The DeKalb County Community Foundation is accepting grant applications for spring Community Needs Grants and Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund Grants. Nonprofits and charitable organizations are highly encouraged to apply. Application deadline is Thursday, March 1 for both grant programs. Visit the Foundation website to learn more or apply online.

Community Needs Grants support the charitable needs and efforts of our local nonprofit and community organizations. Last year, through donor generosity to Community Impact funds and the power of endowment, the Community Foundation provided $302,460 in Community Needs Grant support to 54 local organizations.

As a donor advised fund at the Community Foundation, the Farny R. Wurlitzer Foundation Fund provides grants to nonprofit and community organizations to further music appreciation, education, and performance. In 2017, the Wurlitzer Foundation Fund granted $248,325 in support to 56 organizations in DeKalb County and the Chicago metropolitan area.

Each spring and fall, the Community Foundation supports nonprofits and community organizations through Community Needs Grants and Wurlitzer Foundation Grants. Nonprofit and charitable organizations interested in applying for a grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation are invited to one of two free workshops on January 26 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. or 2 – 3:30 p.m. Workshops are open to the public and will take place in The Freight Room at the DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Avenue, Sycamore. The morning and afternoon sessions will be the same. To RSVP or learn more about grantmaking opportunities, please contact Grants Manager Becky Zantout, at 815-748-5383 or becky@dekalbccf.org.

Pictured: Check presentation of a spring 2017 Community Needs Grant to the Children’s Learning Center for kitchen and bathroom updates. Pictured is Community Foundation Board Member Regina Parker with Children’s Learning Center Executive Director Nancy Teboda.