Porter County Community Foundation Inc
Valparaiso, IN · EIN 35-2000788. Reported 318 grants totalling $15.0M to 146 organizations across tax years 2021-2024, on Form 990 Schedule I.
Does this grantmaker accept applications?
Its tax return does not say, and we will not guess. Private foundations file Form 990-PF, which asks outright whether they fund only organizations they select themselves -- 78% say yes, and that one answer is what lets the rest of this site tell you which foundations are worth approaching. Grantmaking charities like this one file a regular Form 990 instead, and the IRS never puts the question to them. Anyone claiming to know the answer from the filing is inventing it.
Three things in the filing do bear on it:
- What kind of organization it is. For Porter County Community Foundation Inc, the IRS classifies it as a community foundation (NTEE T31).
- How spread out its giving is. 146 distinct organizations, with 17% of the dollars going to the largest single recipient. That is genuinely spread out -- the mark of a funder making many independent decisions rather than underwriting one institution.
- How much its list changes. 73% of one year's grantees are funded again the next, across 3 year-to-year transitions. That is well above the 56% median for grantmaking charities, and above the 67% median for private foundations. It describes the organizations it already funds, not whether it would consider a new one.
How big are its grants?
The median reported grant is $13,705. Half of what it reported fell between $9,256 and $36,373; the smallest was $5,076 and the largest $1,409,971. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong organization.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by the EIN the filer reported, not by name, so an organization that was typed differently in two years appears once rather than twice.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maac Foundation Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $2,502,589 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Greater Northwest Indiana Inc | Portage, IN | $1,949,304 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Opportunity Enterprises Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $1,305,499 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| United Way of Northwest Indiana Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $778,822 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Salvation Army | West Nyack, NY | $476,733 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Pines Village Retirement Communities Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $439,746 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Hilltop Neighborhood House Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $402,898 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Visiting Nurse Association Foundation Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $352,129 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Ivy Tech Foundation Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $319,630 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Valparaiso Parks and Recreation Foundation Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $301,922 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Tradewinds Services Inc | Merrillville, IN | $286,631 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Lutheran University Association Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $282,507 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Shirley Heinze Land Tr Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $257,175 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Duneland YMCA Inc | Chesterton, IN | $246,333 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Caring Place Incorporated | Valparaiso, IN | $227,630 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Neighbors Educational Opportunities Inc | Portage, IN | $205,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Porter County Heritage Corportation | Valparaiso, IN | $186,653 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Neighbors Corporation | Valparaiso, IN | $184,938 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Public Education Foundation of Valparaiso Indiana Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $162,545 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Harold Hal Kelley Respite Foundation Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Porter County Convention Recreation & Visitor Commission | Porter, IN | $152,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Young Mens Christian Association of Portage Township Inc | Portage, IN | $124,438 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Parents As Teachers of Porter County Inc | Porter, IN | $120,072 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Crisis Center Inc | Gary, IN | $110,398 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Ivy Tech Community College - Valparaiso | Valparaiso, IN | $109,327 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Dressed for School Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $107,451 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Campus Crusade for Christ Inc | Orlando, FL | $95,065 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Porter County Public Library System | Valparaiso, IN | $93,887 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Indiana Dunes Environmental Learning Center Inc | Chesterton, IN | $90,689 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Christ Lutheran Church | Valparaiso, IN | $88,200 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Valparaiso YMCA | Valparaiso, IN | $83,070 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Valparaiso Rotary Club Memorial Foundation Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $77,520 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Northwest Indiana Symphony Society Inc | Munster, IN | $76,185 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Boy Scouts of America | South Bend, IN | $76,050 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| First Presbyterian Church | Valparaiso, IN | $74,403 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Healthlinc Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $73,396 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Scholarship America Inc | Portage, IN | $72,136 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Immanuel Lutheran Church | Valparaiso, IN | $71,795 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Our Greater Good Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $70,014 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Memorial Opera House Foundation Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $67,232 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Porter Township School Corporation | Valparaiso, IN | $62,003 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Mondays Dark Inc | Las Vegas, NV | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Art Barn School of Art Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $55,447 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Agnes Day Service Center | Valparaiso, IN | $55,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Artistic Recovery | Chesterton, IN | $54,831 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| St Andrew's Episcopal Church | Valparaiso, IN | $51,330 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Trinity Lutheran Church | Valparaiso, IN | $50,250 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Food Bank of Northwest Indiana Inc | Merrillville, IN | $49,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Town of Ogden Dunes | Portage, IN | $45,288 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kouts Park Department | Kouts, IN | $42,800 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Visiting Nurse Association of Porter County Indiana Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $41,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Immanuel Lutheran School | Valparaiso, IN | $41,433 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Family House Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $40,706 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| True North Training Stables Inc | Chesterton, IN | $40,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Porter County Parks Foundation Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $39,514 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Porter County Agricultural Society Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $37,593 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Dollywood Foundation | Sevierville, TN | $37,391 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Pandemic Parenting | Valparaiso, IN | $34,936 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Immanuel Lutheran | Valparaiso, IN | $34,892 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Challenger Learning Center of Northwest Indiana Inc | Hammond, IN | $33,909 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Jacobs Ladder Pediatric Rehab Center Inc | Chesterton, IN | $33,829 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Portage Township Emergency Food Pantry Inc | Portage, IN | $32,950 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Valparaiso Creative Council Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $31,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Washington Township High School | Valparaiso, IN | $31,330 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Independent Cat Society Inc | Westville, IN | $30,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Moraine House Incorporated | Valparaiso, IN | $30,274 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Call a Ride Incorporated | Hebron, IN | $29,140 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Kids Alive International Inc | Alpharetta, GA | $28,495 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Railroad Township San Pierre Alumni Scholarship Fund Inc | San Pierre, IN | $27,600 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary Inc | Gary, IN | $27,142 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Valparaiso Community Festivals & Events Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $26,742 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Valparaiso Police Department | Valparaiso, IN | $26,075 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting Inc | Merrillville, IN | $26,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Family Promise of Porter County Inc | Portage, IN | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Conservation Fund a Nonprofit Corporation | Arlington, VA | $25,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Housing Opportunities Inc | Crown Point, IN | $22,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Portage Township Community Concert Inc | Portage, IN | $21,805 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Kouts Volunteer Fire Dept | Kouts, IN | $20,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Porter County Safe Schools Commission Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Porter-Starke Services Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $20,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Taylor University | Upland, IN | $20,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Porter County Public Library System | Valparaiso, IN | $19,558 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Valparaiso Womans Association Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $18,760 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lakeshore Paws Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $18,700 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Reins of Life Inc | South Bend, IN | $17,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Rebuilding Together Duneland Inc | Chesterton, IN | $17,391 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| South Shore Performing Arts Co | Crown Point, IN | $16,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana Inc | Griffith, IN | $15,893 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Hebron Volunteer Fire Dept Inc | Hebron, IN | $15,570 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Regional Performing Arts Company | Portage, IN | $15,500 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Conscious Alliance | Broomfield, CO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Arizona Foundation | Tucson, AZ | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Paul Catholic School | Valparaiso, IN | $14,775 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| North Coast Cultural Association Inc | Chesterton, IN | $14,516 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| South Shore Chamber Orchestra | Lowell, IN | $14,125 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Valparaiso High School | Valparaiso, IN | $14,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| City of Valparaiso | Valparaiso, IN | $13,800 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Chesterton Art Center | Chesterton, IN | $13,379 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Church of the Palms | Sarasota, FL | $13,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Community Theatre Guild Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $12,601 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Church of the Redeemer | Sarasota, FL | $12,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Gabriels Horn Corporation | Valparaiso, IN | $11,955 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kiwanis Club of Valparaiso | Valparaiso, IN | $10,750 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Purdue University Global Inc | West Lafayette, IN | $10,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Association of Artists and Craftsmen of Porter County Incorpo | Chesterton, IN | $10,372 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Humane Indiana Inc | Highland, IN | $10,288 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Community Change Center Weareone | Gary, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Compass International Family Center Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Denia Community Church | Denton, TX | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Duneland School Corporation | Chesterton, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Friends in Gratitude Hobart Township | Lake Station, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Habitat for Humanity International Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Higher Ground USA Inc | Rome, GA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Humane Indiana | Highland, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| International Planned Parenthood Federation - Worldwide Inc | Washington, DC | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Lessons With Love | Melbourne, FL | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Mental Health America of Lake County Inc | Hammond, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Prisoner and Community Together Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| St Mary Medical Center Inc | Munster, IN | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| First Fruits Gives | Valparaiso, IN | $9,521 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Working in the Schools | Chicago, IL | $8,490 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Kenneth C Griffin Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago, IL | $8,153 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Maks | Chesterton, IN | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sagamore Inc | Indianapolis, IN | $8,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Intrepid Phoenix Inc | La Porte, IN | $7,792 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Equipnet | Alamo, CA | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Portage Recovery Association | Portage, IN | $7,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Youth Service Bureau of Porter County Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $7,250 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Collegechoice 529 Direct Savings Plan | Kansas City, MO | $7,200 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Crohns & Colitis Foundation Inc | New York, NY | $7,190 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Morgan Township Volunteer Fire Department Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Worldview Studies Center Inc | Denton, TX | $7,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Valparaiso Kiwanis Club Foundation | Valparaiso, IN | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission | Valparaiso, IN | $6,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Save the Dunes Conservation Fund Inc | Michigan City, IN | $6,222 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lakeshore Public Media | Merrillville, IN | $6,150 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Exceptional Equestrians Unlimited | Hobart, IN | $6,024 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Inc | Schererville, IN | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Northwest Indiana Paddling Association | Valparaiso, IN | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Valpo K9 Association | Valparaiso, IN | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Purdue University Northwest | Hammond, IN | $5,750 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Heart Association Inc | Dallas, TX | $5,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Notre Dame Du Lac | Notre Dame, IN | $5,210 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky | Indianapolis, IN | $5,125 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Porter County Government Charitable Nonprofit Foundation Inc | Valparaiso, IN | $5,085 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Notre Dame | Notre Dame, IN | $5,085 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
80 of 146 (55%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold. Remember the $5,000 floor: an organization funded every year at $3,000 shows up here as never funded at all.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose column of its filings, largest first. This is the closest thing to a statement of what it funds, in its own words.
- Maac Foundation Inc
TO ASSIST THE ORGANIZATION IN FURTHERING ITS EXEMPT PURPOSE
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 93 of 146 recipients we could match to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's, not ours -- Schedule I reports the recipient's EIN, so this is a lookup rather than a name match.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants reported | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 66 | $2,938,267 | $15,135 |
| 2022 | 82 | $4,173,862 | $12,531 |
| 2023 | 70 | $3,423,644 | $18,938 |
| 2024 | 100 | $4,463,124 | $12,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- Form 990 arrives about a year after the year it covers, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a grantmaker winding down.
Where its money goes
94% of its giving went to organizations in Indiana. Community foundations and federated funds are usually the most geographically bounded funders there are -- being outside the footprint is normally disqualifying in a way that a weak programme fit is not.
Down to the city
Foundations that fund only organizations they pick gave to this one
10 private foundations that told the IRS they contribute only to organizations they select themselves reported 23 grants totalling $2,231,053 to Porter County Community Foundation Inc. That is 40% of the 25 funders we can see giving to it. Those 10 foundations do not take unsolicited requests -- their own returns say so. The IRS classifies this organization as a community foundation.
6 of them gave in more than one tax year, which is the only durability signal the filings carry.
What that does not mean. It does not mean an application here reaches that money. A grant from a closed foundation is often a designated gift or a donor-advised fund earmarked by whoever gave it, and has nothing to do with any open programme this organization runs. Neither tax return says which, so neither do we. The list below is who put money in. It is not a route to it.
| Foundation | State | Reported | Grants | Years | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mcmillan Family Foundation Inc | Indiana | $1,753,833 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Sourlis Irrevocable Charitable Trust | Indiana | $390,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Robert and Ellen Gutenstein Family | Florida | $30,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Shive-Hattery Group Charitable | Iowa | $23,500 | 4 | 3 | 2023 |
| 1ST Source Bank Foundation Inc Xxx-Xx-Xxxx | Indiana | $17,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Gutenstein Heritage Foundation | South Carolina | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Shine the Light Project Inc | Indiana | $700 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| The Pfizer Foundation Inc | New York | $250 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Baird Foundation Inc | Wisconsin | $146 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Amazonsmile Foundation | Washington | $124 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
A linked name has a page of its own. We publish one for a foundation that takes no unsolicited requests only when a real share of its giving goes to organizations that make grants themselves, and that page opens by saying it does not take requests.
Both the count and the total are floors. A foundation appears here only where its return named this organization clearly enough for us to match the name to an EIN, which we manage for about two thirds of 990-PF grant rows. There are more; we cannot name them.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These grantmakers and private foundations gave to organizations this one also funded. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this grantmaker
- Look for a published programme first. Unlike most private foundations, organizations of this kind often do run open, deadlined grant cycles with written guidelines. Its own website is the authority on that; this page is the authority on who it has actually paid.
- Check you are its size. The median reported grant is $13,705 -- and because grants under $5,000 need not be reported, it very likely writes smaller cheques than this page can see.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving concentrates in Indiana.
- Read the recipient list for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer and a cheap one to get.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Porter County Community Foundation Inc's own Form 990 Schedule I filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Recipient classifications, the concentration and retention figures and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations from them, described in how we build this.
On its most recent return it told the IRS it made grants to 100 section 501(c)(3) organizations and 0 other organizations. That is the filer's own count for one year; the totals above cover every year we hold.
Address of record on the latest return: 1401 Calumet Avenue, Valparaiso, IN, 46383.
EIN 35-2000788 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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