The Fort Wayne-based AWS Foundation has announced grants totaling more than $4.6 million to five nonprofit disability service providers serving northeast Indiana.

Grants were awarded through the foundation's Vantage Grants program to Cardinal Services, Carey Services, Easterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana, Pathfinder Services, and Turnstone, which received initial funding of $75,000 each in January to identify and explore significant barriers and develop solutions that would transform how they serve individuals and families whose lives are impacted by an intellectual, developmental, or physical disability. After spending six months analyzing their findings and developing a plan to meet those needs, the organizations were invited to apply for up to $1 million in additional funding to implement a three-to-five-year plan of action.

Easterseals Arc of Northeast Indiana will use its grant to expand services geographically, based on a study conducted with the Community Research Institute at Purdue University Fort Wayne of geographic inequities in support services available in rural areas compared with urban areas. The organization's three-year plan includes hiring direct support professionals in Steuben and Whitley counties to provide respite services, giving much-needed breaks to caregivers; creating staff positions dedicated to inclusion, ensuring that person-centered community-based services are available in all counties; and developing informational campaigns about the availability of services in each market and their benefits.

"These five organizations have worked hard over the past six months to tackle a challenge that has repeatedly been beyond their reach," said AWS Foundation CEO Patti Hays. "The Vantage Grant will allow them to provide services or processes in their organizations that might have otherwise been years away from their existing resources."