Eight grantees receive investments for work with young people

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KENDALLVILLE, IN — The Dekko Foundation, a private family foundation located in Kendallville, IN, with a mission of fostering economic freedom through education, awarded more than $566,000 in grants and pledges to eight youth-serving organizations during its most recent round of grantmaking.

The foundation, started in 1981 by the late businessman and philanthropist Chester E. Dekko, invests in projects and programs that help build knowledge, skills, and character in children and young people from birth through age 18 so they can be self-sufficient and grow up to be economically free.

Its grantmaking is concentrated within 13 counties in four states — Indiana, Iowa, Alabama, and Minnesota — where Mr. Dekko had business or personal interests.

Organizations receiving grants and pledges were:

  • Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School District (Garrett, IN): $56,120 to support professional development for elementary school educators so that the principles of child development are incorporated in their classrooms.
  • Indiana Alliance of YMCAs, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN): $40,000 to support the alliance’s Youth and Government program so that young people have a better understanding of democracy, government, and their civic responsibilities.
  • Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana (Fort Wayne, IN): $25,000 to support the organization’s JA JobSpark and JobSpark Virtual programs in which middle and high school students learn about careers and the skills required to be successful in them.
  • Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana: $15,000 to support the organization’s in-school programs for students in Noble County.
  • Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana: $45,000 over three years to support the organization’s in-school programs for students in Kosciusko County.
  • Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana: $10,000 to support the organization’s in-school programs for students in Whitley County.
  • Ringgold County Child Care Center (Mount Ayr, IA): $50,000 to support upgrades for an outdoor playground so that preschoolers can engage in healthy play and build gross motor skills.
  • Butler Youth Evangelistic Association (Butler, IN): $32,000 to support facility improvements so that young people can engage in recreational activities and build relationships with peers and caring adults.
  • Lakeland Christian Academy (Winona Lake, IN): $250,000 to support construction of a new facility for early learning and elementary school students that will also help the organization build its capacity.
  • Kosciusko County Teen Court, Inc. (Warsaw, IN): $10,000 to support the organization’s Teen Court program in which young people learn about the judicial process and community resources.
  • East Noble School Corporation (Kendallville, IN): $33,000 to support the high school’s ability to provide instruments for students in its jazz bands so that they can build music and performance skills.

Investments support grantees’ projects

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KENDALLVILLE, IN — The Dekko Foundation, a private family foundation located in Kendallville, IN, with a mission of fostering economic freedom through education, awarded more than $350,000 in grants and pledges to 10 youth-serving organizations during its most recent round of grantmaking.

The foundation, started in 1981 by the late businessman and philanthropist Chester E. Dekko, invests in projects and programs that help build knowledge, skills, and character in children and young people from birth through age 18 so they can be self-sufficient and grow up to be economically free.

Its grantmaking is concentrated within 13 counties in four states — Indiana, Iowa, Alabama, and Minnesota — where Mr. Dekko had business or personal interests.

Organizations receiving grants and pledges were:

  • City of Kendallville (Kendallville, IN): $15,000 over three years to support the annual KidCity event where families can learn about local organizations, nonprofits, and businesses so they feel more connected to the community.
  • Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN): $65,000 to support the organization’s programs in the Dekko Foundation’s Northeast Indiana grantmaking area so that elementary students have a greater appreciation for music and music-related careers.
  • Indiana Youth Institute, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN): $60,000 to support the organization’s professional-development and educational offerings for youth-serving workers in the foundation’s Northeast Indiana grantmaking area.
  • Operation Read (Warsaw, IN): $15,000 to support the organization’s literacy programs for young people and families in Kosciusko County and its financial sustainability.
  • Athens City Schools (Athens, AL): $10,000 to support creating a piano lab so middle and high school students can develop and build music skills.
  • Clarke Community Schools (Osceola, IA): $120,000 to support extending preschool from half day to full day and offering a dual-language program for kindergarten and first-grade students so they’re supported in their learning.
  • Freedom Academy, Inc. (Kendallville, IN): $30,000 to support the academy’s ability to serve homeschooled students, private and parochial school students, and alternative school students through its workforce skills training classes.
  • Funshine Learning Center (Lamoni, IA): $6,321 to support improvements at the center so staff have more time to meet the needs of young people.
  • Whitko Community School Corporation (South Whitley, IN): $7,450 to support middle school students using ukuleles to build skills and grow their appreciation and knowledge of music.
  • Bill of Rights Institute (Arlington, VA): $25,000 to support the institute’s development of civics curriculum and programs for students in Indiana.

If you’d like to learn more about how investments such as these support children and young people so they can achieve economic freedom later in life, contact a Dekko Foundation program officer at 260-347-1278. Or visit dekkofoundation.org to explore the foundation’s mission and funding priorities, review its grantmaking process, or send a grant proposal.

Foundation invests in organizations’ work with young people

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KENDALLVILLE, IN — The Dekko Foundation, a private family foundation located in Kendallville, IN, with a mission of fostering economic freedom through education, awarded more than $1.7 million in grants and pledges to 21 youth-serving organizations during its most recent round of grantmaking.

The foundation, started in 1981 by the late businessman and philanthropist Chester E. Dekko, invests in projects and programs that help build knowledge, skills, and character in children and young people from birth through age 18 so they can be self-sufficient and grow up to be economically free.

Its grantmaking is concentrated within 13 counties in four states — Indiana, Iowa, Alabama, and Minnesota — where Mr. Dekko had business or personal interests.

Organizations receiving grants and pledges were:

  • City of Ada (Ada, MN): $200,000 to support improvements at the Dekko Community Center that enhance the programs and services it offers to Norman County residents.
  • Cole Center Family YMCA (Kendallville, IN): $90,000 over three years to support Camp Wethonkitha, a summer day camp for preschool through middle school students offered in collaboration with the City of Kendallville.
  • Fort Wayne Children’s Choir, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN): $1,000 to support members of the Whitley County Children’s Choir participating in a camp in Fort Wayne.
  • Fort Wayne Zoological Society (Fort Wayne, IN): $279,882 over three years to support the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s Zoo Scientific Inquiry (ZSI) program that travels to elementary schools in the Dekko Foundation’s grantmaking priority area in Northeast Indiana.
  • Graceland University (Lamoni, IA): $624,330 over three years to support the AmeriCorps Youth Launch program that serves communities in the foundation’s grantmaking priority area in South-Central Iowa.
  • Harold W. McMillen Center for Health Education (Fort Wayne, IN): $30,000 to support the center’s preventative education programs provided to students in the foundation’s grantmaking priority area in Northeast Indiana.
  • RespectTeam (Huntertown, IN): $10,000 to support the organization’s programs for middle and high school students in the foundation’s grantmaking priority area in Northeast Indiana.
  • Steuben County Community Foundation (Angola, IN): $3,500 to support young people helping plan and operate the annual Angola Balloons Aloft family festival.
  • Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tennessee Valley (Huntsville, AL): $17,000 to support the organization’s launch of a youth mentoring program in Limestone County.
  • Central Noble Community School Corp. (Albion, IN): $15,000 to support teacher professional development and resources so high school students can build career-ready skills through new courses.
  • Chariton Community School District (Chariton, IA): $2,500 to support opportunities for special education students to build vocational and life skills so they can engage in meaningful work in their community.
  • Community Foundation of Whitley County (Columbia City, IN): $100,000 to support the foundation’s efforts to increase its endowment funds so it can address community issues including early learning, workforce development, social services, and mental health.
  • East Union Community Schools (Afton, IA): $300,000 to support renovating an existing building so it can house a new early learning center for infants and toddlers.
  • Limestone County Schools (Athens, AL): $5,000 to support improvements to the Elkmont High School library so it better meets students’ learning needs.
  • Little Lambs Preschool Daycare Ministry (Syracuse, IN): $6,000 to support curriculum training and resources for staff so they can better meet the developmental needs of young people.
  • Auburn Main Street (Auburn, IN): $10,000 to support a project led by its Junior Auburn Main Street program to develop and build a memorial honoring DeKalb County veterans.
  • Angola Performing Arts Academy, Inc. (Angola, IN): $2,500 to support a theater camp for young people where they can engage with the arts, follow their interests, and build skills.
  • Clarke County Public Health (Osceola, IA): $1,000 to support a bike share program that encourages family members to ride together and be physically active.
  • 2nd Floor Gallery, Ltd. (Churubusco, IN): $5,000 to support the organization’s after-school and summer arts programs for young people so they can build skills and express themselves creatively.
  • Steuben Arts Scene Corp. (Angola, IN): $15,000 to support the organization’s arts programs for young people so they can follow their interests, develop their talents, and express themselves creatively.
  • World Baseball Academy (Fort Wayne, IN): $5,000 to support the organization’s program that uses aspects of baseball to teach STEM concepts to DeKalb County Central United School District fourth-grade students.

If you’d like to learn more about how investments such as these support children and young people so they can achieve economic freedom later in life, contact a Dekko Foundation program officer at 260-347-1278. Or visit dekkofoundation.org to explore the foundation’s mission and funding priorities, review its grantmaking process, or send a grant proposal.

Eight youth-serving organizations receive foundation grants

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The Dekko Foundation, a private family foundation located in Kendallville, IN, with a mission of fostering economic freedom through education, awarded more than $638,000 in grants and pledges to eight youth-serving organizations during its most recent round of grantmaking.

The foundation, started in 1981 by the late businessman and philanthropist Chester E. Dekko, invests in projects and programs that help build knowledge, skills, and character in children and young people from birth through age 18 so they can be self-sufficient and grow up to be economically free.

Its grantmaking is concentrated within 13 counties in four states — Indiana, Iowa, Alabama, and Minnesota — where Mr. Dekko had business or personal interests.

Organizations receiving grants and pledges were:

  • City of Mount Ayr, IA: $250,000 to support constructing a new community pool so that young people have access to a healthy recreation option and can develop and build swimming skills, and adolescents can gain experiences that help prepare them for future careers.
  • Early Childhood Alliance (Fort Wayne, IN): $42,575 to support the organization’s ability to offer shared services and professional development opportunities to childcare providers in Northeast Indiana.
  • Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (Des Moines, IA): $30,000 to support programs in South-Central Iowa classrooms in which middle and high school students build and develop skills that can help them succeed in the workplace and learn alongside local adult mentors.
  • YMCA of Muncie/Camp Crosley (Muncie, IN): $20,000 to support building the organization’s capacity to engage donors, increase annual giving, and meet the needs of young people through programs offered at Camp Crosley in North Webster, IN.
  • Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne (Fort Wayne, IN): $250,000 to support upgrades at its main campus so that the community’s use of the campus increases and more patrons from Northeast Indiana are engaged in Arts United events and programs.
  • Lamoni Community Schools (Lamoni, IA): $40,000 to support the purchase of strength-training and exercise equipment so that young people can improve their physical fitness and build healthy habits.
  • Limestone County Schools (Athens, AL): $400 to support Elkmont High School students as they practice critical thinking and problem solving while learning computer coding.
  • Norman County East School (Twin Valley, MN): $5,500 to support students gaining an appreciation for the fine arts by experiencing them firsthand during a field trip.

If you’d like to learn more about how investments such as these support children and young people so they can achieve economic freedom later in life, contact a Dekko Foundation program officer at 260-347-1278. Or visit dekkofoundation.org to explore the foundation’s mission and funding priorities, review its grantmaking process, or send a grant proposal.

Lights, camera, action!

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We’ve launched a new video series in which our president, Tom Leedy, and Grants and Program Associate Payton Hunley address questions you might have about our mission and work. It’s titled “Tuesdays With Tom,” and our hope is that by viewing the videos you’ll have a better understanding of our grantmaking and a better sense of how your organization’s mission aligns with ours.

In this first video, recorded in the Community Learning Center‘s auditorium in Kendallville, Indiana, Tom shares more about his background and about our mission of fostering economic freedom through education. Additional “Tuesdays With Tom” videos will be posted in the coming weeks on our Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube pages.

Let us know in the comments what questions you have for Tom and Payton about our mission, our funding interests, and our grantmaking that could be the topic for future videos.