Meet four Foellinger Foundation Community Interests Grantees creating gathering spaces where Allen County residents can learn, explore, and connect.

Foellinger Foundation grantee organizations share insights on student achievements from 2026 Boys & Girls Clubs Summer Learning Labs.

At Foellinger Foundation, we are committed to transparency and keeping our grantee and community partners informed. The Foundation’s Board of Directors recently approved an update to our grant eligibility guidelines regarding how long an organization must hold its nonprofit status.

Meta Description: Learn how Foellinger Foundation Youth Development grantees prepare Allen County youth to become productive and contributing members of the community.

Foellinger Foundation has awarded the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne (BGC) up to $2 million via a Special Opportunity Grant to help fund the BGC Summer Learning Labs program.

Foellinger Foundation is proud to once again partner with the City of Fort Wayne’s Department of Neighborhoods for the 2026 Fort Wayne Neighborhood Engagement Grant Program for the second consecutive year. Funded by a Special Opportunity Grant from Foellinger Foundation and managed and administered by the City of Fort Wayne’s Department of Neighborhoods, this program provides grants to neighborhood associations to support programs and events that foster connection, collaboration, and relationship-building.

Strong families are built on more than just one source of support. They’re shaped by access to opportunity, healthy relationships, and dependable care. Through our Community-Based grants, Foellinger Foundation supports nonprofit organizations across Allen County that strengthen key areas of family life. Our Family Development grantees, one of three focus areas within our community-based grantmaking, help adults build the skills, stability, and confidence needed to support their families and move from dependence to independence. 

Legacy & Beyond: The History Center

As part of our 2025 annual report, we challenged four nonprofit leaders to answer this question in a statement that describes the impact they hope their organizations will have on the community through their leadership.

Legacy & Beyond: Alive Community Outreach

As part of our 2025 annual report, we challenged four nonprofit leaders to answer this question in a statement that describes the impact they hope their organizations will have on the community through their leadership.

Legacy & Beyond: Turnstone

As part of our 2025 annual report, we challenged four nonprofit leaders to answer this question in a statement that describes the impact they hope their organizations will have on the community through their leadership.

Legacy & Beyond: Lutheran Social Services of Indiana

As part of our 2025 annual report, we challenged four nonprofit leaders to answer this question in a statement that describes the impact they hope their organizations will have on the community through their leadership.

Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in strengthening the social fabric of a community. And even the most mission-driven organizations need strong internal systems, effective leadership, and reliable infrastructure to thrive. That’s where capacity building comes in.

Foellinger Foundation’s Capacity Building grants support Allen County nonprofits at critical moments in their organizational development. These grants help organizations improve governance, upgrade technology, develop staff, refine strategy, improve program impact, and ultimately, serve their communities more effectively and sustainably. Capacity Building grants provide the resources needed to turn thoughtful planning into meaningful, lasting improvements.

At Foellinger Foundation, our work is rooted in the passions and values of the Foellinger family. Oscar and Esther Foellinger instilled in their daughters, Helene and Loretta, a deep commitment to civic involvement and active concern for the well-being of their community. Together, Helene and Esther co-founded Foellinger Foundation in 1958 to ensure those values would live on.

Since 1972, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana (BBBS NEI) has been helping children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one relationships between adult volunteers, known as "Bigs," and young people, called "Littles," ranging in age from 6 to 22. Serving communities across 10 counties in northeast Indiana and two in southern Michigan, their programs foster positive relationships that have a direct and lasting impact on the lives of young people, particularly those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Allen County Public Library (ACPL) Summer Learning Program celebrates science, play, arts, reading, and more by inviting youth, adults, and families from Allen County to compete in reading challenges and participate in activities to win prizes. This year’s program runs from June 1 to July 31, 2025.  

The Neighborhood Engagement Grants, managed and administered by the City of Fort Wayne’s Department of Neighborhoods, support registered neighborhood projects that engage their residents. With funding provided by a Special Opportunity Grant from Foellinger Foundation, these grants reflect a shared commitment to building a vibrant and interconnected community.

What skills does it take to build a thriving life? Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (CCFWSB) sought to answer this question and enhance its programs, services, and operations as part of its strategic plan, “Building Roads to Hope.”