Cosmopolitan Fund for Children

The Valerie Millar Cosmopolitan Fund for Children was established in memory of a 15-year-old girl - Valerie Millar of Freeman, South Dakota - who died of diabetes complications in 1990. The Fund’s creation was born out of the profound realization that deaths such as hers can and should be prevented through better-quality diabetes education and intervention.

Formal incorporation and 501(c)3 status were obtained in 1995 through the leadership of the Sioux Falls Noon Cosmopolitan Club. In 1997, grant monies from the Cosmopolitan Diabetes Foundation and $116,000 in contributions from clubs across Cosmopolitan International provided the seed money for the endowment fund. The purpose of the Fund is to provide grants that support: 1) diabetes education and outreach programs; 2) programs to increase diabetes awareness; 3) programs targeted to improve the quality of diabetes care in the upper Midwest; and 4) ongoing support in diabetes care in rural settings.

The fund is now called the Cosmopolitan Fund for Children (CFC) and has been a recognized project of the Cosmopolitan Diabetes Foundation and Cosmopolitan International since 1997 and governance of the CFC has positioned it as a project of the North Central Federation.  Each club in the North Central Federation is represented on the CFC Board and the service area the Fund serves (and thus entertains grant requests from) represents geographically the area of the North Central Federation (North and South Dakota).

Over the life of the Fund, 70 grants totaling over $260,000 have been distributed. The majority of those grants have been to support: 1) the Cosmopolitan Pediatrics Diabetes Center at Sanford Hospital; 2) diabetes camp grants for camps in both South and North Dakota; and 3) indigent care stipends to clinics based in regional health systems in the area.

As of December 31, 2023, the Fund now holds approximately $307,000 in assets and considers grant requests at its annual meeting held in conjunction with the North Central  Federation Convention in the spring of each year.