About The Merritt Foundation
Founded by a legislator who spent three decades writing the laws this foundation now funds.
A career spent on the causes that matter most
Jim Merritt was born and raised in Indianapolis. He earned a degree in political science from Indiana University in 1981 and went on to serve as Vice President of Corporate Affairs for the Indiana Railroad Company before entering public service.
He represented Indiana Senate District 31 from 1990 to 2020, thirty years that made him the longest-serving Republican state senator in Indiana at the time of his retirement. During that time he chaired the Senate Utilities Committee and, from 2017 to 2018, served as Marion County Republican Party Chairman.
In September 2020, Jim announced his retirement from the Senate. Indiana Senate Resolution 24 (2021) formally honored his 30 years of service. He founded The Merritt Foundation to continue the work that mattered to him most, outside the Statehouse.
The work that shaped this foundation
The Merritt Foundation's four causes are not chosen at random. Each one reflects a body of law Jim Merritt authored and passed during his time in the Senate.
Mental Health Awareness
Breaking the silence around mental health so Hoosiers can find the help they deserve.
Learn more → 02Prostate Cancer Awareness
Championing the screenings and education that catch prostate cancer before it's too late.
Learn more → 03Indiana's Lifeline Law
Funding the investigators, tools, and protections that keep Indiana's children safe.
Learn more → 04Hungry Hoosiers
Because no Hoosier child should go to bed hungry tonight.
Learn more →From legislation to lasting impact
Laws create the framework, but real change takes sustained funding: treatment beds, investigators, legal advocates, and small-business capital that a legislative session alone can't provide. The Merritt Foundation was created to fill that gap, directing donor support toward the organizations and programs doing that work every day across Indiana.
Jim remains personally involved in each of the foundation's four causes, and every dollar donated is directed toward efforts consistent with the record above.