Podcasting giant Audiochuck delivered a game-changing, life-saving, $1 million grant to IYG (formerly known as Indiana Youth Group). IYG is the nation’s longest continually operating nonprofit serving LGBTQ youth and young adults, providing basic support, safe spaces, behavioral health services and more. 

Audiochuck, based in Indianapolis, produces the hit podcast Crime Junkie, which is nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Podcast Episode. Audiochuck announced the grant as “a public affirmation of the dignity, value, and potential of LGBTQ+ young people throughout Indiana,” and together with IYG, “is investing in a future where every young person can feel safe, supported, and empowered to thrive.”

Audiochuck was founded in 2017 by Indiana native and New York Times bestselling author Ashley Flowers, creator of the popular podcast, Crime Junkie. Flowers’ voice caught and her eyes welled up with emotion as she described IYG’s mission and Audiochuck’s decision to support it.

“I have personally known people who said this organization has saved their life,” Flowers said. “This is all these kids want, just to live. Everyone at Audiochuck, we believe in loving the people in our community.”

“My whole life, I heard from politicians and pulpits and so many billboards that there’s that human life is precious and valuable,” Flowers continued. “I’m not seeing any of those people rushing to help. I was taught that you’re supposed to love thy neighbor. Full stop. No stipulations. And I think if people are adding stipulations, they’re not doing it right.”

The million-dollar investment is set to be Audiochuck’s largest grant of the last year, reflecting the company’s respect for IYG’s team and the importance of its mission, Drew Black, Director of Philanthropy & Community Engagement at Audiochuck, said. 

“It affirms our belief that the health,  well-being, and joy of LGBTQ+ youth are invaluable. Above all, we at Audiochuck want them to know that we stand firmly beside them—and that they have every reason to be proud of who they are,” Black added.

Audiochuck’s grant will allow IYG to maintain staffing, including therapists, support advocates and program leaders. The grant will also help accelerate IYG’s “Safer Space” capital campaign, designed to expand programs in 10 cities across Indiana and to guarantee each client at least an hour of affirming services.

“This gift is a game-changer for IYG and the young people we serve,” said Chris Paulsen, IYG CEO.  “The need for support has never been higher, and Audiochuck’s confidence in our work gives us the stability to meet that need head-on. Thanks to their investment, LGBTQ+ youth and young adults across Indiana will continue to find safer spaces, caring adults, and the resources they need to navigate some of the toughest moments of their lives, and to know they’re not alone.”

The grant will help IYG maintain its stability as it meets soaring demand. Investment includes delivering basic needs support for 1,000 people, providing trauma-informed counseling for 250, funding independence-building programs for 700, and sustaining crucial statewide advocacy efforts to protect LGBTQ rights.

“With this extraordinary $1 million gift from Audiochuck, we’re not just sustaining our work; we’re expanding what is possible,” Paulsen said. “This investment allows us to strengthen our programs, reach more young people across Indiana, deepen our basic needs and mental health supports and ensure that our doors remain open to anyone who needs us It gives us the ability to plan boldly, respond quickly, and meet young people where they are today and in the years ahead.”

“For nearly four decades, IYG has worked to create safer spaces. Spaces where LGBTQ+ youth and young adults are affirmed, supported and reminded that who they are is not a problem to be fixed but a truth to be honored,” Joseph Myers, IYG Chief of Staff, said. 

“Audiochuck, alongside GLAAD, is choosing to show up not quietly, not cautiously, but clearly and publicly,” Myers continued. “Their partnership with IYG represents more than support. It represents shared values, courage, and a commitment to the queer youth at a time when that commitment truly matters.”

“Every day we serve Hoosier youth and young adults who are navigating challenges that many adults would find overwhelming: Harassment at school, housing instability, food insecurity, family rejection and the mental health concerns that come along with all these circumstances,” Paulsen said Thursday. “These young people are not statistics. They’re students, artists, athletes, and leaders, and they deserve to feel safe, valued, and hopeful about their futures.”

Audiochuck’s Crime Junkie episode from May 2025 is nominated for a GLAAD Media Award. The episode covered San Francisco’s serial killing tragedies in the midst of the city’s growing gay rights movement during the 1970s.

“Everyone at Audiochuck, we believe in loving the people in our community,” Flowers said Thursday. 

IYG’s Paulsen said the grant is a message to every LGBTQ young person: “You matter, you are worth investing in, and your future is worth protecting. At IYG, we believe when young people are supported and affirmed, they thrive. We see it every day in the friendships they build, the confidence they gain, and the futures they begin to imagine for themselves. This gift helps ensure that no matter what challenges arise beyond our walls, inside IYG, there will always be safety, belonging, and hope.”