F.I.S.T. Awards over $7,200 in Grants to Local Nonprofits and Educators
F.I.S.T. (Forever Improving Steuben County Together) proudly granted over $7,200 in its 2024-25 grant cycle to six local nonprofits and seven teacher initiatives, in Steuben County, that align with their mission. Majority of these funds were made possible by a generous grant F.I.S.T. received through the Dekko Foundation. FIST is made up of 7th-12th grade students from Hamilton, Fremont, and Angola schools. These young philanthropists work together to make Steuben County a better place by using their time, talents and treasures, and inspiring the youth of Steuben County to do the same.
FIST seeks to inspire the youth of Steuben County to become leaders of tomorrow by sharing their resources and empowering others to donate their time, talent, and treasures
For many years, F.I.S.T. has granted to local nonprofits and educators. This year, the youth philanthropy group received over fifteen grant applications, which was significantly higher than in recent years. With so many impactful requests aligning with their mission, selecting grant recipients proved to be a rigorous and challenging task. While F.I.S.T. wished they could fund every request, they could only grant what their budget allowed and had to make thoughtful decisions.
During their grant review process, the group carefully reviewed all of the requests and deliberated as to which ones had the greatest impact and aligned with their mission: F.I.S.T. seeks to inspire the youth of Steuben County to become leaders of tomorrow by sharing their resources and empowering others to donate their time, talent, and treasures. Grant requests that did not closely align with F.I.S.T.'s mission were set aside, as the organization prioritized initiatives reflecting its core values.
Once this primary step was completed, the remaining grant applications were categorized based on their focus areas such as incentives, nature education, sports grants, and educational resources. This allowed F.I.S.T. to distribute funding strategically among similar initiatives. The final step in the process was determining the potential impact of each grant request and allocating their available funds accordingly. This was one of the hardest steps and most difficult decisions as F.I.S.T. had to decide whether they would fund the full requested amount, a portion, or nothing at all for each grant request. After finalizing selections, F.I.S.T. sent approval and denial letters to applicants.
One of F.I.S.T.'s grants supported a program at Haven Hills Therapeutic Riding Center, a local nonprofit that seeks to provide therapy through riding horses. Their grant funded educational resources that will be used in their programs to teach kids about nature. In September, F.I.S.T. was given the opportunity to visit the center, meet with their founder, and volunteer on various projects on their grounds to help them prepare for their grand opening. Leah Probst, a sophomore at Fremont High School and avid horse-lover, recounts that the center is “a very important program in our community as they provide services that are unique and very beneficial to those with disabilities.”
Another F.I.S.T. grant was awarded to a Junior PTO at Hendry Park Elementary School. This program was designed to give students the opportunity to take up leadership roles in their school and the ability for their voices to be heard. Jed Mortorff, a senior at Angola High School and president of F.I.S.T. believes the program to be “very similar to F.I.S.T. as it gives elementary students the opportunity to be leaders in their school much like F.I.S.T. does for high schoolers in their community.”
F.I.S.T. also continues to grant throughout the year to many other nonprofits through proactive grants and their F.L.I.P. (Future Leaders In Philanthropy) program. As a part of this program F.I.S.T. gives a presentation to all of the 5th grade classes in Steuben County to teach them about philanthropy, or the love of mankind. Then for the students to practice the new skills they were taught F.I.S.T gives each class $750 to donate to a local nonprofit of their choice.
FIST is a youth philanthropy organization founded by the Dekko Foundation under the direction of the Steuben County Community Foundation. Students from Hamilton, Angola, and Fremont become members as 8th graders and remain through high school. Each school has an adult representative. The focus of the group is to promote philanthropy among young people. FIST meets once a month to plan ways to empower the youth of Steuben County and assist in service projects. Collectively they donate more than 1000 hours a year of their time to improve their communities. In addition to volunteering their time and talents through service projects in the community, FIST offers grants to community nonprofits and school projects that promote youth involvement in philanthropy.
The Steuben County Community Foundation, a non-profit organization, is dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses to support the causes they are passionate about through our philanthropic services, strategic investments, and community leadership. With $55 million in assets, our mission is to bridge the gap between those who care and the needs of our community. We strive to enhance the quality of life by evaluating, supporting, and coordinating philanthropic giving and endowment building. Our vision is to lead the community in these efforts. To learn more about our work, please visit our website at www.steubenfoundation.org.
Gabby Concus, Personal Relations
FIST (Forever Improving Steuben County Together)
gconcus@fremonteagles.us