Supporting the Canton Community

About the Foundation

Founded in 1997, the Jim and Caroline Deinema Canton Community Foundation was created to improve the quality of life right here in our community. Gifts to the Foundation grow over time thanks to the benefit of a pooled investment that generates long-term asset growth.

Through the power of endowment, more than $100,000 has been granted to nonprofits and causes throughout the Canton area since our founding, touching the lives of people right here at home.

OUR MISSION

The Jim and Caroline Deinema Canton Community Foundation pursues opportunities to improve lives and strengthen our community. Organizations who serve our youth and senior citizens, as well as those dedicated to important causes such as education, the arts, cultural enrichment, historical preservation and more are all made stronger thanks to support from the Foundation.

Our History

In 1997, Caroline Deinema enlisted the support of community members, including longtime Canton resident and local banking executive Mike Broderick, to establish the Foundation following the death of her husband, Jim. Her hope was to honor his life and his legacy of care by helping to improve the quality of life for the Canton community — for good, for ever.

Grants

The application period for grants from the Jim and Caroline Deinema Canton Community Foundation opens on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Grant applications are due by midnight on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. Apply for a grant.

Local Impact

A few of our recent grant recipients include:

• Tri-M Music Honor Society to support operational costs of the Young Band Bootcamp, held in November.
• Canton Good Samaritan Society to help buy items for memory-impaired individuals. These items are designed to trigger a heightened awareness of their sense of touch, taste, smell and hearing.
• Sons of Norway to help complete a window shade project at the Depot Museum to protect displays from UV damage.
• Girl Scout Troop 41802 to buy supplies to paint a trailer, add the Girl Scout logo and redo the inside to help with mobile cookie sales.
• Junior Achievement of South Dakota to provide programming to 40 Canton students by helping buy materials and resources. The funds also will be used to recruit and train Junior Achievement classroom volunteers and educators.
• Canton Rotary Club to build pickleball courts in Canton, increasing recreation for people of all ages in the community. The grant will help buy materials such as concrete, fencing, nets and poles.
• Canton Senior Center/Community Center to help provide matching funds in their grant process and grassroots fundraising to make a new community center a reality.
• Canton Performing Arts Council to pay musicians for one of the Open Air Markets held on Thursday evenings in the summer.

Our Board

We're grateful to the following community members who volunteer their time to serve on our board:

• David Amundson (Chair)
• Mike Broderick (Vice Chair)
• Eric Hohman (Secretary)
• Jonathan Toso (Treasurer)
• John Devick
• Steve Deinema
• Sterling Heath
• Cheryl Johnson
• Karla Lems
• Bob Lier
• Edith Nelson
• Leah Peterson
• Brenda VanZee