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Grants support youth-focused 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 $980,000 in grants and pledges to 16 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:

  • Lost Sparrows, Inc. (Winona Lake, IN): $20,000 to support the organization’s annual conference for youth workers and caregivers where they learn practices and strategies that contribute to their understanding of the healthy development of young people.
  • Murray Community School District (Murray, IA): $1,500 to support updating a high school classroom so it better meets the learning needs of students.
  • Syracuse-Wawasee Park Foundation (Syracuse, IN): $100,000 to support the extension of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trail so students can engage in outdoor recreation and have a safe route to Wawasee Middle School.
  • Youth for Christ of Northern Indiana, Inc. (Fort Wayne, IN): $75,000 to support caring adults building authentic relationships with middle and high school students that enrich their mental, spiritual, and social well-being.
  • Athens City Schools (Athens, AL): $30,000 to support science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) opportunities at the school so that students building problem-solving, collaboration, leadership, teamwork, and other skills.
  • Grace College (Winona Lake): $40,000 to support educational programs for preschool through sixth-grade students that enhance their understanding of natural environments, aquatic life, and career opportunities.
  • Mount Ayr Community Schools (Mount Ayr, IA): $500,000 to support building and equipping a career technical education academy for high school students from Mount Ayr and surrounding communities so they can gain workforce-ready skills and be better prepared for their next steps after graduation.
  • Norman County East Schools (Twin Valley, MN): $7,000 to support updating science equipment that adds to students’ learning and engagement in the classroom.
  • Shore Church, Inc./Rainbow Years Learning Center (Shipshewana, IN): $800 to support staff members’ professional development that contributes to their work with young people.
  • Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation (Akron, IN): $10,000 to support high school students’ understanding of photography so they can express themselves creatively and build skills that can lead to a career or starting their own business.
  • Warsaw Community Schools (Warsaw, IN): $21,710 to support the leadership development of elementary students as well as equipping educators with principles and strategies that elevate their work.
  • Westview School Corporation (Topeka, IN): $13,000 to support more extracurricular opportunities for junior and senior high school students through esports.
  • Boys & Girls Clubs of Elkhart County (Goshen, IN): $5,000 to support after-school programs in Angola, IN, and Ligonier, IN, so elementary students have a safe place to participate in activities, get homework help, and engage with caring adults.
  • East Noble Show Choir Boosters, Inc. (Kendallville, IN): $7,500 to support choir members’ growing confidence in their music and performance skills as well as what they are capable of achieving.
  • GO Foundation (LaGrange, IN): $150,000 to support the opening of a new childcare center for children ages 0-5 that contributes their healthy development and provides a needed option in the community for parents.
  • Greater Warsaw Cooperative Preschool, Inc. (Warsaw): $2,000 to support an additional classroom at the school that can help children develop foundational skills during their formative years.

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.

Schools, nonprofits receive grants 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 $770,000 in grants and pledges to 13 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:

  • Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Roanoke, IN): $40,000 to support the organization’s financial sustainability so that staff and volunteers can provide mentoring to student-athletes in the Dekko Foundation’s Northeast Indiana grantmaking area.
  • Judy A. Morrill Recreation Center (Garrett, IN): $330,000 over three years to support the organization’s operations so that young people can develop skills and habits for lifelong learning through its early education and youth programs.
  • Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (Des Moines, IA): $37,500 to support in-school programs in Clarke and Union counties that help young people build career-ready skills and gain experience through work-based learning opportunities.
  • Ada-Borup-West School District (Ada, MN): $90,000 over three years to support the district’s summer school program so students in grades K-6 are engaged in reading, math, and science and can participate in community field trips.
  • Cardinal Services, Inc. (Warsaw, IN): $30,000 to support science, technology, engineering, and math learning in Head Start classrooms that appeals to children’s natural curiosity and helps prepare them for elementary school.
  • Central Decatur Community School District (Leon, IA): $40,000 to support the renovation of the high school’s weight room so that it better meets the needs of students and supports their physical development.
  • Diagonal Community Schools (Diagonal, IA): $24,270 to support the district’s use of an early learning curriculum so educators have a stronger understanding of child development principles and children are better prepared to enter kindergarten.
  • Diagonal Community Schools: $16,237 over three years to support elementary teachers’ professional development so they can assist students with building foundational reading skills that lead to academic success.
  • Friendship Church (Athens, AL): $26,000 to support Friendship Learning Center’s financial sustainability so that it can retain staff at its three locations and meet the early learning needs of young people.
  • Funshine Learning Center (Lamoni, IA): $50,000 over two years to support the center’s ability to increase enrollment so that its financial sustainability is strengthened.
  • Limestone County Schools (Athens, AL): $20,000 to support the construction of greenhouses at two high schools so that students can build science, math, and literacy skills and gain hands-on experience and training in agriculture.
  • Smith-Green Community Schools (Churubusco, IN): $6,745 to support additional welding equipment for the high school agriculture program so that students can further develop their skills and earn industry-recognized certifications.
  • YMCA of Steuben County (Angola, IN): $56,000 over three years to support water safety classes for second-grade students so they can enjoy outdoor recreation and engage in physical activity.
  • American Legion Charities, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN): $4,500 to support the American Legion in Limestone County, AL, with sending young people to Boys State so they can better understand democracy and how they can be future community leaders.

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.

Foundation invests in projects that support youth

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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 $1.1 million in grants and pledges to 12 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:

  • Ada-Borup-West School District (Ada, MN): $7,000 to support the addition of potter’s wheels that elementary, junior, and senior high students can use to build skills, explore their interests, and express their creativity.
  • The Center for Whitley County Youth (Columbia City, IN): $300,000 over three years to support the organization’s programs for young people, its connections with local families, and its increased financial sustainability.
  • Learn to Read Council of Athens & Limestone County, Inc. (Athens, AL): $22,000 over two years to support the organization’s after-school and summer literacy programs for young people.
  • Lost Sparrows, Inc. (Winona Lake, IN): $20,000 to support the organization’s annual conference in which educators, youth-serving professionals, and parents learn about adverse childhood experiences and how they can aid children’s healthy development.
  • Ada-Borup-West School District: $22,000 to support the launch of a career and technical education program so that students in grades 8-12 can take part in hands-on learning and plan for their next steps after high school.
  • Chariton Community School District (Chariton, IA): $14,475 over two years to support the district’s partnership with the Southern Iowa STEAM Academy to provide science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education and enrichment to students.
  • Cole Center Family YMCA (Kendallville, IN): $400,000 to support updating pool facilities so that young people can learn water safety, build skills, and participate in competitive programs.
  • Joe’s Kids, Inc. (Warsaw, IN): $75,000 to support acquiring property for a new campus location that will help the organization meet the growing need for therapy services for children and young people with developmental delays.
  • Lakeland School Corporation (LaGrange, IN): $100,000 to support the startup of a dental academy for high school students where they can learn, build skills, and earn certifications that can lead to potential careers after graduation.
  • Limestone County Schools (Athens, AL): $10,000 to support the renovation of a courtyard at East Limestone High School so the learning environment is improved for students and there are more opportunities for outdoor classes and events.
  • Limestone County Schools: $100,000 to support the construction of a training facility at the Limestone County Career Technical Center where students in building trades classes can gain skills in commercial construction.
  • Murray Community School District (Murray, IA): $25,000 to support updating the district’s library so that students in grades K-12 are more engaged in their learning.
  • Smith-Green Community Schools (Churubusco, IN): $75,000 to support updating the junior-senior high school’s auditorium with new lighting so that students can follow their interests, express their creativity, and build performance skills.
  • Athens Bible School (Athens, AL): $6,231 to support the school’s use of an assessment tool so that educators can better understand students’ needs and how they can enhance the learning environment in their classrooms.

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 projects that build knowledge, skills, character

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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 $499,000 in grants and pledges to 18 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:

  • Cole Center Family YMCA (Kendallville, IN): $20,000 to support the YMCA’s summer youth program, Camp Wethonkitha, which is a collaboration with the City of Kendallville Park and Recreation Department.
  • Fort Wayne Zoological Society (Fort Wayne, IN): $67,794 over two years to support the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s Zoomobile program for students in the Dekko Foundation’s grantmaking priority counties in Northeast Indiana.
  • Harold W. McMillen Center for Health Education (Fort Wayne, IN): $30,000 to support the center’s preventative health education programs for students in the Dekko Foundation’s grantmaking priority counties in Northeast Indiana.
  • Historic Forks of the Wabash (Huntington, IN): $7,500 to support upgrades to facilities so that more young people in Northeast Indiana can learn about the region’s history.
  • Indiana Youth Institute, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN): $60,000 to support the organization’s programs and services for youth workers in Northeast Indiana that positively impact their interactions with children and young people.
  • Joe’s Kids, Inc. (Warsaw, IN): $25,000 to support the organization’s therapy services for children and young people that contribute to their healthy development.
  • Malachy Catholic School (Creston, IA): $50,000 to support the construction of a new playground that encourages physical movement and outdoor play.
  • East Noble School Corp. (Kendallville, IN): $9,725 to support a portable sound and lighting system for the high school’s competitive choirs so that performances and student engagement are enhanced.
  • Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, Inc. (New Haven, IN): $10,000 to support the organization’s Indiana Rail Camp for young people so they can build skills through hands-on learning about trains and railroads.
  • Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Inc. (Warsaw, IN): $12,800 to support Launchpad, the county’s early learning coalition that is working to address childcare needs in the community and educators’ professional development.
  • Ruth Stultz Nursery School, Inc. (Ligonier, IN): $11,008 to support facility improvements so that children are in a learning environment that contributes to building knowledge, skills, and character.
  • Shore Church, Inc. (Shipshewana, IN): $28,000 to support facility improvements so that more children learn in an environment that is safe, comfortable, and promotes their healthy development.
  • Spirit of Athens, Alabama, Inc. (Athens, AL): $9,000 to support the construction of a children’s pavilion at the Athens Farmers Market that will be used for educational and entertainment programs.
  • Athens Limestone County Tourism (Athens, AL): $4,000 to support Superhero Day, in which children connect with everyday heroes like police officers, firefighters, and emergency responders and participate in educational activities.
  • LaGrange County 4-H Club Association (LaGrange, IN): $40,000 to support facility projects at the LaGrange County 4-H Fairgrounds so that young people and families have an enhanced experience at the fair.
  • Leon United Methodist Church (Leon, IA): $4,500 to support local Boy Scouts’ participation in a backpacking trek in the American Southwest where they learn teamwork, responsibility, and leadership.
  • Ringgold County Fair Association (Mount Ayr, IA): $100,000 to support a facility expansion project at the county fairgrounds so that more educational programs can be offered to young people and they gain skills in agriculture and raising livestock.
  • Southern Iowa STEAM Academy (Chariton, IA): $10,000 to support summer camps in which children build problem-solving and critical-thinking skills through hands-on learning about science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics.

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.