The Foundations of East Chicago (FEC) is a nonprofit organization with the mission of improving the quality of life for those residing in East Chicago and the Northwest Indiana area. The organization works toward this goal by awarding scholarships to individuals as well as grants to organizations and cooperatives.
One type of grant that FEC awards annually is the general operating grant. This year, 38 East Chicago programs and organizations received one of these grants.
The general operating grant is awarded to groups that need financial assistance in the day-to-day maintenance and operations of their programs. This means that the funds can be used towards renovations, hiring staff, supplies, implementation of new programs and many other things. The amount awarded to each grantee is dependent on the needs expressed in their application.
One 2016 grantee is the East Chicago Fitness Center. The center services community members as well as students and athletes from East Chicago Central High School. The funds awarded by FEC have been used by the center to replace broken and outdated equipment and to hire staff to run various fitness programs. This has all been in conjunction with the program Healthy East Chicago which has helped to promote healthy habits by providing educational materials and information to community members.
Other 2016 general operating grant recipients include organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Indiana, Carmelite Home, Communities in Schools of Lake County and Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana.
For more information on FEC general operating grants and recipients, visit foundationsec.org.
