What began as a community vision for connection and play is now a reality. Sheets Family Park is open for families, neighbors, and visitors to enjoy together.

A new effort to strengthen childcare access in Steuben County is gaining momentum. The Steuben County Early Childcare Coalition officially launched this week with $80,000 in seed funding and support from a wide range of community partners.

Six 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar finalists have been selected by the Steuben County Community Foundation (SCCF). After reviewing twenty-three highly competitive applications from the schools serving Steuben County, the committee named six finalists to continue with the three-step selection process

 In Steuben County, more families, retirees, and young professionals are finding a place to call home. Thanks to the support of REMC Operation Round Up and the hard work of the Steuben County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC), our community has taken important steps to better understand housing needs and prepare for the future.

Steuben County Community Foundation Celebrates Retirement of Longtime Office Manager

SCCF awarded more than $3.7 million in grants over the past fiscal year, the majority of which supported nonprofits right here in Steuben County. As a visual representation of its mission, SCCF personally distributed more than $375,000 in designated and agency fund grants to local nonprofit organizations during its Annual Public Meeting, held Thursday, August 21, 2025, at the Steuben County Event Center.

Steuben County Community Foundation teams up with Community Foundations of DeKalb, LaGrange, and Noble Counties to host a regional grant writing workshop series facilitated by Dr. Kelly Corey. Designed to build confidence and capacity among nonprofit professionals, the three-part series offered practical tools for securing funding and sustaining impact. 6-Part AI Workshop to come this fall!

On June 19, 2025, the Steuben County Community Foundation was filled with laughter, music, and appreciation as we hosted Sweet Thanks: Celebrating Volunteers & Nonprofits. This open-house-style event was our way of saying thank you to the incredible individuals and organizations who make Steuben County a stronger, more connected place to live. SCCF couldn’t fulfill its mission without the incredible volunteers and nonprofit leaders who donate their time and talent to our community.

With support from a $15,000 grant from the Steuben County Community Foundation, Easterseals Northeast Indiana launched an exciting initiative that’s helping to level the playing field for individuals with disabilities. In 2024, the ES Gaming project brought together youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) from Steuben County and beyond to build confidence, workforce readiness, and friendships through online gaming.

For Lynn Wachtmann, giving is personal. It is rooted in gratitude, shaped by values, and inspired by a genuine desire to improve the lives of others.  With every thoughtful gift, he is doing precisely that. With every thoughtful gift, he is doing precisely that. 

Youth philanthropy pod Forever Improving Steuben County Together (FIST) recently presented their annual review to area school administrators, local government leaders, and members of the Steuben County Community Foundation (SCCF) board and staff.

The Steuben County Community Foundation will be accepting grant applications to support substance abuse recovery and prevention programs in Steuben County, Indiana.  The first grant cycle will open on May 1, 2025, and the deadline is June 30, 2025. Each application can request up to $10,000.

The Steuben County Community Foundation has again met the nation’s highest philanthropic standards for operational quality, integrity, and accountability in the community foundation sector.

This fall, FIST opened its grant cycle from August 1st to October 31st to grant a total of $7,243.54 to six local nonprofits & seven initiatives that aligned with FIST’s mission statement.

At the Steuben County Community Foundation, we believe in building a stronger future—one that ensures stability and growth for the organizations serving our community. That’s why we’re excited to announce the creation of three new designated funds, each designed to provide long-term support for local nonprofits.

Read more about the impact this has on Angola Performing Arts Academy, Fremont Youth and Community Outreach, and TLC House Indiana.

Jan Bledsoe Viehweg and Jeffrey Bledsoe are pleased to establish a legacy fund at the Steuben County Community Foundation to honor their parents, James and LaMoine Bledsoe. They lived their whole lives in this county, striving to make a home town of which all could be proud.

Ten F.I.S.T. members travelled to Alabama to learn how to be better leaders and to communicate with other youth pods from different parts of the United States.

The Steuben County Community Foundation has received a grant of $3,007,200 from Lilly Endowment Inc. through the Community Leadership Implementation Grants component of the eighth phase of its Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT VIII) initiative.

The Steuben County Community Foundation is pleased to announce Ashland Benner of Fremont High School as the recipient of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Steuben County.