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

November 7, 2017

DeKalb County Community Foundation, Sycamore High School

Pictured: A recent check presentation to Sycamore High School Art Department. Grant dollars will transition a space in Sycamore High School to an art gallery.

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:

Organization Name	Grant Purpose	Grant Amount
A Promise For Parents	to purchase mannequins and adaptive technology for at-risk families with disabled parents as head of household	$9,000
Celebration Chorale	to purchase music	$1,860
Children’s Home + Aid	to purchase car seats and other supplies needed to support the “Healthy Families Illinois” program in DeKalb County	$4,000
Citizens for Inclusive Playgrounds	to build an playground to meet the needs of developmentally and physically delayed young children and their non-disabled peers	$8,100
Cornerstone Christian Academy	to purchase ovens and utility cabinets in the school kitchen	$4,000
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office	to purchase AEDs	$10,000
DeKalb County Youth Service Bureau	to conduct a strategic planning process	$1,600
DeKalb Park District	to implement a plant restoration project along the DeKalb Nature Trail	$5,000
Equine Dreams	to assist with the horse stall barn expansion project	$15,000
Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project	to inform low-income workers about human labor trafficking and workplace rights through workshops	$4,000
Flewellin Memorial Library	to replace patron and circulation computers	$2,500
Fox Valley Older Adult Services	to construct an outbuilding for senior equipment lending	$7,500
Greater Elgin Family Care Center	to equip the Center for Family Health with mobile workstation carts	$5,000
Hinckley Historical Society	to install air conditioning	$2,400
Hope Haven	to purchase a minivan for client transportation	$10,000
Joseph F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center	to install a permanent electrical connection to the Historic Glidden Barn	$5,500
Kirkland Police Department	to purchase and install car data systems	$3,800
Kishwaukee Family YMCA	to implement a bicycle awareness and safety campaign to promote the “3 Feet to Pass” law	$5,000
Malta Township Public Library	to purchase and construct a storage shed for library materials and equipment	$3,000
Sandwich Fair Association	to replace stairs into the Home Arts building on the Sandwich Fairgrounds	$7,500
Sandwich Public Library District	to purchase large picture books for use during story time and lending to teachers	$1,000
Shabbona-Lee-Rollo Historical Museum	to replace the front doors	$1,400
Sycamore Community School District #427	to transition a space in Sycamore High School to an art gallery	$2,000
TAILS Humane Society	to purchase kennel doors for dog cages and kennels	$1,300
Voluntary Action Center of DeKalb County	to install a walk-in freezer and expand the community kitchen	$25,000
Waterman Lions Club Charities Inc	to build a new park pavilion in Waterman’s Lions Park	$7,000
	Total Grants Awarded	$152,460

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.

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.