Northwest Indiana Forum Foundation
Donations deductibleNorthwest Indiana Forum Foundation's network
11 people3 organisationsi11 people and 3 organisations on this map.The large node is the subject of this page. Solid lines are what the register itself records (11). Violet dotted lines (11) are likely: the same full name sits on the current board of another organisation in the same register and region. Form 990 filings give names without a person identifier; SEC insider filings carry a CIK. It may be a different person.The board
11 listediTime on the board is observed from the annual filings: the IRS files no appointment date, so the bar counts years from the first filing the person appears on - a lower bound, not a filed start date. Names are exactly as filed. The IRS publishes no person identifier, so this edition does not yet link a person across organisations in the tables. The network map shows same-name matches as likely links only, never as confirmed.Time served and departures are observed across annual filings. Observed time served is a lower bound - a member may have joined before the first year on record. The organisation reported 11 voting members of its governing body on its latest Form 990 Part VI, which matches the board listed here.| Name | Role as filed | Since | On the board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Hittinger Chair | Chair | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Tony OSS Chair | Immediate Past Chair | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Dewey Pearman | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Erica Dombey | Secretary/Treasurer | 2023 | 3 yrs |
| Greg Gordon | Director | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Helen Pennington | Vice-Chair | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| James Jorgensen (also filed as Jim Jorgensen) | Director | 2020 | 6 yrs |
| Jill Ritchie | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Lisa Daughtery | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
| Natalie Skaro | Director (Term 2024) | 2022 | 4 yrs |
| Nathan Origer | Director | 2024 | 2 yrs |
Officers and senior leadership
1 listediNamed in Part VII as officers, key employees or highest-compensated staff - not board members, shown for completeness.| Name | Title as filed | On the filings |
|---|---|---|
| Heather Ennis | President & CEO | since 2020 |
Pay and hours
year to 31 December 2024iFrom Part VII of the Form 990: compensation reported for each officer, director, trustee, key employee and highest-paid staff member, and the average hours a week they report. Most board members are unpaid; a blank means nothing was reported. Pay from related organisations is shown separately.| Name | Title as filed | Hours a week | Pay from the organisation | Related organisations | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Hittinger | Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| Dewey Pearman | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Erica Dombey | Secretary/Treasurer | 1 | $0 | ||
| Helen Pennington | Vice-Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| Jim Jorgensen | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Lisa Daughtery | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Tony Oss | Immediate Past Chair | 1 | $0 | ||
| Greg Gordon | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Natalie Skaro | Director (Term 2024) | 1 | $0 | ||
| Nathan Origer | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Jill Ritchie | Director | 1 | $0 | ||
| Heather Ennis | President & CEO | 2 | $0 | $200k | $30k |
About
- Legal name
- Northwest Indiana Forum Foundation
- EIN
- 351532360
- Address
- 6100 Southport Rd, Portage, IN, 46368-6409
- State
- Indiana
- Mission
- Working to meet environmental and educational concerns, promoting economic development and growth in northwest indiana, and secure grants to accomplish environmental and educational goals. (as filed on the Form 990)
- Activity (NTEE)
- S31Z Community improvement and capacity building
- IRS classification
- 501(c)03 (tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) where shown)
- Classified purpose
- Community Improvement & Capacity Building
- Size band
- 6 (IRS master file code)
- Formed
- 1979
- Principal officer
- Heather Ennis (as named on the Form 990)
- IRS ruling date
- 1 January 1983
- Status
- Code 01 (unconditional exemption)
- Form 990 filings on record
- 4, latest 2024
- IRS Publication 78
- PC (contributions deductible)
Most connected
Related organisations (Schedule R)
Longest observed on the filings
≥6years on the filingsBrian Hittinger
≥6years on the filingsTony OSS
≥6years on the filingsDewey Pearman
≥6years on the filingsHelen Pennington
Latest return
year to 31 December 2024iFigures from the newest Form 990 or 990-EZ in the IRS e-file releases of 2025 and 2026, for the year ending 31 December 2024. US dollars, as filed.- Total assets
- $1.4m
- Total liabilities
- $1.4m
- Net assets or fund balances
- $39k
- Contributions and grants received
- $7.6m
- Program service revenue
- $0
- Grants and similar paid out
- $7.6m
- Employees
- 0
- Volunteers
- 11
Filed finances
1 yeariTotals as filed on the IRS Form 990 (revenue and expenses), by tax year.| Tax year | Total revenue | Total expenses | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $7.6m | $7.6m | Deficit $17k |
As filed on the IRS Form 990. US dollars.
Grants paid
25+ listediFrom Schedule I of the Form 990: grants and assistance to organisations in the United States, largest first (up to 25). Schedule I is filed only by organisations that gave more than $5,000 to any one recipient.| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Urschel Development Corp | Grand gardner hotel | $1.5m |
| Healthlinc Inc | Healthlinc medical resident program | $940k |
| Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission | The linc & lincoln highway garage | $615k |
| Saxon Partners LLC | Saxon indiana tract 1 (kenmara) (munster) | $559k |
| Crossroads Young Mens Christian Associations | Tolleston opportunity hub | $438k |
| Gary Chicago International Airport Authority | Gary/chicago int'l airport - east corporate hangar campus | $435k |
| Wecreate Media LLC | Evergreen marketing content plan | $388k |
| United Way of Northwest Indiana | Level up nwi | $353k |
| Center of Workforce Innovations | Work based learning expansion (internships) | $243k |
| Northwest Indiana Forum Inc | Capacity building for economic development & plan implementation | $214k |
| First Things First Porter County | First things first porter county creekside early learning at neo | $200k |
| Center of Workforce Innovations | Employer upskilling | $187k |
| Lower Lincoln Eso Inc | Small business acceleration tools | $179k |
| Center of Workforce Innovations | Job's for america's graduates expansion (jag) | $172k |
| Thomas P Miller & Associates LLC | Employer sponsored child care grant | $147k |
| City of Hammond | Downtown hammond train station & station square | $105k |
| Innovators Northwest Indiana | Youth entrepreneurship ecosystem | $86k |
| Gary Chicago International Airport Authority | Gary/chicago int'l airport - passenger terminal | $77k |
| Center of Workforce Innovations | Ready nwi education alignment program | $73k |
| Northwest Indiana Forum Inc | Foundation grants revenue | $70k |
| Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission | Marquette greenway | $70k |
| Urban League of Northwest Indiana Inc | Diversity, equity, inclusion business training program | $66k |
| Shirley Heinze Land Trust | Ivanhoe south community development & education initiative | $63k |
| Jasper County Economic Development Organization | Agriculture value chain strategy | $56k |
| Legacy Foundation Inc | Nwi biz hub entrepreneur resource center | $56k |