DeKalb County Community Foundation

What DeKalb County Community Foundation does

DeKalb County Community Foundation (DCCF) is a 501(c)(3) community foundation established in 1993 by Charlie and Mary Roberts and headquartered in Sycamore, Illinois, where it administers more than 490 charitable funds that have collectively awarded over $65.9 million in grants and scholarships since inception. The foundation operates seven fund types (Community Impact/Undesignated, Field of Interest, Donor Advised, Scholarship, Designated, Pass Through, and Agency Funds) along with grant programs covering community needs, emergency response, facility construction (Build the Future), economic development, youth-led philanthropy (YEP), and upward mobility, plus the Excellence in Education Awards recognition program launched in 1999.

The foundation's technology stack is modest and relationship-centric rather than product-centric: it runs the Fund Advisor Portal on the fcsuite.com platform for 24/7 fundholder self-service, an online donation platform supporting one-time, recurring, and multi-fund contributions via credit/debit and bank transfer, and BitPay integration for cryptocurrency donations in BTC, ETH, and DOGE. Its primary service platforms are administrative rather than proprietary technology assets, and the foundation holds no patents or proprietary technology IP. Marketing relies on the dekalbccf.org website, donor education materials, community engagement events, and the YEP youth philanthropy and DCNP nonprofit partnership programs.

DCCF's revenue mechanics consist of charitable contributions (cash, securities, real estate, cryptocurrency, grain, and Qualified Charitable Distributions), minimal annual fund service fees, and endowment investment earnings governed by a Board-set 4-5% annual spending policy. The foundation is National Standards accredited and, effective January 1, 2025, was approved as a Qualified Community Foundation by the Illinois Department of Revenue, enabling donors to claim a 25% Illinois state income tax credit on eligible endowed fund gifts. Customer segments include individual donors and families, local 501(c)(3) nonprofits, students and educators, agency-fund nonprofit and public organizations, and Illinois taxpayers seeking state tax-credit-optimized giving vehicles.

Name

DeKalb County Community Foundation

Legal name

DeKalb County Community Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://dekalbccf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DeKalb County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation in Sycamore, Illinois, administering 490+ charitable funds that have awarded $65.9M+ in grants since 1993 to donors, students, educators, and local nonprofits across DeKalb County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation and Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Charitable fund management
• Philanthropic giving vehicles
• Grantmaking programs
• Scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Sycamore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions and Donations: The foundation receives gifts of cash, publicly traded securities, closely held stock, real estate, life insurance, tangible personal property, cryptocurrency, grain, and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from IRAs for donors aged 70½ and older up to $110,000 annually.
2. Fund Service Fees: Minimal annual fees assessed on charitable funds to sustain the foundation's mission and services, supporting professional stewardship of donor assets.
3. Endowment Investment Earnings: Endowed funds are invested with distributions made annually; endowment spending policy is 4-5% as determined annually by the Board of Directors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The DeKalb County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community foundation that stewards more than 490 charitable funds on behalf of donors in DeKalb County, Illinois. It offers seven types of charitable funds (Community Impact, Field of Interest, Donor Advised, Scholarship, Designated, Pass Through, and Agency Funds), competitive grant programs, scholarships, and educator recognition awards, while providing professional investment management, grantmaking expertise, and tax-advantaged giving vehicles including the Illinois Gives Tax Credit Program.

Product overview

The DeKalb County Community Foundation offers a comprehensive suite of philanthropic services centered around charitable fund management. The Foundation operates seven distinct fund types (Community Impact, Field of Interest, Donor Advised, Scholarship, Designated, Pass Through, and Agency Funds) that together enable donors to achieve varied charitable goals—from broad community support to targeted giving. Additional offerings include grant programs (Community Needs, Emergency, Build the Future, Economic Development, and YEP Grants), the Excellence in Education Awards recognition program, an online donation platform, and the Fund Advisor Portal for fundholders. The Foundation also administers the Illinois Gives Tax Credit Program in partnership with the State of Illinois, enabling enhanced tax benefits for donors to endowed funds. Since 1993, the Foundation has managed over 490 charitable funds that have awarded over $65.9 million to the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP): Youth philanthropy program engaging high school students in grantmaking decisions
• DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership (DCNP)
• Dinontas Society
• Excellence in Education Awards
• CommunityWorks

Products and services

• Community Impact (Undesignated) Funds Flexible charitable funds allowing the Foundation's Board to respond to current challenges across DeKalb County, supporting programs such as Community Needs Grants, Emergency Grants, and Economic Development Grants. For donors seeking maximum community flexibility.
• Field of Interest Funds

Quantifiable outcome

• $65.9 million awarded since 1993
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• DeKalb County Regional Office of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Excellence in Education Awards (annual educator recognition program) and collaborative early learning/kindergarten readiness initiatives including a $110,000 multi-year grant for countywide programs.
• DeKalb County Nonprofit Partnership (DCNP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership-based program of the Community Foundation strengthening nonprofits through training, programming, collaboration, resources, and professional development. Foundation provides administrative and programmatic support.
• Compeer FinancialmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural Collaboration Project partnership focused on helping rural communities through $50,000 grant sparking local fund and initiative for rural impact in DeKalb County.
• Northern Illinois University (NIU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIU connection through scholarship funds (Brian D. Slavenas Memorial, Michael Embrey Band Scholarship), NIU Center for Nonprofit and NGO Studies, and NIU Division of Enrollment Management collaborations.
• Illinois Department of RevenuemajorOthersAdministers the Illinois Gives Tax Credit Program through MyTax Illinois; DCCF is approved as a Qualified Community Foundation (QCF) eligible to receive tax-credit-eligible donations.
• Local School DistrictsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with DeKalb, Sycamore, Hinckley-Big Rock, Hiawatha, Genoa-Kingston, Somonauk, Indian Creek, Sandwich school districts for Excellence in Education Awards and scholarship programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LaSalle County Community Foundation: Ottawa, IL-based community foundation serving LaSalle County; rural Illinois county community foundation of comparable scale, offering scholarship funds, donor-advised funds, and grantmaking to local nonprofits.
• DuPage Foundation: Downers Grove, IL-based community foundation serving DuPage County; directly comparable to DCCF as an Illinois county-level community foundation offering donor-advised, scholarship, and agency funds with similar National Standards accreditation and a multi-decade track record.
• McHenry County Community Foundation: Crystal Lake, IL-based community foundation serving McHenry County; another IL county community foundation of similar scale and structure, offering scholarship, donor-advised, and agency funds plus competitive grantmaking to local nonprofits.
• Kane County Community Foundation: Geneva, IL-based community foundation serving Kane County; closely comparable county-level IL community foundation with scholarship funds, donor-advised funds, and grant programs serving local nonprofits.
• Community Foundation of Northern Illinois: Rockford, IL-based regional community foundation serving northern Illinois counties; directly comparable in mission and product set (scholarship funds, donor-advised funds, competitive grants, agency funds) and operates in an adjacent IL geography.
• Will County Community Foundation: Joliet, IL-based community foundation serving Will County; directly comparable IL county community foundation with scholarship administration, donor-advised funds, and competitive grant programs targeting local nonprofits and students.

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: National donor-advised fund sponsor operated by Fidelity Investments; the largest U.S. DAF provider and the primary competitive threat for larger or more investment-oriented DAF gifts that might otherwise flow to community foundations like DCCF.
• Grand Victoria Foundation: Elgin, IL-based statewide foundation; an Illinois funder with broader geographic mandate whose $3.7M CommunityWorks match helped launch 20 DCCF initiatives, making it both a strategic partner and a broader-scope IL philanthropic incumbent.
• The Chicago Community Trust: Chicago, IL-based community foundation serving the broader Chicago region; a much larger established Illinois community foundation offering overlapping capabilities (DAFs, scholarships, competitive grants) but at metropolitan scale, including its own IL Gives Tax Credit eligibility.

Others

• United Way of DeKalb County: DeKalb County, IL-based federated giving organization operating in the same geography; not a direct competitor for endowed funds but competes for annual workplace giving dollars and donor attention within the local philanthropic market.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DeKalbCCF
• Facebookfacebook.com/DeKalbCountyCommunityFoundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about DeKalb County Community Foundation