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.

Foundation invests in 10 youth-serving organizations’ projects

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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 $447,000 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:

  • Central Noble Community School Corporation (Albion, IN): $4,818 to support the professional development of educators through their attendance at the annual Indiana Youth Institute Kids Count Conference.
  • Giving Gardens of Indiana (Columbia City, IN): $50,000 to support the organization’s Wild Willow Nature Preschool in which children ages 3-6 engage in hands-on learning and exploration in a natural environment.
  • Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana (Fort Wayne, IN): $25,000 to support the organization’s JA JobSpark in-person and virtual expos that help connect middle and high school students to career opportunities and highlight the skills needed to be successful in those careers.
  • Athens City Schools (Athens, AL): $8,000 to support the after-school enrichment program at Brookhill Elementary so that students can strengthen peer relationships and build skills and self-confidence.
  • Cardinal Services, Inc. (Warsaw, IN): $25,000 to support the organization’s workforce-readiness programs for young people with disabilities so they can be successful in finding employment.
  • DeKalb County Central United School District (Waterloo, IN): $250,000 over two years to support the Baron Advanced Manufacturing program in which high school students build in-demand technical skills in the classroom and by working at area employers.
  • Black Pine Animal Sanctuary (Albion, IN): $90,000 over three years to support educational programs for young people that help build problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.
  • Classical Roots Christian School (Fort Wayne, IN): $20,000 to support the school’s educational enrichment days and summer camps in Noble County that contribute to students’ knowledge of the environment, agriculture, foreign language, industrial arts, and fine arts.
  • Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful, Inc. (Athens, AL): $3,500 to support the organization’s Earth Day expo that raises young people’s awareness of the environment and community stewardship.
  • Kosciusko County Soil & Water Conservation District (Warsaw, IN): $880 to support the district’s educational programs in which young people learn about aquatic ecosystems and water quality.

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.

Our 2022 annual report: When Adults Step Back, Children Step Forward

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Over the years we’ve been known to say, “Great things happen when adults step back to consider what children need to grow and develop.” Our 2022 annual report highlights some of the great things our grantees are doing.

They stepped back and thought hard about how they could better serve young people in their communities. Then they turned their ideas into action. For example, they helped adolescents gain workforce-ready skills. They expanded early learning options for families. And they constructed or renovated facilities where young people have opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and character.

We invested in those projects — and many others — because we believe they will help young people step forward toward self-sufficiency and economic freedom.

We invite you to read our latest annual report, When Adults Step Back, Children Step Forward. In it are stories about some of our grantees in Indiana, Iowa, Alabama, and Minnesota. As you read them, we hope you’re inspired to think about the young people you serve and how your work aligns with ours.