Foellinger Foundation is pleased to announce Amanda Jamison’s promotion to Chief Program Officer. She assumed the role on September 1, 2024, with the start of our 2025 fiscal year.

Amanda succeeds Dawn Martz in this role, who will maintain her involvement with internal operations at the Foundation through the end of the 2024 calendar year, after which she will retire.

As we celebrate the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act—which was passed on July 26, 1990—Luke Labas, Director of the Inclusion Institute at The League and graduate of the Leadership Lab, reminds us that “the disability community is the only minority group that 100% of people will join, it’s just a matter of when.”

Over the last year, Foellinger Foundation’s board of directors underwent strategic planning to evaluate our grantmaking and strategic direction and ensure it aligns with its donor intent: to build self-reliance in Allen County citizens, encouraging them to move from dependence to independence to interdependence.

We are pleased to share that the results of this process affirm the Foundation’s current operations, and no major changes to our mission, vision, strategic intent, or grantmaking will occur.

Leading Art for Hope for three years gave me a glimpse into the philanthropic world, and my time as an intern at the Foellinger Foundation showed me new dimensions of how philanthropic organizations operate. I remember the kindness I was greeted with on my first day. Everyone on the Foundation’s staff went out of their way to visit me, personally introduce themselves, and welcome me to the Foundation. I think it was this genuine warmth and building of community that emanates throughout the Foellinger Foundation’s mission—in addition to the amazing atmosphere and how beautiful the building is—that made my time truly a joy.

Foellinger Foundation will transition its grantmaking software from GivingData to Foundant Technologies. Foundant is an online grant management system that will improve nonprofit organizations' grant application and management process—providing an easy-to-use interface, better communication and access to information, and opportunity for collaboration.

Foellinger Foundation welcomes Lisa Pickerman as the Program and Grants Manager. Lisa will provide crucial support to Foellinger Foundation grantees, serving as the primary point of contact for using our grant application and management system.

Lisa’s experience includes seven years at the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne as the Senior Impact Officer, where she managed grants and scholarships, interfacing with more than 100 nonprofit organizations each year. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Indiana Institute of Technology and Certificate of Achievement for Facilitative Leadership from Purdue University.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Fort Wayne’s homeownership program empowers Allen County residents to increase their strength, stability, and self-reliance by helping hard-working, low- to middle-income families build and purchase their own homes. In 2023, Habitat served 20 families—and in 2024, they will serve a record 26 families, thanks to new and innovative collaborations.

Foellinger Foundation welcomed Samuel R. Graves as Board Chair as of January 1, 2024. Sam joined the Foellinger Foundation Board of Directors in 2020 and served as the Vice Chair and Secretary in 2023. Sam’s involvement with the Foundation began in 2016, and includes service on the following committees: Community Interests Grant Review Advisory, Limited Asset Improvement, Audit, Investment and Finance, Board Development, Search, Leadership, and Thrive.

Foellinger Foundation has announced a $125,000 five-year program grant to Courageous Healing in honor of late Foellinger Foundation board member, Janae McCullough-Boyd. The grant will support counseling and/or coaching for African American women in Allen County.

Afterschool programs provide safe environments for youth to continue to learn and grow. School-age children and youth spend 80% of their waking hours outside of school, so how they spend that time can be formative for continuing not only their academic development—but also their social and emotional development.

Amanda Jamison joined the Foellinger Foundation staff on November 13, 2023 as the Senior Program Officer.

Amanda relocated to Fort Wayne from Elkhart, Indiana, where she was the Senior Program Officer at the Community Foundation of Elkhart County (CFEC). At CFEC, Amanda was responsible for advancing the foundation’s grantmaking and scholarship efforts. She served on task forces and community committees to address significant community issues. Amanda also coached individuals and nonprofit organizations that sought to bolster opportunities for others at CFEC. She worked across all departments to achieve the charitable intent as established by donors.

Afterschool programs provide safe environments for youth to continue to learn and grow. School-age children and youth spend 80% of their waking hours outside of school, so how they spend that time can be formative for continuing not only their academic development—but also their social and emotional development.

We are pleased to share with you that the Foellinger Foundation has announced Sarah Strimmenos as its next President and CEO.

Linda Jackson, Board Chair of Erin’s House, was recognized as the 2023 David A. Bobilya Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award recipient at a ceremony on September 27, 2023. Congratulations, Linda!

In celebration of its 65th anniversary, the Foellinger Foundation board of directors has approved a three-year, $1,000,000 grant to the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation department for capital support of the Foellinger Outdoor Theatre and Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory.

Annie Davis and her family were recruited from Louisiana to Fort Wayne more than 30 years ago. During her career, she has taught at Memorial Park, Bunche, and Southern Heights (Levon Scott) elementary schools until she switched to teaching middle school in 1999.

To strengthen her leadership skills, Annie participated in the 2022 Sonder Fellowship. The Sonder Fellowship is a leadership training program for BIPOC leaders, by BIPOC leaders, that are living, working, or serving in Southeast Fort Wayne.

The Barbara Burt Innovative Leader Fund (BBILF) provides grants to nonprofit board members for unique learning experiences. Board members may apply for funding to attend conferences, workshops, webinars, or other events—encouraging them to think innovatively, develop adaptive leadership skills, network with other nonprofit leaders, and explore leadership styles and best practices within nonprofit organizations.

Incorporated on March 2, 1960, ACRES is Indiana’s oldest and largest local land trust. The nonprofit organization protects more than 7,200 acres of land in northeast Indiana and portions of southern Michigan and northwest Ohio.

Foellinger Foundation announces a search for its next President and CEO. The Foundation will begin accepting applications June 16, 2023, and plans to announce its next President and CEO in fall 2023.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s Zoo for All program was built from their vision that every family in our community should feel welcomed, regardless of their needs. Zoo for All encompasses all IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access) work, which includes community tickets, accessible facility improvements, employment initiatives, and more.