DeKalb County Community Foundation awards fall community grants

SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County Community Foundation awarded $162,250 in grants this fall to 25 local nonprofit and community organizations.

Community Needs Grants are distributed every year during the fall and spring to eligible organizations in DeKalb County. Grants are awarded to nonprofits in the following areas: arts and culture, education, community development, environment and animal welfare and health and human services.

Fall Community Needs Grants recipients include:

• Barb Food Mart- $10,000 to build a structure for a food pantry welcome station
• Clinton Township Public Library- $750 to establish a STEM equipment collection
• Ben Gordon Center- $10,000 to provide instructor training and supplies for mental health first aid program
• DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office- $27,000 to add a mobile communications terminal to patrol vehicles
• Dimensions Youth Ballet- $1,500 to provide supplies for a ballet production
• Elder Care Services of DeKalb County- $3,400 to build an accessible ramp
• Federated Church Preschool- $2,000 to add ground covering to a playground
• Fox Valley Family YMCA- $9,400 to install security cameras for a childcare center
• Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois- $2,700 to provide girl’s empowerment program kits
• Girls on the Run of Northwest Illinois- $2,500 to provide supplies for a girl’s exercise program
• Indian Valley Community Band- $500 to purchase music for performances
• Indian Valley Vocational Center- $9,500 to acquire welders for students
• Kirkland Community FPD- $10,400 to purchase a power load system for an ambulance
• Kirkland Lions Club- $2,500 to remodel a hall bathroom for ADA compliance
• Kishwaukee Valley Art League- $3,000 to purchase art supplies for community art classes
• Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) Division Six- $3,000 to purchase a medical bed
• Malta Township Public Library- $4,000to create a collaborative community art mosaic for the front of the library
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI KDK)- $2,500 to provide materials to connect individuals with mental health services
• Oaken Acres Wildlife Center- $9,500 to construct a space for ducklings and goslings
• Opportunity House, Inc.- $16,300 to obtain a walk-in tub for client services
• Sycamore Public Library- $8,000 to build a play-based learning area for youth
• Tails Humane Society- $2,400 to obtain a washing machine
• The Barn on Baseline- $1,100 to provide a ventilation system for an animal shelter
• Voluntary Action Center- $17,300 to provide ovens and a range
• Youth Pride Foundation- $3,000 to support a youth sports camp

Community Needs Grants are one of several grantmaking programs that receive funding through the foundations’ Community Impact Funds, Field of Interest Funds and Donor Advised Funds.

To donate to any fund at the Community Foundation, visit dekalbccf.org/donate or write to the DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore.

For more information, email grants@dekalbccf.org.