development profession, the Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation provides scholarships and other support to tomorrow’s economic development leaders.
 

Duke Energy: Tina Noel
Phone: 800.559.3853
Email: tina.noel@duke-energy.com

IEDA: Matt Kavgian
Email: matt@ieda.org

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PHILADELPHIA, MARCH 31, 2025 /3BL/ – Tork, an Essity brand and the global leader in professional hygiene, today launched the Tork Coalition for Inclusive Hygiene whose mission is to explore how hygiene in public restrooms, often the busiest space in a facility, can be improved for the majority of users. Through the coalition, Tork continues its journey to understand the barriers people face in public restrooms and how to drive inclusive hygiene so everyone can have comfortable access to public restrooms​.

The coalition is comprised of a group of experts and advocates who are passionate about finding solutions to the hygiene barriers that people face in public restrooms. The founding members include:

• Dr. Steven Soifer, Co-Founder and Treasurer, American Restroom Association (ARA), and Adjunct Professor at Adelphi University.
• Dan Rocker, LCSW and President, International Paruresis Association (IPA), an organization dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for individuals who experience social anxiety related to urination, commonly known as “shy bladder syndrome.”
• Lee Moreau, Founder & Director of Other Tomorrows, an experience design and strategy consultancy, and Professor of Practice, Design at Northeastern University.

Together with Tork, the coalition will help raise awareness of the need to bring inclusive hygiene to public restrooms and develop resources that businesses and facilities can put into action in their restrooms. Tork has over 50 years of experience in the design and development of restroom products, recently receiving the world’s first Design for All certification for its dispenser development process.

“The Tork Coalition for Inclusive Hygiene is the beginning of a groundbreaking initiative aimed at addressing what is a pervasive public health risk impacting millions,” said Amy Bellcourt, VP of Communications for Essity. “Research* shows that 44% of people feel anxious about using public restrooms when leaving their homes, and often plan their days, travel and lives around ensuring they have access to proper hygiene in public restrooms. This limits their experiences and can result in them not returning to a restaurant or avoiding purchasing food and drinks at an event due to fear of not finding a restroom that meets their needs.”

Tork recently surveyed more than 6,000 individuals in five countries and found that 44% of all respondents plan their travel routes to ensure they have access to public restrooms; 38% avoid eating or drinking while they are away from home to limit their use of public restrooms; 26% avoid a social event because of concerns around access to public restrooms; and 1 in 6 people have left a job because of a poor restroom. This data sheds a light on the scale of the issue and its impact on businesses, their visitors, customers and employees.

“This isn’t just about convenience; it’s a challenge affecting our society, businesses and the economy,” Bellcourt continued. “While the Americans with Disabilities Act has been pivotal in addressing some of these issues, our research shows there’s still so much more to be done. That’s why Tork is bringing together an expert group of individuals to advance an issue that often gets overlooked because many feel uncomfortable talking about it.”

“The public restroom experience is fraught with difficulty for so many people because broader awareness of the inherent challenges people face in restrooms is so low, and only known by people who regularly experience them,” Dr. Steven Soifer added. “I’m honored to be part of the very coalition that is working to get people talking about public restrooms, and I’m excited to help educate people and provide them with the guidance they need to create more inclusive hygiene in their public restrooms.”

The Coalition for Inclusive Hygiene was born out of a Tork led roundtable discussion that took place in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2024, where Tork – in partnership with the Global Handwashing Partnership – convened experts and leading voices representing public and private organizations to discuss the many barriers that impact how people experience public restrooms. The roundtable revealed how poor hygiene usability in public restrooms affects a surprising portion of the population and emphasized the need for greater awareness and education on the issue. To learn more about the key takeaways from the discussion, click here.

To learn more about Tork and its inclusive hygiene initiative, visit its website and Tork social media channels across LinkedIn, X and Facebook.

* Tork Insight Survey 2024, conducted in US, UK, Germany, France and Mexico among 6000 end-users and 900 businesses

About Tork

The Tork brand offers professional hygiene products and services to customers worldwide ranging from restaurants and healthcare facilities to offices, schools and industries. Our products include dispensers, paper towels, toilet tissues, soap, napkins and wipers, but also software solutions for data-driven cleaning. Through expertise in hygiene, functional design and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader that supports customers to think ahead so they’re always ready for business. Tork is a global brand of Essity and a committed partner to customers in more than 110 countries. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit www.Torkglobal.com/us/en.

About Essity

Essity is a global, leading hygiene and health company. Every day, our products, solutions and services are used by a billion people around the world. Our purpose is to break barriers to well-being for the benefit of consumers, patients, caregivers, customers and society. Sales are conducted in approximately 150 countries under the leading global brands TENA and Tork, and other strong brands such as Actimove, Cutimed, JOBST, Knix, Leukoplast, Libero, Libresse, Lotus, Modibodi, Nosotras, Saba, Tempo, TOM Organic and Zewa. In 2024, Essity had net sales of approximately SEK 146bn (EUR 13bn) and employed 36,000 people. The company’s headquarters is located in Stockholm, Sweden and Essity is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. More information at essity.com.

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