Community Foundation Awards More than $1 Million in Special Project Grants

As part of its 2026 spring grants cycle, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County has awarded $1,058,500 to the following organizations:

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northern Indiana Corridor: $250,000
Funds will assist the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Northern Indiana Corridor in advancing the development of a Mishawaka Neighborhood Center, transforming the 25,000 sq. ft. former City Hall into a community hub for youth, families, and seniors. The anchor service is a standalone Boys & Girls Club serving Mishawaka youth, alongside partners including WIC, REAL Services, Family & Children’s Center, and Mental Health Awareness of Michiana, providing coordinated support that strengthens family stability and well-being.

YMCA of Greater Michiana, Inc.: $250,000
Funds will help support the YMCA of Greater Michiana renovate 10,497 square feet on the first floor of the Downtown South Bend YMCA into a full-day childcare center. The center will serve 80-100 children, from infants through age three, with a strong emphasis on providing high-quality, affordable care. Their long-term goal is for families to spend no more than 10% of their annual income on childcare, helping ensure equitable access for families across the diverse community.

Early Childhood Development Center, Inc.: $100,000
The St. Joseph County Quality Improvement Grant is a local funding opportunity facilitated by Ready to Grow for licensed childcare providers enrolled in Indiana’s quality rating system – Paths to QUALITY. The QI Grant will help support continuous improvement through strategic investments in learning environments, adult-use technology, and professional development. As the opportunity expands countywide, it will increase access to quality-focused resources that help programs advance PTQ Levels 1 or 2 or sustain Levels 3 or 4, strengthening outcomes for young children and overall quality of programs.

Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc.: $75,000
Launched in June 2025, the South Bend Financial Empowerment Center provides no-cost, professional financial counseling to all residents to build savings and reduce debt. Operated by Near Northwest Neighborhood Inc., in partnership with the City of South Bend, the FEC aims to expand impact and build on the start-up phase to become a sustainable City project. Funds will be used for targeted marketing, strategic partnerships, and enhanced client experiences to increase session volume and retention. By deepening engagement, they will help more residents achieve transformative financial security.

Our Kids of South Bend: $60,000
Funds will be used for the first phase of a strategy that seeks to ensure every child, neighborhood by neighborhood, is known and supported from cradle to career. Initially focused on measurably strengthening early grade reading outcomes, Our Kids seeks to ensure that students in need of assistance receive high-dosage tutoring, high-quality after-school and summer programs, and proactive attendance support. Our Kids will strengthen, align, and expand the highest-yield services, working in collaboration with strategic partners and schools’ Multi-Tiered Systems of Support teams.

Indiana Health Centers, Inc. – Michigan Street: $52,000
This project will create a more healing environment and the capacity to expand services at the Indiana Health Centers Clinic in South Bend that is shared with the Center for the Homeless. Funds will be used for upgrades, allowing for the addition of new wellness services and improve the atmosphere of the facility to provide a vibrant, welcoming space that promotes whole-person health. IHC has the goal of increasing patient capacity from 4,000 to 4,800 patients annually and expanding wellness and behavioral health services.

TeenWorks: $50,000
TeenWorks’ Summer Program will reach 60-70 underserved teens in South Bend over the next two years and provide work-based learning opportunities at select nonprofit partner sites, providing vital career experiences and individual growth. Funds will help support teens learn from professional development training every week of the program, focusing on topics such as financial literacy, interviewing skills, and resume building. For summer 2026, they have worksites at Youth Service Bureau, the Food Bank and Adams High School.

South Bend Bike Garage: $50,000
South Bend Bike Garage will use funding to hire a part-time Executive Director to stabilize and scale a fully volunteer-run organization that provides affordable bicycles, repair services, and educational programming to the South Bend community. This role will focus on strengthening operations, coordinating volunteers, and expanding fundraising capacity to ensure long-term sustainability. By investing in professional leadership, the Bike Garage increase will access to reliable transportation, support healthier lifestyles, and deepen community connection through bicycling.

Angels in the Attic: $35,000
Funds will help support From Crisis to Stability: Safe Transport Project, ensuring that when a survivor of domestic violence says, “I’m ready to leave,” transportation is not the reason they cannot. This initiative will establish confidential relocation support and rapid delivery of essential items such as beds, food, and diapers. By removing transportation barriers, Angels in the Attic accelerates safety, dignity, and stability for hundreds of women and children each year in St. Joseph County.

Unity Gardens Inc.: $35,000
Unity Gardens’ strong social capital combined with logistics expertise of organizations who rescue and share food has created a synergistic opportunity to connect more people with more food in the community; over 500,000 pounds of food in the last 12 months. Funds will help support space and storage through climate-controlled infrastructure toT keep food optimally displayed and fresh, reducing food waste.

CDFI Friendly South Bend: $30,000
Funds will help support CDFI Friendly South Bend Region build upon their history of expanding capital access locally. They will accomplish this by formalizing a Regional Capital Access Collaborative network with CDFIs, community banks, fintechs, and mission-driven lenders. The collaborative creates a network of lending and technical assistance relationships, organized around a designated physical space. CFSB will facilitate structure by offering a host location designed to serve network partners and provide a regular training site for their “Capital Coaching” curriculum.

The Upper Room Recovery Community: $25,000
Pathway 25 is a trauma-informed Intensive Outpatient Program designed specifically for justice-impacted young adults ages 18–25 in St. Joseph County, integrating clinical treatment, peer recovery support, and reentry stabilization services. Funds will help support Pathway 25 serve justice-impacted young adults ages 18–25 in St. Joseph County who meet criteria for Intensive Outpatient treatment for substance use disorder.

466 Works Community Development Corporation: $25,000
466 Works Community Development Corporation has worked on the revitalization of the Southeast Neighborhood since 2018. Over that time, the organization built a strong development team and built 33 homes in the neighborhood. The City of South Bend has requested that 466 Works build homes in the Kennedy Park Neighborhood, which is around the Martin Luther King Dream Center. Funding will assist 446 Works to create more affordable homes in the Northwest Neighborhood.

Cross Community Inc.: $14,000
Funds will assist with Cross Community’s ongoing Capacity Building Implementation Plan, focusing on creating a robust grant pipeline, standardized proposal processes, and integrated strategies for leveraging public, private, and philanthropic funds. By engaging a consultant and collaborating with the Regional Housing Collaborative, Cross Community aims to secure diverse revenue streams to support affordable housing development. The organization has three active projects underway requiring fund diversification to execute, which represents 29 new affordable housing units.

Mental Health Awareness of Michiana: $7,500
Mental Health Awareness of Michiana will use funding to develop and pilot a Workforce Mental Health Project that adapts their proven community education model for use in workplaces. The project creates employee and management classes as well as print and online resource packets to reduce stigma, increase awareness, and equip organizations to promote mental well-being. The pilot includes a minimum of five workplace presentations with three employer types (i.e., manufacturing, banking, and higher education) and positions MHAM to expand employer partnerships and promote Mental Health America’s Bell Seal certification.