They say when the economy contracts, it takes a while for the layoffs to reach the surface. But in Indiana, they’ve arrived. Ivy Tech, our statewide community college system, just announced the elimination of over 200 jobs. Most people will read that and think “budget tightening.” But if you’ve worked in public education or research, you hear something else: loss. Not just of employment, but of experience, relationships, and local wisdom.
This started in Indiana, but it won’t end here.
Across the country, we are losing people whose work made the future more possible: lab technicians, instructors, grant writers, program leads. Many of them won’t be replaced. Many of them will quietly leave the sector, or the mission they once served. Some will leave the workforce entirely. But what if they didn’t have to? What if there were a place to catch that talent before it fell away?
That’s what we’re trying to build.
It’s called the Indiana Public Interest Fellowship. It began as a local response to a local crisis, but the idea is national. There’s no funding yet. No staff. Just a working prototype and a principle: that good people should not disappear quietly when the system fails them.
The idea is simple. If you’ve recently lost a role in education or research, you can list your availability, your skills, your background, your willingness to keep contributing. If you’re part of a nonprofit, school, public agency, or any group that needs help, you can post a need. The system tries to match the two.
It’s live, and it’s open: ipif.twginc.net
To be clear: this is not just for Indiana residents or Indiana organizations. This began here because that’s where the cuts landed first, but anyone, from any state, is welcome to join. The need is national. The idea is scalable. The welcome is open.
Now let’s be honest. This is not a perfect system. There’s no salary guarantee. There’s no approval process. We’re not solving structural inequity with one app. But we’re starting. That has to count for something. We built this in the open because we believe there’s still power in civic action. Not performative, not ideological, not institutional. Just human-scale problem solving.
There is uncertainty in launching something like this. No one knows if people will come. No one knows if organizations will post. No one knows what happens next. But that uncertainty cannot be a reason not to try.
If you’re connected to a nonprofit or a public-interest project, anywhere, please consider posting a need. If you’ve recently lost your role, or are looking for a way to use your skills for something meaningful, we welcome you to join the network. If you know someone who fits either group, forward this.
And if you believe in this idea and want to help us build it, we need volunteers. Outreach. Admin. Data. Partnerships. If you’d like to raise your hand, send a quick note to ipif@indybiosystems.com and someone will follow up personally.
We can’t wait for the next round of legislation or the next round of layoffs. We have to try something now. Because when people fall through the cracks of our economy, it’s not just a policy failure. It’s a moral one. This is our attempt to build a bridge, one quiet profile at a time.
Come walk across it.