Grantee Stories
Meta Description: Learn how Foellinger Foundation Youth Development grantees prepare Allen County youth to become productive and contributing members of the community.
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.
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.”
The first five years of a child’s life are so important to their development. That’s why the quality of early childhood care and education during this time is critical—it shapes how their brains grow and helps them develop life-long learning skills.
Brightpoint Head Start helps children prepare for the transition to kindergarten—and academic and social success beyond that—by providing the quality preschool experience children need. Every classroom follows a routine that includes meals, reading, playtime, and more.