Community Foundation Awards Nearly $1 Million in Special Project Grants

St. Joseph County is a great place to call home — but not everyone has it so easy. That’s why the Community Foundation is proud to support the local organizations working to lift up those on the margins.

This spring, the Foundation awarded nearly $1 million in Special Project Grants to seven area organizations. Among the largest recipients was St. Margaret’s House, which will use its $250,000 award as part of its ongoing capital campaign.

Since 1990, St. Margaret’s House has been serving vulnerable women and children in downtown South Bend, providing a safe place, healthy community, and programs that affirm the dignity of its guests.

St. Margaret’s House provides its guests tens of thousands of meals every year, in addition to showers, clothing, laundry, and counseling services. The need for these services has only grown since the 2020 pandemic, and St. Margaret’s house is prepared to grow to meet the occasion, planning $7.5 million in facility renovations.

The planned renovations will allow St. Margaret’s House to extend its hours of operation, provide more programs, and serve more guests more often.

“The building will be a visible testament in the heart of downtown to our larger community’s care for women and children who need support,” said Katie Elliot, Executive Director at St. Margaret’s House.

An additional $250,000 award will help HealthLinc renovate its Mishawaka clinic and expand medical services for underserved local residents. By 2026, the expansion will allow HealthLinc to serve more than 4,600 patients.

Full List of Spring 2025 Special Project Grant Recipients

$250,000 to HealthLinc
Funds will help support HealthLinc in remodeling the unused portion of its Mishawaka clinic to expand healthcare services for underserved St. Joseph County residents. The renovation will create a dedicated space for women’s health/OB services, behavioral health, optometry, and chiropractic care. It will also serve as a training site for the Behavioral Health Residency program. This expansion will add 14,000 visits by 2026, serving over 4,600 patients. The new facility will include additional service areas, a classroom, a conference room, and increased staffing, including providers and support staff.

$250,000 to New Day Intake Center
Funds will be used for the New Day Intake Center (NDIC) building on Old Cleveland Road, which will be a compassionate, low-barrier facility aiding homeless individuals. The facility will have 120 beds (60 for men, 30 for women, and 30 single rooms for either). This new facility will promote the dignity of guests with amenities like a kitchen, dining and community area, laundry room, offices, and dedicated spaces for mental and physical health care. The Motels4Now model has achieved a 77% success rate, helping nearly 800 guests to-date.

$250,000 to St. Margaret’s House
Funds will help support the redesign and expansion of St. Margaret’s House (SMH) existing building at 117 N. Lafayette Blvd, South Bend. The expansion will add approximately 6,500 sf. (a 47% increase in total space) for SMH’s work with vulnerable women and children in the South Bend region. The result will be a purposefully designed space that considers and responds to the needs of guests for decades to come. The new building will allow SMH to serve more women, more effectively, with expanded hours and services.

$100,000 to LOGAN
Affordable, accessible housing remains out of reach for many people with disabilities, even with government assistance. LOGAN has helped hundreds of clients find true homes where they live alongside peers with support from Direct Support Professionals. Funding will assist LOGAN with building a new group home on Catalpa Street in Mishawaka that will provide safe, supportive, and accessible housing for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities in St. Joseph County.

$60,000 to AIDS Ministries / AIDS Assist
Health Plus Indiana will use funding to increase medical care in the community by hiring an additional provider. This provider will increase the number of patients that the organization can serve in the office and accompany the outreach team on the street to assist with wound care to the most vulnerable populations. They expect to serve 2,000 patients in 2026, with the majority being from St. Joseph County. Health Plus Indiana plans to have this position pay for itself once credentialing is completed by the development director.

$50,000 to South Bend Greenway Conservancy
The Green Alley Project builds a critical link in a larger vision for a greenway. The project will connect the City Cemetery to the heart of the neighborhood at W. Washington Street. It will transform an underutilized city-owned alleyway and adjacent vacant lots owned by SBGC into a sustainable, climate-resilient public space that integrates stormwater management best practices, urban tree canopy expansion, and safe pedestrian connectivity. The design includes a pedestrian path and a vehicle-grade alley, separated by a bioswale populated with native trees and understory plantings.

$33,000 to Families First Center
Families First Center (FFC) aims to revitalize their facility, ensuring not only a nurturing interior environment but also a safe and welcoming exterior space. FFC recognizes the importance of physical surroundings in creating a supportive atmosphere for children and families during supervised visitation sessions. To achieve this comprehensive goal, they propose to utilize funding for interior and exterior renovations and improvements to the facility itself. FFC serves between 400-500 families a year through their services.