KCCF Awards Nearly $160,000 In Community Funds

The Kosciusko County Community Foundation recently awarded $159,349 to 21 local organizations and agencies.

Community Fund Grants are awarded based on a competitive grant application process. Nonprofit organizations serving Kosciusko County are eligible to apply in one of seven areas of interest that include education, health, recreation, arts & culture, civic projects, the environment, and human services. 

Congratulations to the following organizations:   

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana – $7,500 for Youth mentoring program support, made possible by the Miles D. and Maxine I. Igo Community Fund.
• Boomerang Backpacks – $7,500 for food for needy elementary students, made possible by the Avalon Community Fund and Jerry and Norma Ferguson Community Fund.
• Bowen Health – $7,500 for the housing stabilization loan program, made possible by Community Funds.
• Combined Community Services – $10,000 for self-sufficiency programs, made possible by the Robert and Ann Gephart Memorial Fund, Boren Family Fund, and Neal and Joy Carlson Community Fund.
• Front Porch Ministries – $5,000 for the Claypool Cares Food Pantry and building improvements, made possible by the Miles D. And Maxine I. Igo Community Fund.
• Greater Warsaw Cooperative Preschool – $6,000 for new classroom startup materials and afternoon enrichment programs, made possible by the Bright Start Early Learning Fund and Dekko Enhancement Fund.
• Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry – $5,000 for processing of meat for hunger relief agencies, made possible by the Carl N. Wendel Fund and Donald and Mildred Frantz Discretionary Endowment Fund.
• Hope & Hygiene Foundation – $1,000 for hygiene packages for low-income individuals and families, made possible by the Robert and Ann Gephart Memorial Fund.
• Kosciusko Community YMCA – $5,000 for financial assistance for memberships for low-income individuals, made possible by the Dekko Enhancement Fund, Robert and Ann Gephart Memorial Fund, and Rob and Renee Parker Community Fund.
• Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department – $19,996 for thermal drones, made possible by the Kosciusko Civil Services Fund.
• Kosciusko Leadership Academy – $5,000 for the Community Leadership Development program, made possible by Community Funds.
• Mentone Elementary School – $6,000 for decodable books to improve literacy, made possible by the Dekko Enhancement Fund, Blackburn and McFadden Fund, Findlay Education Fund, and Aiden William Katip Memorial Fund.
• North Webster Community Center – $4,000 for the Ninja Warrior program, made possible by the Archibald (Arch) and Della Baumgartner Fund and Mariposa Fund.
• Northern Indiana Plein Air Artist Association – $1,353 for plein air painting workshops and events, made possible by the Suzie Light Visual and Performing Arts Fund, Light House Community Fund, and The J. Alan Morgan and Lucy Morgan Community Endowment in Kosciusko County.
• Operation Read – $7,500 for literacy programming for children, made possible by the Kralis Community Funds, Hollar Family Community Fund, and Jerry and Norma Ferguson Community Fund.
• Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church – $3,000 for food for needy children at Claypool Elementary School, made possible by Board of Directors Community Endowment Fund.
• Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center – $10,000 for a Victim’s Advocate staff position, made possible by the Dekko Enhancement Fund.
• Syracuse Police Department – $20,000 for Mobile Data Terminal replacements, made possible by the Kosciusko Civil Services Fund.
• The Center for Whitley County Youth – $6,000 for youth programming for Whitko students, made possible by the Miles D. And Maxine I. Igo Community Fund.
• Town of Sidney – $15,000 for strategic planning, made possible by the Byron C. Doran and Jo Ann Doran Charitable Endowment, Community Funds, and The William and Helen Dye Endowment Fund.
• Warsaw Parks & Recreation Department – $7,000 for the 2025 Summer Concert Series, made possible by The Richard, Evelyn and Jane Glover Charitable Endowment.