About Us

About Wheeler Social Impact LLC

Wheeler Social Impact LLC, founded by Roderick D.S. Wheeler in 2021, is a boutique foundation services and social impact consultancy in the Indianapolis area specializing in strategy execution, and transformative philanthropy.

Our Purpose

We develop people, strategies, and systems needed to achieve social impact.

Our Vision

Bridging the divide between philanthropy and social impact.

Core Values

Our firm values integrity, innovation, courage, justice, empowerment, inclusion, and community-centered approaches.

Who We Serve

Our clients are philanthropic, corporate, nonprofit, and government leaders who seek to transform people, communities, and systems by executing effective social impact strategies.

OUR SERVICES

What We Do

Improve Grantmaking

We partner with grantmaking organizations to improve the decision-making and grant-making processes, build organizational capacity, sustain nonprofit organizations, and measure social impact.

Develop Strategies

We consult with nonprofit organizations to develop effective strategies that improve organizational effectiveness, program design, and stakeholder outcomes to attract and sustain funding.

Transform Philanthropy

We collaborate with public, private, and corporate foundations to reimagine philanthropy through the lens of equity, justice, inclusion, and empowerment.

CLIENT REVIEWS

Wheeler Social Impact was instrumental in helping to clearly define our organization's programs, articulate our mission and purpose to funders, and attract nearly $1M in grant resources. This enabled us to transition from an all-volunteer team to a staff-based growing mentoring organization serving young girls of color. As a result of WSI's impact, our organization felt compelled to award Roderick Wheeler a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024.

Shanel Poole

CEO & Founder, GLAM Inc.

President & CSO

A Lifetime Dedicated to Social Change

Roderick D.S. Wheeler is an advocate for positive community change and has been committed to improving the quality of life of people and transforming communities for nearly two decades.

Wheeler Social Impact's Chief Strategy Officer is a social innovator with expertise in many areas, including criminal justice and education reform, youth development, grassroots organizations and community engagement, workforce and talent development, and public and community health.

Prior to launching an innovative social impact consultancy and data analytics company, our President has served as a community change agent in the philanthropic, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. Roderick is skilled in venture philanthropy, charitable investments, nonprofit management, and governance and has worked with 200+ organizations over the previous 15+ years.

Roderick is the author of two self-published books, one discussing the impact of arrests on black communities and the importance of community crime prevention strategies rooted in a collective-impact framework. The other publication discusses the enormous economic costs and negative social impact that racial disparities in the labor market create and discusses the economic benefits of committing to an antiracist ideology.

Roderick graduated from Indiana University—Bloomington, earning his Master of Public Affairs (MPA). He is also a Franklin University graduate, earning his MBA while serving as a logistical specialist and Corporal in the U.S. Army. Roderick has earned multiple executive education certificates from Harvard University in education, nonprofit finance, business finance and accounting, strategy execution, business economics, and data analytics.

When Roderick is not working to transform philanthropy and assist social enterprises with achieving positive community impact, he devotes his time to coaching high school football. He has served as offensive coordinator for two Indianapolis public high schools and as quarterback coach for Park Tudor High School.