Podcasting Company Audiochuck Invests One Million Dollars In Indiana’s LGBTQ+ Youth
The grant will fund safer spaces, expanded services, and broader access for queer and trans young people across Indiana.
Featured image via Audiochuck
Indianapolis-based podcasting company Audiochuck has awarded a one-million-dollar grant to queer youth group IYG, a major investment that comes as LGBTQ+ youth across Indiana face shrinking resources and rising demand for support.
The unrestricted grant will directly support IYG’s Safer Spaces campaign, an ambitious plan to expand services into 10 Indiana cities. The goal is to ensure that no LGBTQ+ young person in the state is more than an hour away from affirming care.
Formerly known as the Indiana Youth Group, IYG is the oldest continually operating organization serving LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in the country. Today, the nonprofit provides safer spaces, behavioral health care, basic needs assistance, advocacy, and life skills programming. In 2024, IYG supported more than 1,300 young people, a number expected to nearly double by 2026 with the help of this funding.
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Chris Paulsen, CEO of IYG, said the grant arrives at a critical moment for both the organization and the young people it serves.
“We are seeing a huge increase in the number of people that are seeking our services, almost 60% last year over the year before, and that continues to climb as Indiana is becoming more and more unwelcoming for young people, especially gender diverse and transgender young people,” they said, according to MirrorIndy.
Currently, IYG operates locations in Indianapolis, Evansville, Crawfordsville, Columbus, and Northwest Indiana. Plans are already underway to expand to South Bend and to double the size of IYG’s Indianapolis facility, a space where young people can access meals, showers, counseling, and community without fear.
Audiochuck’s investment stands out not only for its size but for its flexibility. Unlike restricted grants tied to narrow outcomes, this funding allows IYG to direct resources where they are most urgently needed, including staffing, counseling, and long-term growth. That flexibility matters as federal funding has been cut for many organizations tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and as corporate support has become more uncertain.
“This will help fill that gap,” Paulsen said. “We’re hoping it will also serve as a beacon to those corporations that it is okay to support groups that are supporting LGBTQ people, both young people and adults. We’re hoping this maybe gives other companies the guts to stand up.”
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Audiochuck was founded in 2017 by Indiana native Ashley Flowers, creator and host of the chart-topping podcast Crime Junkie. Flowers said the decision to support IYG was deeply personal.
“I’ve seen firsthand the challenges our young people face and the strength they carry,” Flowers said. “IYG shows up with consistency and care for LGBTQ+ youth across the state. This gift is about standing with them for the long term.”
The grant will help IYG maintain therapists, advocates, and program leaders while expanding access to care statewide. According to the organization, the funding will support basic needs assistance for approximately 1,000 individuals, trauma-informed counseling for 250, and independence-focused programming for 700 young people, while sustaining crucial advocacy work.
