Lincoln Financial Foundation has awarded $655,000 in grants to support education initiatives in northeast Indiana – a part of $2.5 million in charitable contributions it has designated for this area in 2012.
Those grants include:
•$38,000 to the Fort Wayne Zoological Society. The Fort Wayne Zoo's Animal Tales program for pre-kindergarten children connects children with animals at an early age by using zoo field trips, teacher training, classroom resources and programs at partner locations such as preschools and child care centers in Allen, Adams, Huntington, Wabash and Wells counties.
•$100,000 to Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana to support the Elementary Economics and Lincoln Finance Park programs. These programs help students better understand the economic impact of their financial decisions as well as larger regional and national issues in the context of their personal finances and the local economy.
•$85,000 to Science Central to support educational programs offered in the Lincoln Financial Foundation Demonstration Theater, Lincoln's employee attendance package and Science on a Sphere educational scripts and signage.
•$47,000 to Early Childhood Alliance to support early care and education for the children of homeless families as well as the Parent Engagement program.
•$46,000 to Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities to subsidize childcare fees for families with special needs children at the Robert Kimbrough Early Learning Center.
•$43,500 to Allen County Education Partnership for Project READS (Reading, Early Assistance in Developing Skills), which helps children from kindergarten through third grade develop and improve their reading and writing skills.
•$42,000 to YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne for the Southwick Elementary before- and after-school program, Renaissance Pointe YMCA summer learning program and Camp Potawotami's outdoor education program.
•$40,000 to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne to provide financial assistance to academically advanced high school students enrolled in the Collegiate Connection Program. This program allows students from low-income families the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school.
•$30,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana to support the College Success Mentoring program, a one-to-one mentoring program that continues the traditional mentoring program of at-risk youth after graduation from high school and into college.
•$30,000 to Northeast Indiana Public Radio to support an educational programming initiative that targets K-12 students in the arts and sciences and includes broadcasting From the Top, A Moment of Science and Science Friday.
•$23,000 to Boys and Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne for Project Learn, an after-school program that includes homework help and tutoring, high-yield learning activities, technology and enhancement programs, incentives and recognition.
•$23,000 to Educational Opportunity and Talent Search Center to provide classes and services to students in the second through 12th grades that include tutoring, computer training, GED preparation, English-as-a-Second Language (ESL), college awareness and preparation, financial literacy and writing.
•$21,000 to Lifeline Youth and Family Services for Building Blocks Preschool, which serves the low-income community of Brookmill Court Apartments.
•$20,000 to Northeast Indiana Foundation to support Facilitating Collaborative Impact in Northeast Indiana, which will establish the framework to increase the percentage of the northeast Indiana workforce with a two- or four-year degree or higher (from the current 31.5% to 60%) by 2025.
•$18,500 to Allen County-Fort Wayne Historical Society for the Heritage Education Fund, which helps provide free tours to the History Center and the Chief Richardville House for students, teachers and school groups.
•$14,000 to Fort Wayne Public Television for the PBS Kids Go! Writers' Contest that encourages children in kindergarten through third grade to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their own original pieces.
•$14,000 to Mental Health America for Kids on the Block puppet programs. The programs teach children about bullying and a variety of disabilities and issues including cerebral palsy, hearing impairments, diabetes, developmental disabilities and spina bifida, and teach acceptance of, and appreciation for, children who are different.
•$10,000 to Leadership Fort Wayne to fund youth leadership programs, including Youth Leadership Fort Wayne and the Leadership Exploration and Development Program.
•$10,000 to Southeast Youth Council for the Cornerstone Youth Center's Education Center. The center offers a computer lab, tutoring and homework assistance.
