Foellinger Foundation’s grantmaking reflects our founders’ interest in encouraging a community of self-reliant citizens, with a commitment to the Foellinger family’s values and principles: integrity, accountability, responsibility, and results.

The Foellinger family’s sense of responsibility was intertwined in their personal and professional lives. As a family, they upheld the belief that they had a responsibility not only to themselves, but to the community as a whole.

For Helene Foellinger, that meant running her business—The News-Sentinel—in a way that acted in the community’s interest. As writer and publisher, Helene’s priority was informing and enriching Fort Wayne’s citizens while upholding journalistic standards.

Helene started working for the News-Sentinel in 1932 as a writer, and she became publisher in 1936 after her father’s unexpected death. Helene retired from The News-Sentinel in 1980.

While she was active in the newspaper business, Helene was a member of the American Newspaper Publishers Association and served on the Board of Directors of the American Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation. She also served as a member of the first Advisory Board of United Press International.

She was the first woman elected to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame, and she also received the Fanny Wright Award for distinguished service in journalism.

After her retirement, Helene said, “I look back with pride to publishing what I think has been generally considered a good product. I believe The News-Sentinel has served the residents of Northeast Indiana well—and has been an influence for good in community.

“If you only knew how many people have told me how much they appreciate the things we have done for Fort Wayne. I am a person who has been very thankful that it was my lot to do the things we've been able to do for the community. I take great joy in it.”

– Helene Foellinger

Helene knew that her professional success meant that she had a great personal responsibility, too. While she gave much of her time and talent to nonprofit organizations in Allen County, she also prioritized individual philanthropy. Helene and her mother, Esther, made many financial gifts to nonprofit organizations in Allen County—and continued that legacy by creating Foellinger Foundation. 

"There's the opportunity to see what your money is doing rather than waiting until after you're dead and you can't see what it's done. Think of the fun that you've missed. There's a great satisfaction to seeing the good it has brought to people and the good I think it has done in the community." 

Foellinger Foundation was 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 (which Helene was publisher of from 1936-1980) until The News-Sentinel was sold in 1980.