Eligibility Requirements

The proposal must address one of the two critical priority focus areas of FEC’s Strategic Plan:

Education – Programs or projects which aim to improve the quality of educational achievement of East Chicago students.

Public Safety – Programs or projects which address crime or safety issues in East Chicago.

The proposal may also address one of the four other focus areas of FEC’s Strategic Plan:

Any programs or projects by either the lead agency or any of the collaborating partners should be a new initiative and not an existing one.

For more information regarding this RFP, please call our office at 392-4225.

RFP Timeline

Noon, September 15, 2010 – The deadline to submit a draft RFP for staff review. (It is highly recommended that your collaboration meet with FEC staff to discuss your proposal prior to completing the draft RFP.)

Noon, October 8, 2010 – Final submissions are due.

No sooner than November 2010 – Award announcements.

2010-2011 General Operation Support Grants

The Foundations of East Chicago (FEC) is proud to announce the release of the latest funding round for 2010. Eligibility requirements are as follows:

If you are not located in East Chicago, you may still qualify if you comply with at least one of the following requirements:

These grants are intended to help your organization cover expenditures associated with its general operation. These expenditures include but are not restricted to:

Note: Funds which solely support the operation of an individual project or program will not be awarded. These funds are intended to support organizations that provide services to the community and need dollars to support their financial health. Should you have any questions, please contact our office for more clarification.

Application Timeline

The deadline to submit an application is September 7th, 2010 by Noon. Awards will be announced in November 2010.

Please follow the instructions on the application for submission directions. All applications MUST be submitted via our website. FEC will not accept any applications delivered in person or via US Mail or any other postal delivery service.

The maximum grant award for any application is $15,000. The Foundation reserves the right to issue grants with lesser amounts. Please click on the link below to access the online grant application.

Apply Now

Click here to apply for an Operational Support Grant

Instead of addressing the constitutionality of the bill, the Supreme Court ruled that the issue of whether the funding under the agreement should be redirected was something within the exclusive province of the Indiana Gaming Commission. The Supreme Court reemphasized its earlier declaration that “the City alone could not redirect gaming revenue flowing to private entities by means of the ordinance it adopted … or by other means, for that matter.”

Russ Taylor, Executive Director of the Foundations of East Chicago, stated “Although the Foundations had sought a declaration that the statute was unconstitutional, we are gratified by the Supreme Court’s confirmation that the City cannot act as it has. We have always maintained that the Gaming Commission has authority over the agreement and have worked positively with the Gaming Commission in addressing issues concerning the agreement.”

Today, the Foundation celebrates the great success these collaborating partnerships are accomplishing for our citizens and families. These partnerships introduce a better approach to address community concerns by relying on several coordinated agencies offering continuing services, thus providing stronger solutions which help more people.

People working together in new collaborative programs supported by FEC

These new collaborative programs include:

Each collaborative program funded by the Foundation requires agency staff to work with the Foundation in building stronger networks between organizations possessing different expertise. The resulting programs provide much-needed services to our residents:

The Foundations of East Chicago want a better East Chicago – Don’t you?

Need help? Want to help others? Here’s how to connect:

Contact: Russell G. Taylor
219-392-4225 telephone

Foundations Gratified that Federal Court Found City’s Claims Against
Foundations Were “Certainly Improper” and Without “Any Factual Basis”
The Foundations of East Chicago are gratified that Federal Judge Moody totally rejected the State and City’s eleventh-hour attempt to drag the Foundations into the case against former Mayor Pastrick and some of his associates. While he awarded damages against the former Mayor and other defendants, Judge Moody spent 13 pages explaining why the State and City’s last-minute claims against the Foundations were entirely unfounded.

Judge Moody said the State and City’s effort to order a forensic audit of the Foundations, and to cancel the agreements that fund the Foundations’ charitable and community grants, scholarships and other projects benefitting East Chicago citizens, “offends” due process and was “certainly improper.” He also said the State and City had not shown “any factual basis” for investigating Foundations financial records, and had not even alleged any wrongdoing by the Foundations in their complaint. Indeed, the State and City’s complaint had actually said the agreements funding the Foundations were “properly pre-approved” by the Council (Judge Moody’s emphasis), in contrast to the misuse of casino funds that went to the City itself.

Foundations Executive Director Russ Taylor stated: “This is another gratifying victory vindicating the Foundations in the long line of battles we have been forced to fight against the City’s persistent attempt to undermine our efforts to improve East Chicagoan lives, and to seize our funds for Mayor Pabey’s administration use. Our Foundation will continue to cooperate with the Attorney General’s office, the Gaming Commission and others, as we continue our good work to address the community’s needs.”

The Foundations long ago opened their books to the Attorney General’s office as part of their lengthy investigation which recommended no action against the Foundations. Since 1997, the Foundations have invested in a wide range of education, public safety, health, youth development, community economic development and family support services to improve East Chicago and benefit its citizens.

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GARY | Eight food pantries in East Chicago will continue battling hunger throughout the city thanks to a grant from the Foundations of East Chicago to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.

The $45,000 donation is part of a collaborative effort between the boards of the Foundations and the Food Bank, said Tyrone Spann during a news conference Thursday at the Gary-based food distribution center. It will help the eight pantries provide food through the remainder of 2009 and 2010, said Spann, who is director of programming for the Foundations of East Chicago. Each of the eight East Chicago food pantries affiliated with the Food Bank will receive $5,625 in credit to purchase food at a discount from the
facility. The 102 food pantries and soup kitchens in Lake and Porter counties purchase food provided by the U. S. Department of Agriculture and donors at the wholesale price of 18 cents a pound. This grant allows the East Chicago-based pantry staffs to buy food for 15 cents a pound.

The donation will also help the pantries meet their monetary match required by the USDA, Spann said.

“This was the vision of Angie Williams (food bank executive director) to take the initiative with her staff,” Spann said. “The need today is greater, but the dollar amounts are dwindling. This is a natural fit to make this work more effective.”

The eight East Chicago food pantries participating in this program include:

• Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 3902-06 Alexander Ave.
• Catholic Charities, 3901 Fir St.
• God First Ministries, 801 East Chicago Ave.
• House of Glory Word Outreach Center, 4009 Fir St.
• Iglesia del Nazareno East Chicago, 9 I9 West Chicago Ave.
• Meek Missionary Baptist Church, 4830 Alexander Ave.
• New Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, 3924 Kennedy Ave.
• The Salvation Army East Chicago Corps, 513 W. Chicago Ave.

Williams said the partnership with the Foundations of East Chicago dovetails with the food bank’s mission to provide food six days a week and to reach school-aged children and their families.

“East Chicago has the best infrastructure with the community centers near the schools. It’s ideal for the pilot program,” Williams said.

The pilot program will link East Chicago’s food pantries electronically with the food bank and Williams wants to eventually link all 102 pantries and soup kitchens in Lake and Porter counties to the food bank. East Chicago schools also participate in the food bank’s Kids Tracks program to provide food for children and get the word out to their parents about food pantries. Sister Barbara Sable, of Catholic Family Services, said this partnership is a blessing for all those who provide for the hungry.

“When we share, there is more for everyone,” said Sable, who serves as director of emergency services for the Gary Diocese.

For those who have run God First Ministries food pantry since 2005, the grant “will enhance the community and become a beacon on the comer to the residents who come looking for food,” said Bobbie Hawkins, president of the outreach ministry.