Thank You J. Scott Chilton, CPA!
May 9, 2017
Youth Serving Programs and Projects Receive $11,588 in Grants
May 9, 2017
Thanks to donor generosity and the power of endowment, the DeKalb County Community Foundation is able to award $150,000 in Community Needs Grants this spring.
This support impacts 28 local nonprofits and community organizations for a variety of projects.
One of several grantmaking programs at the Foundation, Community Needs Grants receive funding through undesignated funds (community impact funds) and field of interest funds. When donors make gifts to these types of funds, they allow the Community Foundation Board to give where the need is most in DeKalb County.
Applications for Community Needs Grants are available to nonprofits and eligible community organizations in the spring and fall each year. Grant applications align with five grantmaking interest areas: Arts and Culture, Education, Community Development, Environment & Animal Welfare, and Health & Human Services. Each application is reviewed by the Grants Committee, which includes Community Foundation volunteer board members and staff. The committee’s grant recommendations receive final approval from the full 21-member DeKalb County Community Foundation Board of Directors.
Spring 2017 Community Needs Grants Awarded:
| Organization | Grant Purpose | Amount Awarded | Fund(s) Providing Support |
| 4-C: Community Coordinated Child Care | to redesign the organization’s website | $ 11,445 | Rodney A. & Dorothy Thiele Wright Fund |
| Adventure Works of DeKalb County, Inc. | to replace carpet and remove trees in new Adventure Works headquarters | $ 2,500 | Charter Grove Grange #1843 Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Children’s Community Theatre | to purchase facial microphones | $ 3,000 | Clifford and Marjorie Danielson Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Children’s Learning Center Inc. | to replace floor tile in the children’s bathrooms, bathroom hallway and entryways; to replace its kitchen counters, a sink, and a cabinet; and to refinish existing cabinets in the Center’s kitchen | $ 12,000 | Daycare Fund for Children |
| Cor Cantiamo | to purchase music | $ 2,000 | Clifford and Marjorie Danielson Fund |
| DeKalb Behavioral Health Foundation, Inc. DBA Ben Gordon Center | to replace and update furnishings in the waiting room and client rooms | $ 20,000 | Rodney A. & Dorothy Thiele Wright Fund |
| DeKalb County Community Gardens | to purchase a vehicle to operate the “Grow Mobile Program” in communities in need across food deserts in DeKalb County | $ 9,000 | Rodney A. & Dorothy Thiele Wright Fund |
| Elder Care Services of Dekalb County | to provide benches and planters for seniors waiting to be picked up and update the Policy & Procedure Employee Handbook | $ 4,300 | Rowland & Lucile Matteson Elderly Assistance Fund, DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Genoa Park District | To assist in the costs to build a skate park. | $ 2,500 | Rodney A. & Dorothy Thiele Wright Fund |
| Genoa-Kingston CUSD 424 | to implement technology in the culinary arts program at Genoa-Kingston High School | $ 1,300 | Helen and Kenneth O’Kane Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Genoa-Kingston School District – Middle School | to purchase heart rate monitors | $ 5,000 | Rodney A. & Dorothy Thiele Wright Fund |
| Hinckley-Big Rock Elementary School | to construct a new playground | $ 5,000 | E. T. and Jean B. Juday Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Horsepower Therapeutic Riding | to purchase a hydraulic lift | $ 5,000 | George E. and Betty B. Dutton Undesignated Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Indian Valley Vocational Center | to implement Google Classroom | $ 7,000 | Rodney A. & Dorothy Thiele Wright Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Kingston Boy Scout Troop 47 | to purchase a trailer for supplies | $ 2,000 | Bothe Family Endowment Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Kishwaukee College | to start a “Use of Force Training Lab” | $ 5,000 | Stephen R. & Betty L. Brown Endowment Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Kishwaukee Family YMCA | to install a sprinkler system in preschool classrooms | $ 15,000 | Charles W. Otto Endowment Fund |
| Kishwaukee Special Recreation Association | to certify staff to safely handle crisis situations with specific behavior intervention techniques | $ 2,500 | Charles W. Otto Endowment Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Little Lambs Preschool of Immanuel Lutheran Church | to install security cameras to track people in the building | $ 2,200 | Albert Kerby and Helene Tink Endowment Fund |
| Northern Illinois Food Bank | to fund the “Take 50 Foods to Encourage Program” | $ 5,000 | Jerome and Blanche Cerny Undesignated Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Northern Illinois University Huskie Food Pantry | to reorganize the pantry and raise awareness | $ 500 | Albert Kerby and Helene Tink Endowment Fund |
| Oaken Acres Wildlife Center | to support educational programs in DeKalb County | $ 3,850 | Rowland & Lucile Matteson Conservation & Wildlife Fund; Janet Hack Animal Welfare Endowment Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Open Door Rehabilitation Center | to replace heavily used carpet | $ 6,250 | Albert Kerby and Helene Tink Endowment Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Sandwich School District – Herman E. Dummer School | to align library software with other schools in the district | $ 1,000 | Ronald and Karen Klein Endowment Fund for Libraries; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Somonauk CUSD # 432 | to remove and replace railroad ties in the playground | $ 3,000 | Richard and Carol Ubl Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| St. Mary Catholic School – DeKalb | to purchase communication equipment for use in emergency situations | $ 4,455 | Gordon and Lucy Melms Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| The Growing Place | to replace flooring and purchase equipment for infant safety | $ 4,200 | Daycare Fund for Children; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Waterman Enhancement Group | to implement phase three conversion of a grass field in Waterman into a park | $ 5,000 | DeKalb County Building & Development Association Endowment Fund; DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund |
| Total Grants Awarded | $150,000 |
Join us in supporting nonprofits and community organizations in DeKalb County! 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.
Community Resources – Looking for resources in the community and don’t know where to find them? Start with 211, an easy-to-remember number that helps connect individuals and families to community-based organizations. Learn more.
