What LaGrange County Community Foundation does

LaGrange County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1991 and headquartered in LaGrange, Indiana, serving as the primary community foundation for LaGrange County. Its mission is to inspire and sustain generosity, leadership, and service through professional endowment management, competitive grantmaking, and scholarship administration. The Foundation stewards approximately $34 million in assets (doubled since 2016) and operates an extensive portfolio of grant programs — Community Impact Grants ($5,000-$25,000), LIFE Grants, Nonprofit Assistance Grants, the Accessible Communities Fund, the Howe Legacy Fund, and the Stroh Community Fund — alongside a Community Scholarship Program offering 45+ distinct scholarship opportunities and the prestigious Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

Revenue is generated through donor contributions to endowed funds, investment returns on the endowment portfolio, and matching grants from the Lilly Endowment's Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) Initiative, which provides a 2:1 match on donations to the Caring Community Fund. The Foundation does not charge fees for its services; its go-to-market is community-led, leveraging a dense network of donors, nonprofits, local schools (Lakeland, Westview, Prairie Heights, Howe Military Academy), and strategic partners including Lilly Endowment Inc., Independent Colleges of Indiana, WindSwell Foundation, and the LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation.

The Foundation's most ambitious current initiative is the Hawpatch Trail, a 17-mile multi-use trail connecting Noble County's Fishing Line Trail with Elkhart County's Strawberry Valley Trail, funded by a $5 million Lilly Endowment GIFT VIII grant. The Foundation acts as fiscal sponsor for this project. Operationally, the Foundation uses third-party platforms (Grant Interface, FCSuite) for application and donation processing and maintains a digital presence through its website, social media channels, monthly eNewsletter, and community events. It is governed by a board of directors and led by Executive Director Octavia Yoder following the 2017-2024 tenure of Jennifer Tuttle and the 2002-2017 tenure of Laura Lemings.

Name

LaGrange County Community Foundation

Legal name

LaGrange County Community Foundation

Website

https://lccf.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LaGrange County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation founded in 1991 that manages approximately $34 million in assets to provide grants, scholarships, and community initiatives serving LaGrange County, Indiana residents, nonprofits, and students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation and Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Community foundation
• Charitable giving
• Scholarship administration
• Grantmaking programs
• Endowment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagrange

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions and Endowments: The Foundation receives charitable donations from individuals, families, and businesses who create endowed funds. These funds generate investment returns that support ongoing grantmaking and scholarship distributions. Donors can contribute to existing funds like the Caring Community Fund or create new named funds with minimum initial gifts.
2. Lilly Endowment GIFT Initiative Grants: The Foundation receives matching grants from Lilly Endowment's Giving Indiana Funds for Tomorrow (GIFT) initiative, which matches donor contributions to unrestricted endowment funds at a 2:1 ratio, tripling the impact of each gift for community grantmaking.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LaGrange County Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) community foundation that connects individual donors with charitable causes by accepting and managing endowed and pass-through contributions. It reinvests pooled funds into LaGrange County through competitive grant programs for nonprofit organizations, scholarship programs for graduating high school seniors, and signature community initiatives such as the Hawpatch Trail project.

Product overview

LaGrange County Community Foundation operates as a grantmaking and scholarship organization, not a technology product company. Its core offerings consist of multiple grant programs (Community Impact Grants, LIFE Grants, Nonprofit Assistance Grants, Accessible Communities Fund, Howe Legacy Fund, Stroh Community Fund), scholarship programs (Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, Community Scholarship Program, Howe Legacy Scholarship), and community initiatives including the Hawpatch Trail project. The Foundation also administers the LIFE youth philanthropy program and the Heart of Gold Award. All programs are facilitated through the Foundation's website and third-party grant management platforms, with no proprietary technology products offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Impact Grants
• LIFE Grants
• Nonprofit Assistance Grants
• Accessible Communities Fund
• Howe Legacy Fund
• Stroh Community Fund
• Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship
• Community Scholarship Program
• Howe Legacy Scholarship
• Caring Community Fund
• Hawpatch Trail Community Initiative
• Heart of Gold Award

Quantifiable outcome

• Assets have grown to $34 million, doubling since 2016
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Norfolk Southern RailwayminorOthers · 26 November 2025Norfolk Southern Railway sold the abandoned rail corridor (114 acres for $1.1 million) to LaGrange County Trails, which will become the backbone of the Hawpatch Trail.
• WindSwell FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between WindSwell Foundation and LaGrange County Community Foundation to support the Accessible Communities Fund, a special grant initiative supporting building inclusive communities for people with disabilities through accessibility grants ranging from $2,000-$5,000.
• LaGrange County TrailsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation serves as fiscal sponsor for LaGrange County Trails and the Hawpatch Trail project, a transformative 17-mile multi-use trail connecting Noble County's Fishing Line Trail with Elkhart County's Strawberry Valley Trail. The Foundation received a $5 million Lilly Endowment grant to support this project.
• Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICI is the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, responsible for final review and selection of scholarship recipients across Indiana community foundations.
• LaGrange County Convention & Visitors BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded a $50,000 grant to support the Hawpatch Trail project, demonstrating regional tourism and economic development partnership.
• LaGrange County Economic Development CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe EDC owns and manages the LaGrange County Innovation Center where GO Explore Childcare & Preschool will be housed, demonstrating partnership in workforce development initiatives.
• Local SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Lakeland, Westview, Prairie Heights high schools and Howe Military Academy for scholarship programs and youth philanthropy (LIFE) initiatives.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Noble County Community Foundation: Adjacent Indiana county community foundation with comparable rural service area, scholarship programs, and participation in the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship initiative. Geographic and demographic peer.
• Elkhart County Community Foundation: Neighboring Indiana community foundation participating in the same Lilly Endowment programs and operating grant cycles, scholarships, and donor-advised funds in an adjacent county. Direct regional peer.
• Hamilton County Community Foundation: Indiana-based community foundation providing grants, scholarships, and donor-advised funds in Hamilton County. Directly comparable in scope, governance, and operating model to LaGrange County Community Foundation, though operating in a larger, wealthier suburban county.
• Wabash County Community Foundation: Indiana rural county community foundation offering comparable scholarship, grantmaking, and donor services. Same state-level ecosystem and similar small-county operational profile.
• Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne: Regional community foundation in northeast Indiana administering endowments, scholarships, and competitive grant cycles. Same Lilly Endowment GIFT ecosystem and substantially overlapping service area with LaGrange County.
• DeKalb County Community Foundation: Northeast Indiana rural county community foundation with analogous grant cycles, scholarship programs, and donor-advised fund structure. Closely matched peer in both scale and program offerings.
• Kosciusko County Community Foundation: Indiana community foundation administering scholarships, donor-advised funds, and competitive grant programs in Kosciusko County. Direct functional peer operating in a similar rural Indiana context.
• Steuben County Community Foundation: Northeast Indiana rural county community foundation administering endowments, scholarships, and community grants. Highly comparable in scale, geography, and program mix to LaGrange County Community Foundation.

Others

• Lilly Endowment Inc. Private philanthropic foundation that administers the GIFT matching initiative and Community Scholarship program. Not a peer foundation but the principal upstream funder and program administrator for LaGrange County Community Foundation and all Indiana community foundations.

Broad incumbents

• Central Indiana Community Foundation: Much larger Indianapolis-area community foundation and parent of The Indianapolis Foundation. Operates the same Indiana-wide Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship administration framework, but at materially greater scale and with a broader metro service area.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lagrangecountycommunityfou46
• Facebookfacebook.com/LaGrangeCountyCommunityFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lagrange-county-community-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cflagrangecounty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LaGrange County Community Foundation