Where Giving Grows
Gifts to the Community Foundations of Starke, Fulton, and Miami Counties are seeds that grow funds for the betterment of the community they are given to. The Community Foundations make giving simple and offer a variety of ways for caring community members to make a lasting impact.

Our Pledge To You
We will grow all charitable giving, cultivating permanent resources and harvesting positive community growth.

Starke, Fulton and Miami County Community Foundations comprise the Northern Indiana Community Foundation, Inc. This arrangement allows us to do more for our individual counties by being more cost effective, as well as getting a greater return on our investments. Collectively the counties hold assets in excess of 14 million dollars, and have distributed over 9 million dollars via grants and scholarships since inception.  

The NICF is the legal entity through which each of the counties' Community Foundations operates. Each of the three counties sends representatives to serve on the NICF board and finance committee.

2008 NICF Board members: (back row) Ron Douglas, Barb McLaughlin, Rev. Steve Ailes, Pat Mitchell, Alan Terrell, Larry Cunningham, Joe Hunting,Gene Ladd, Max Hattery (front Row) Phyllis McGurk, Brad Lawrence, Susie Perkins, Fred Vorm

2009 NICF Board of Directors
President: Susie Perkins, Miami
Vice President: Brad Lawrence, Starke
Secretary:Larry Cunningham, Fulton
Treasurer: Ron Douglas, Miami

Starke County Representatives:
Gene Ladd, Brad Lawrence, LeRoy Gudeman, Pat Mitchell, Fred Vorm

Fulton County Representatives:
Larry Cunningham, Jay Albright, Nancy Day, Alan Terrell, Joe Hunting

Miami County Representatives:
Leon Huskey, Ron Douglas, Max Hattery, Susie Perkins, Jim Yates

Like many of the Community Foundations of Indiana, ours were made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc.'s GIFT (Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow) Initiative. Currently Lilly Endowment, Inc. is no longer offering matching grants to the communities. Instead, they have begun a new initiative that challenges the Community Foundations throughout the state to raise funds for sustainability. The Sustained Resource Development Initiative has inspired Community Foundations to seek funding for their own operating endowments—thus allowing them to maintain a local presence and to continue to serve their communities.

While the Community Foundations were created through matching grants from Lilly Endowment, Inc. we are not an affiliate of that organization.