Deep Roots Create Desire to Give Back to the Community
November 2, 2017
Giving Through an IRA Charitable Rollover
November 7, 2017
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.
