Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc logo

Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc

Public charity · Grantmaker Auburn, IN EIN: 35-1992897 Website

Community Foundation DeKalb County is a public charity based in Auburn, Indiana. Established in 1996, it builds charitable endowments and makes grants to support the quality of life in DeKalb County, Indiana.

Key facts about Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc

In short: Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc gave $1.6M across 26 grants in 2024 (avg $61K), mostly in Indiana. 38% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.

EIN
35-1992897
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$1,594,303
Grants made (2024)
26
Average grant
$61,319
Median grant
$10,797
New grantees (estimate)
38% first-time grantees (10 of 26, 2024)
Total assets
$28,764,168
Primary geography
Indiana (99% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
How to apply
The foundation accepts quarterly Community Grant applications. Full details ↓
Deadline
January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990 · View filing

Total Assets

$28.8M

+13.5% YoY

Annual Giving

$1.6M

+258.2% YoY

Grant Count

26

-10.3% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$61K

+299.5% YoY

Is Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

38%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 10 of 26 grantees (38%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $89K. How we count

Medians: $10K first-time, $13K repeat.

  • 46% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
  • Giving grew 308% from 2021 to 2024. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The foundation’s mission is to promote community philanthropy by offering local citizens the opportunity to create a charitable legacy that will sustain and improve life in the county.

Its stated grantmaking areas of interest are arts and culture, community development, education, environment, health, human services, literacy, and youth and youth development. Grants may also support general operating expenses or organizational capacity building when these address local charitable needs.

The foundation supports nonprofit organizations and charitable projects serving DeKalb County. Examples of grantees’ work include United Way of DeKalb County, whose mission is to advance health, education, and financial stability, and Northeastern Center, which provides behavioral health services. Alliance Industries describes its work as a sheltered workshop for disabled children and youth.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation reported awarding more than 225 grants through its programs. Its 2024 filing itemizes 26 grants totaling $1,594,303; those grants ranged from $5,250 to $1,220,761, with a median of $10,797. The largest was $1,220,761 to the City of Auburn for a trail project. Other notable itemized grants included $63,250 to United Way of DeKalb County for general support, $31,554 to Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile for general support, and $25,000 to Auburn Presbyterian Church for operating support.

Review Cycle

. The foundation favors proposals that reach a broad segment of the community, promote cooperation, strengthen an organization’s effectiveness, are proactive, and relate directly to the applicant’s mission. Low-priority requests include those over $5,000 (applicants are asked to contact the foundation to discuss larger needs before applying), requests where the foundation would be the sole funder, debt reduction, travel, matching funds, and repeat funding for the same project or program. The foundation also identifies requests from organizations with an open quarterly-grant file, such as an unfiled final report, as low priority. It will not consider grants to individuals, political activities, or national organizations unless funds are used solely to benefit DeKalb County residents.

Open Grants

3 open opportunities from Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation identifies DeKalb County, Indiana, as its service area. Its 2024 itemized grants went primarily to Indiana recipients (99% of grant dollars), with 1% going to Illinois recipients.

Grant Distribution by State

2states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.

Cities

AuburnGarrettFort WayneButlerGridleyCorunnaWaterlooHuntertownKendallvilleMuncieChicagoLagrangeSt Joe

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$500K$1M$1.5M$2M19 grants2020 24 grants2021 29 grants2022 29 grants2023 26 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $391K (2021) to $1.6M (2024). In 2024 it made 26 grants totaling $1.6M.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

City of Auburn: $1.2MCity of Auburn$1.2MUnited Way of Dekalb County Inc: $63KUnited Way of Dekalb CountyInc$63KAuburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum: $32KAuburn Cord DuesenbergAutomobile Museum$32KAuburn Presbyterian Church: $25KAuburn Presbyterian Church$25KDekalb County Outdoor Theater Inc: $24KDekalb County Outdoor TheaterInc$24KYMCA of Dekalb County Inc: $23KYMCA of Dekalb County Inc$23KWomen's Care Center Northeast Indiana: $21KWomen's Care Center NortheastIndiana$21KNortheastern Center Inc: $20KNortheastern Center Inc$20KAlliance Industries Dekalb Assoc for Development: $19KAlliance Industries DekalbAssoc for Development$19KLifesong for Orphans: $15KLifesong for Orphans$15K

The largest 2024 recipient was City of Auburn ($1.2M). Together the top 10 received $1.5M.

Grant Size Distribution

127 grants across all recorded years

120<$50K5$50–100K1$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M1$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 120 grants of 127 (94%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
City of Auburn Auburn, INTrail Project$1,220,761
United Way of Dekalb County Inc Auburn, INGeneral Support$63,250
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum Auburn, INGeneral Support$31,554
Auburn Presbyterian Church Auburn, INOperating Support$25,000
Dekalb County Outdoor Theater Inc Auburn, INGeneral Support$24,000
YMCA of Dekalb County Inc Auburn, INProgram Support$22,501
Women's Care Center Northeast Indiana Auburn, INOperating Support$21,200
Northeastern Center Inc Kendallville, INBehavioral Health$20,000
Alliance Industries Dekalb Assoc for Development Garrett, INGeneral Support$18,872
Lifesong for Orphans Gridley, ILGeneral Support$15,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Itemized grant total
2022 $22,778,629 $2,506,599 $1,635,513 $414,084
2023 $25,342,823 $2,552,110 $1,961,406 $445,125
2024 $28,764,168 $5,015,397 $3,067,990 $1,594,303

The 2024 itemized grant total covers 26 grants. The foundation separately reported awarding more than 225 grants in 2024 through its programs.

Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$2M$4M$6M2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Metric202420232022
Total Assets$28,764,168$25,342,823$22,778,629
Revenue$5,015,397$2,552,110$2,506,599
Expenses$3,067,990$1,961,406$1,635,513
Net Investment Income$1,007,866$964,342$997,881

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 20, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 12, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 25, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS October 20, 2025)
  6. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation’s website lists Jim Sparrow as board president, Thomas Mason as vice president, and Angie Holt as treasurer. It names Tanya Young as executive director and CEO. The 2024 filing lists Tasha Eicher as president, Jim Sparrow as vice president, Angie Holt as treasurer, and Loraine Hartranft as secretary.

Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc is led by Tasha Eicher, President since 2023 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 16 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Tasha Eicher

    President

    Director → Vice President, 2021

    Vice President → President, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Allison Carnahan

    Director

    Secretary → Director, 2021

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Becky Hefty

    Director

    President → Advisor, 2021

    Advisor → Director, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Judy Hey

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Zach Lightner

    Director

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Justin Clark

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Norm Yoder

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Scott Armstrong

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Sue Randa

    Director

    On filings since 2021

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Nick Stephan

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Thomas Mason

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tanya Young

    Executive Di

    On filings since 2020

    40 hrs/week

    $70K (2020) → $103K (2024)

  • Angie Holt

    Treasurer

    Director → Secretary, 2021

    Secretary → Treasurer, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Barbara Olenyik Morrow

    Advisor

    Vice President → President, 2021

    President → Advisor, 2023

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Loraine Hartranft

    Secretary

    Director → Secretary, 2022

    On filings since 2020

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jim Sparrow

    Vice President

    Director → Vice President, 2023

    On filings since 2022

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (7)
  • Former: Melissa McLaughlin (2020–2023) — Director
  • Former: Bryan Nugen (2020–2022) — Advisor
  • Former: Terry Rayle (2020–2022) — Director
  • Former: Jennifer Bell (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Kathie Swaim (2020–2021) — Director
  • Former: Holly Albright (2020) — Director
  • Former: Matthew Bechdol (2020) — Advisor

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Compensation Overview

From 2024 IRS filing

Tanya Young — Executive Di: $103KTanya YoungExecutive Di$103K

The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $103K, to Tanya Young (Executive Di).

Contact

Mailing address: PO Box 111 700 S Main Street, Auburn, IN 46706-0111
Phone: (260) 925-0311
Website: https://cfdekalb.org

Frequently asked questions about Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc

How much does Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc give each year?

Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc gave $1.6M across 26 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $445K across 29 grants.

What is Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc's median grant in 2024 was $10,797, and its average grant was $61,319, across 26 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc that year got $17K on average.

Where does Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc give grants?

Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc gives mostly in Indiana: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Auburn, IN (11 grants), Fort Wayne, IN (4 grants), Garrett, IN (3 grants) and Kendallville, IN (2 grants).

Does Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 42% of Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990. Recurring purposes include "Program Support" (3 grants).

Who are Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc's largest 2024 grantees include City of Auburn ($1,220,761), United Way of Dekalb County Inc ($63,250) and Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum ($31,554), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 83% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc?

Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc reported $28.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.0M.

What does Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc fund?

The foundation’s mission is to promote community philanthropy by offering local citizens the opportunity to create a charitable legacy that will sustain and improve life in the county. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc?

The foundation accepts quarterly Community Grant applications. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc's EIN?

Dekalb County Community Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 35-1992897. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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