One Shared Purpose
2026 Annual Report
Board Chair and President’s Message
Why do Allen County nonprofit leaders dedicate their lives to service? Why do we find opportunities to gather each year as a community of partners? And why does Foellinger Foundation place so much trust in our grantee partners?
The answer is simple: We have one shared purpose.
While our grantee partners focus on different areas of need—from early childhood development to youth empowerment and family stability—we are all rowing in the same direction, together.
That shared destination is a thriving, vibrant community.
Because when we align our efforts toward a single, shared purpose, we don't just support individual missions. Together, we champion opportunity for every resident, today and for generations to come.
Sam Graves, FY26 Board Chair
Sarah Strimmenos, President and CEO
In Your Own Words
Learn what One Shared Purpose means to our grantee partners by watching this video.
About the Foundation
Foellinger Foundation supports and strengthens organizations that serve children and their families within Allen County, Indiana, particularly those with the greatest economic need and least opportunity. We envision a community where residents increase their self-reliance by moving from dependence to independence, to helping build a vibrant community through recognition of their interdependence.
We were created in 1958 by Helene and Esther Foellinger to carry forward their family’s tradition of civic involvement and active concern for the well-being of their community. Our funding comes from lifetime gifts from Helene, proceeds from Helene and Esther’s estates, and contributions from The News Publishing Company until The News-Sentinel was sold in 1980. Helene was publisher of The News-Sentinel from 1936–1981.
Family Timeline
The Foellinger family has been contributing to the community’s growth since the 1800s. Learn more about the family’s generational commitment to their values of integrity, accountability, responsibility, and results.
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Jacob Foellinger, Helene Foellinger’s great-grandfather, immigrated to the United States from Prussia (Germany).
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Jacob joined Fort Wayne’s City Council and helped launch Fort Wayne’s first public schools.
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Oscar Foellinger, Helene’s father, served on the board of directors of the Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, amongst many other organizations.
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Helene Foellinger graduated valedictorian of her class at South Side High School.
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Oscar was named manager of Herbert Hoover’s presidential campaign in Indiana.
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Helene graduated from the University of Illinois and started working at The News-Sentinel.
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Oscar died from a heart attack during a hunting trip, and Helene became publisher of The News-Sentinel at 25 years old, making he
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Helene honored her late father, Oscar, who was passionate about performing arts and creating opportunities for the public to enjoy them together, with a gift to The News-Sentinel Outdoor Theatre, later renamed Foellinger Theatre.
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Helene’s sister, Loretta, died in an aviation accident.
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Helene and Esther founded Foellinger Foundation.
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Esther, Helene’s mother, passed away at the age of 79.
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Helene played a pivotal role in forming the Fort Wayne Park Foundation as a charter member-director.
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Helene retired from The News-Sentinel after serving the company for 49 years.
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Helene helped fund Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory in honor of her late mother, Esther, who had initially suggested the idea decades earlier.
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The Loretta Foellinger Teeple Gallery at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art was named in her honor.
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Helene passed away at the age of 76.
Reflections on the Year
Watch this video featuring Foellinger Foundation Board Chair Sam Graves to learn about the highlights from last year!
Summer Learning Labs
Foellinger Foundation awarded the Boys & Girls Clubs of Fort Wayne up to $2 million via a Special Opportunity Grant to help fund the Summer Learning Labs program. This program helped more young people begin the school year ready to learn—knowing their community believed in their potential.
IYI’s State of the Child Allen County
We partnered with Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) to present the 2026 IYI’s State of the Child Allen County event. The gathering brought together community members who support, influence, or care about the well-being of young people, including frontline youth workers, educators, nonprofit leaders, funders, advocates, and decision-makers.
A Neighborhood Conversation
Foellinger Foundation hosted Neighborhood Conversation: An Evening with Seth Kaplan to reflect on the vital question: How can we come together as neighbors to strengthen our communities from within?
Neighborhood Engagement Grants
Foellinger Foundation and the City of Fort Wayne’s Department of Neighborhoods teamed up to offer the 2026 Fort Wayne Neighborhood Engagement Grant Program for the second consecutive year, awarding 12 grants totaling nearly $50,000.
2026 Annual Meeting and Nonprofit Leadership Awards
Our inaugural Annual Meeting, held on January 22, 2026, brought together grantees, community partners, and local leaders to reflect on the Foundation’s work, share accomplishments, and honor individuals whose leadership strengthens Allen County.
2026 CEO Retreat
We hosted the annual CEO Retreat as an opportunity for nonprofit leaders to reflect, reconnect, and recharge—returning them better equipped to lead their organizations and strengthen our community.
Grantee Spotlights
Learn how our grantees contribute to a vibrant Allen County by reading their annual report spotlights!
Healthier Moms and Babies
“We nurture a vibrant community where more babies celebrate first birthdays by providing specialized care, connecting families to essential daily resources, and equipping mothers to confidently advocate for their health.”
Paige Wilkins,
Chief Executive Officer
Healthier Moms and Babies
Looking ahead, Foellinger Foundation will continue to align our work with our donor intent: to build self-reliance in Allen County residents, encouraging them to move from dependence to independence to interdependence.
We remain committed to our mission, vision, strategic intent, and grantmaking, and we will continue to strive to understand not only the needs of our nonprofit partners, but also the needs of those they serve.
This is where our work evolves—and our legacy grows. We are continually inspired and grateful for the leadership of our nonprofit partners and collaborators, and we look forward to all we will accomplish together in the future. Because of you—and the legacy you are building—Allen County will become a stronger, more vibrant community.
Thank you.