$152,460 in Grants Awarded to Local Nonprofits and Community Organizations

This fall, 31 local nonprofits and community organizations will have support for a variety of projects aimed at serving the needs of the community. Distributions from the fall Community Needs Grant program total $152,460, all made possible through donor generosity and the power of endowment.

Community Needs Grants are available in the spring and fall of each year. Funding for this grant program is possible through Community Impact funds at the DeKalb County Community Foundation. Community Impact funds provide the Foundation’s board of directors with the greatest flexibility to help today and shape tomorrow.

Applications align with five grantmaking areas of interest: Arts and Culture, Education, Community Development, Environment & Animal Welfare, and Health & Human Services. A grants committee, consisting of Community Foundation volunteer board members and staff, review each application. Grant recommendations receive final approval from the full 21-member DeKalb County Community Foundation Board of Directors.

Fall 2017 Community Needs Grants:
· A Promise For Parents – received $9,000 to purchase mannequins and adaptive technology for at-risk families with disabled parents as head of household
· Celebration Chorale – received $1,860 to purchase music
· Children’s Home + Aid – received $4,000 to purchase car seats and other supplies needed to support the “Healthy Families Illinois” program in DeKalb County
· Citizens for Inclusive Playgrounds – received $8,100 to build an playground to meet the needs of developmentally and physically delayed young children and their non-disabled peers
· Cornerstone Christian Academy – received $4,000 to purchase ovens and utility cabinets in the school kitchen
· DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office – received $10,000 to purchase AEDs
· DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau – received $1,600 to conduct a strategic planning process
· DeKalb Park District – received $5,000 to implement a plant restoration project along the DeKalb Nature Trail
· Equine Dreams – received $15,000 to assist with the horse stall barn expansion project
· Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project – received $4,000 to inform low-income workers about human labor trafficking and workplace rights through workshops
· Flewellin Memorial Library – received $2,500 to replace patron and circulation computers
· Fox Valley Older Adult Services – received $7,500 to construct an outbuilding for senior equipment lending
· Greater Elgin Family Care Center – received $5,000 to equip the Center for Family Health with mobile workstation carts
· Hinckley Historical Society – received $2,400 to install air conditioning
· Hope Haven – received $10,000 to purchase a minivan for client transportation
· Joseph F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center – received $5,500 to install a permanent electrical connection to the Historic Glidden Barn
· Kirkland Police Department – received $3,800 to purchase and install car data systems
· Kishwaukee Family YMCA – received $5,000 to implement a bicycle awareness and safety campaign to promote the “3 Feet to Pass” law
· Malta Township Public Library – received $3,000 to purchase and construct a storage shed for library materials and equipment
· Sandwich Fair Association – received $7,500 to replace stairs into the Home Arts building on the Sandwich Fairgrounds
· Sandwich Public Library District – received $1,000 to purchase large picture books for use during story time and lending to teachers
· Shabbona-Lee-Rollo Historical Museum – received $1,400 to replace the front doors
· Sycamore Community School District #427 – received $2,000 to transition a space in Sycamore High School to an art gallery
· TAILS Humane Society – received $1,300 to purchase kennel doors for dog cages and kennels
· Voluntary Action Center of DeKalb County – received $25,000 to install a walk-in freezer and expand the community kitchen
· Waterman Lions Club Charities Inc. – received $7,000 to build a new park pavilion in Waterman’s Lions Park

Grant applications are available to nonprofits and eligible community organizations two months prior to March 1 and September 1 annually.

Join us in our mission to improve the quality of life in DeKalb County. Together we can make a lasting impact! To discuss your charitable interests, make a donation, or to learn more about the Community Foundation, please contact Executive Director Dan Templin, at 815-748-5383 or dan@dekalbccf.org.