OVERVIEW: The Dearborn Community Foundation supports arts, culture, humanities, public benefit, education, public safety, environment, animal protection, human services and youth programs in Indiana.
IP TAKE: The Dearborn Community Foundation sees itself as a “vital instrument” for nonprofit support and community betterment in Dearborn County. This community funder has an accessible application system and many different grant interests in this particular county of Indiana. These grants are competitive, so new grantseekers will need to spend some time tailoring their proposal to a pressing community need. Reach out to foundation staff with questions.
PROFILE: Established in 1997, the Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF) is a community foundation based in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. It was originally called the Dearborn County Community Foundation after being founded by a small group of community leaders led by founding president Mike Kramer. The foundation aims to “catalyst to connect people who care with causes that improve the quality of life in our community by advancing cultural, educational and social opportunities, while preserving our community’s heritage and helping donors to create a permanent legacy in Dearborn County.” DCF funds local efforts for arts, culture, humanities, public benefit, education, public safety, environment, animal protection, human services and youth.
Grants for Community Development
The Dearborn Community Foundation funds a wide variety of local causes within the county and surrounding regions in Indiana. Recent support includes grants to food pantries, local museums, and fire and rescue organizations. There are separate DCF grant programs for the city of Lawrenceburg, youth organizations in Lawrence, Dearborn County progress grants and Sprint education grants. Grantseekers should only apply for one grant program per cycle. DCF does not make grants to individuals except for scholarships, travel expenses, sustaining ongoing programs, political or religious causes or property improvements.
The community foundation makes grants through a handful of community grant programs:
City of Lawrenceburg Community Grant Program supports nonprofits that benefit the Lawrenceburg community and residents of Dearborn County. Grants are awarded in two phases: requests for under $5,000 and request up to $100,000.
City of Lawrenceburg Youth Grant Program supports nonprofits with projects or programs that benefit young people under the age of 18. Grants are for up to $8,000 and cannot go to school sponsored programs.
DCF Youth Council is composed of high school students that make grant recommendations through the DCF Youth Council Endowment Fund to support a variety of community needs.
A complete list of designated funds, donor advised funds, field of interest funds, scholarship funds, and unrestricted/community funds is here. Each has its own interest area, although some are more specialized and narrowly focused than others. Grantseekers can only apply to the community grant programs listed above and Sprint Educational Excellence Grants, which are outlined in the section below.
Past local community improvement and human services grants have gone to Lawrenceburg Main Street, Laughery Valley Fraternal Order of Police, Southeastern Indiana Economic Opportunity Corporation, Youth Encouragement Services, North Dearborn Pantry, Fairhaven Apartments, Heart House, One Community One Family, Dearborn Adult Center, and Dillsboro Summer Recreation.
Grants for Education
While the community grants programs outlined above may support education peripherally, the foundation has one program that supports education directly, including support for schools and school sponsored projects and programs, which the other community grant programs will not fund.
Sprint Educational Excellence Grants support “Innovative programs that improve learning opportunities in our community.” Grants are for up to $1,000.
Previous education grants have supported schools and school districts, higher education, adult education, and education service providers. Past grantees include Lawrenceburg Community School, which received almost $350,000 in grants between 2020 and 2022. Other education grantees include Dollars for Scholars, South Dearborn, Ivy Tech Community College, Saint Lawrence School, South Dearborn Community School, Dearborn County Girls Softball, Purdue University, Dearborn Adult Center, and Dillsboro Summer Recreation.
The foundation also offers scholarships to local students.
Grants for Public Health and Access
The Dearborn Community Foundation supports area health organizations and healthcare providers through its community grants programs, which fund a variety of different interest areas in addition to health. These grants are competitive, so health projects will be measured against other types of community needs.
Past grantees in this space include Community Mental Health Center, which received a $103,753 grant, Heart House, 4 Paws for Ability, Dearborn County Hospital Foundation, Bright Volunteer Fire Company for EMT services, Dearborn County Clearing House for Emergency Aid, Greendale Emergency Rescue, and Dearborn County 911.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The community foundation does not make many grants to arts or culture organizations, but those it does support tend to be focused on cultural and historical heritage. It has supported community beautification projects in the past. Arts grants are made through the various community grants programs.
Past grantees include Trinity Episcopal Church, Aurora Riverfront Beautification, Hillforest Historical Foundation, Dearborn Highlands Arts Council, Southeastern Indiana Art Guild, and Lawrenceburg Public Library Services and Resources.
Important Grant Details
Grants typically range between about $1,000 and $50,000, but they have reached $150,000 on occasion. The foundation made over $1.4 million in grants in a recent year and held more than $25.5 million in assets.
Grantmaking focuses on Dearborn County, Indiana.
This foundation accepts unsolicited grant applications from nonprofits.
DCF has a grant committee that makes recommendations, and the review process can take up to three months.
DCF uses an online application system and has different deadlines for its various grant programs.
Full evaluation criteria and policies are available here.
Direct general questions to the staff at 812-539-4115 or to individual staff members via email.
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