Please join us in welcoming Becky Zantout back to the DeKalb County Community Foundation staff. 

Becky worked at the Foundation from 2011-2017 as the Grants & Community Initiatives Manager before taking time off as a stay-at-home mom. She was recently rehired in a part-time role to focus on Foundation grants and scholarships. As the Grants & Scholarships Manager, Becky looks forward to serving the community again and helping connect students with Foundation scholarship opportunities. Her responsibilities include the administration of scholarship distributions, communicating directly with donors and award recipients, processing scholarship distributions to educational institutions, and more.

Becky is originally from Des Moines, Iowa, and currently resides in Sycamore with her husband, Alan, and their two children. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and marketing from The University of Iowa.

In 2011, Becky began her career as the Foundation’s Administrative Manager. She answered phones, worked with donors and grantees, and oversaw general office operations. In 2012, she was promoted to Grants and Community Initiatives Manager where she coordinated many of the Foundation’s grant programs, including scholarships. She also acted as staff advisor for Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP).

“A highlight of my previous time at the Foundation was moving into the Sycamore Train Depot,” said Becky. “It was inspiring to see generosity and community come together for a common goal. The renovation of the building was amazing to see first-hand. I have many great memories of move-in day and the excitement surrounding those weeks leading up to it and after. I look forward to creating many more memories here!”

In her free time, Becky enjoys sewing. Over the last two years, she has made over 1,000 masks for friends, family, and others during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pictured above: Becky Zantout and her family.

Serving the community since 1993, the DeKalb County Community Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that enhances the quality of life in DeKalb County, IL, through endowments & donor services, stewardship, grantmaking, and community initiatives. The Community Foundation awards grants in the areas of arts & culture, community development, environment & animal welfare, education, health & human services, and nonprofit capacity building. Today, the Foundation manages over 411 Funds that, collectively, provide over $3.5 million in annual support for needs today and in the future.

Pictured below: Becky 2011-2017 throwback photos