Evansville Promise Neighborhood Welcomes Ten New Community Partners, Expanding Collective Impact

Evansville, Ind. (02/03/2026) — The Evansville Promise Neighborhood (EPN) welcomes the first cohort of new program partners, an expansion that strengthens collaboration, deepens community impact, and creates new pathways of opportunity for children and families across the Promise Neighborhood.

The EPN network now includes 33 partner organizations working together across the community, a growth that reflects strong alignment around the students, families, and six schools that make up the Promise Neighborhood.

"We're excited to expand our partner network and deeply grateful to the first cohort of program partners that have come on board," said Derek McKillop, Director of the Evansville Promise Neighborhood. "Their engagement speaks to the momentum behind this work and the power of partnership."

The new partners bring expertise across various industries, including healthcare, education, talent development, mentoring, and family support, increasing EPN's capacity to coordinate services and advance shared strategies. That added capacity directly strengthens the work already underway across EPN's four focus areas.

EPN Pipeline Workgroups are currently implementing initial collective action plans across four focus areas, each centered on a shared, high-impact strategy. Pipeline 1 focuses on kindergarten readiness and advancing literacy through Little Moments, Big Growth, a community-wide campaign that equips caregivers of children ages 0-5 with practical, everyday strategies to support early development. Pipeline 2 is focused on strengthening family engagement, improving access, and exploring shared incentives and solutions to help students stay connected to their school and be present in the classroom every day.

Pipeline 3 is bringing college and career conversations directly to families through mobile, community-based engagement, supporting multigenerational planning for the future. Pipeline 4, with a focus on health and wellness, is currently working to expand access to fresh fruits and vegetables while building knowledge around healthy choices through family and community engagement events and after-school programs. The addition of new partners strengthens each focus area by expanding reach, aligning resources, and accelerating progress across the Evansville Promise Neighborhood.

The following organizations have joined the Evansville Promise Neighborhood network:

Ascension St. Vincent - Evansville

Carver Community Organization

City of Evansville / Mayor's Office

Community Action Program Evansville (C.A.P.E.)

J.D. Sheth Foundation

Koch Family Children's Museum of Evansville

Old National Bank

Southern Indiana Mentoring Academy

Welborn Baptist Foundation

YWCA

Together, EPN continues working on building strategic partnerships that unlock resources and create pathways of opportunity for children, families, and the entire community.

For more information, visit evansville.edu/epn.

The University of Evansville is a private, comprehensive university with a solid foundation in the arts and sciences and professional schools in business, engineering, education, and health sciences. Established in 1854, UE is recognized across the globe for its rich tradition of innovative, academic excellence and dynamic campus community of #Changemakers.

Home of the Purple Aces, UE is located in the southwestern region of Indiana and offers over 75 majors, 17 Division I sports, and a unique study abroad experience at Harlaxton, the University's very own Victorian manor located in the countryside of England. For more information, please visit evansville.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT

Noah Alatza, Chief Communications Officer

na122@evansville.edu

812-893-5319

University of Evansville

Evansville Promise Neighborhood Welcomes Ten New Community Partners, Expanding Collective Impact

University of Evansville

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