About Us
And Our Team
The mission of The Ross Foundation is to address racial inequity through advocacy and by removing barriers to resources, services, and wellness programs in high impacted communities. Our vision is to end poverty. We hope to obtain these goals through our areas of focus: Housing, Mental Health, Food Security, Education, and Outreach.
Our Values
Community-centric
Equitable
Empowerment
Real Time Response
Convener
What We Stand For
To create more effective youth activities, repair our communities, and develop healthy leaders
Strategic Goals –
Provide streamline access to exceptional, relevant services.
Advocate for affordable housing and saver living conditions.
Improve mental health and economic stability.
Engage the community to take action.
Dee Ross, at 24 years of age, became the Founder and CEO of The Ross Foundation. He is an Indianapolis native born and raised on the city’s Far Eastside. Growing up as a kid, Dee was able to see how the community lacked youth programs, resources, opportunities, and community involvement. Due to this, the rise in crime, drug usage, and poverty has taken a toll on the community. Now being older and a respectful leader of the community, he has decided to start his own foundation in 2014. The mission of The Ross Foundation is to address racial inquities through advocacy and by removing barriers to resources, services, and wellness programs. Their vision is to end poverty! In 2018, Dee, was selected nationally to the Community Justice Reform Coalition Speakers Bureau, which is an unique intergenerational leadership development for millennial thought leaders and formerly incarcerated organizers working at the intersection of gun violence prevention and criminal justice reform. In year 2019, a local park was named after him the Dee Ross Community Park. In 2020, Dee Ross co-founded the Ross Legacy Fund, a family philanthropy that funds Black-led social change organizations and social justice projects. He is a respected leader in diversity of experience of a nonprofit organization. In 2022, the organization received the Diversity Champion Award from the Indiana Minority Business Magazine. Dee currently serves on the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition, which supports advocacy and education related to housing and homelessness prevention in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, he was elected to the Indiana Housing Task Force to work with Governor Holcomb to address the Housing Crisis. Ross has made appearances on MTV’s “True Life“ and Facebook Show “Returning the Favor” as an actionist making a true difference in the Midwest. Dee has been recognized locally and nationally for his accomplishments in his community, receiving prestigious leadership awards from BET, Faith in Action, the Indiana Governor, Indianapolis Mayor, and local stakeholders.
How We Started
The Ross Foundation was started in 2014 by the vision of our Founder Derris Ross, an Indianapolis native born and raised on the cities Far Eastside. Growing up, Derris could see how the lack of youth programs and community engagement has affected the city. Due to this, the rise in crime, drug usage, and poverty has taken a toll on the community. Now being older and a respected leader in the community, he has decided to start his own foundation to give back to and repair his childhood community.
The Ross Foundation became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2016. The organization got its original roots by hosting community assistance events during the holidays with programs like No Family Will Starve Thanksgiving Program, Making Every Kid Smile Christmas Toy Give Away and the 5,000 Eggs Easter Egg Hunt. The organization then took to the community based approach to reducing crime by getting residents involved through the Living Life to the Fullest Without Violence Peace Rallies, peace walks, and our A Mother’s Cry Support which provides grief support for mothers who have lost children to violence.
Seeing the impact of these events on members of the community, we plan to build upon our roots. The Ross Foundation is now focused on how we can invoke long term change through effective programming to improve youth outcomes and access to basic needs and opportunities for economic growth for residents. In order to have a true impact and success towards meeting our goals, our strategy is to develop and cultivate new and existing relationships with like-minded organizations and individuals who align with our mission. Through partnerships, sponsorships, skills-based volunteers and event volunteers, we plan to continue to propel our success.