Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund grants to be awarded weekly.

Delaware nonprofits affected by COVID-19 are invited to apply for grants from the Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund, housed at the Delaware Community Foundation and directed by a council of Delaware’s philanthropic leaders.

The application is now open at delcf.org/covid-grants. The deadline for the first round of awards is Monday, March 30, at noon. Only a few grants will be awarded in the first week. Nonprofits are encouraged to reapply weekly.

The maximum grant request is $50,000. In the first week, a total of $250,000 will be awarded. The total amount to be awarded is expected to increase in subsequent weeks, depending on funding available.

Grants from the Strategic Response Fund will initially focus on urgent needs related to COVID-19, then expand over time to more structural and long-term needs in three funding areas: 

• Front-Line Grants fund nonprofits encountering increased demand for services due to COVID-19. This includes services to people who are financially vulnerable, homeless and facing health challenges.
• Service-Challenged Grants fund nonprofits that need assistance modifying their service delivery models extremely rapidly due to COVID-19.
• Collateral Damage Grants fund nonprofits facing extreme difficulty because of lost revenue due to closures, cancellations and other challenges related to COVID-19. 

Applications will be accepted weekly on a rolling basis and grants will be awarded weekly for as long as funding is available and community needs exist related to COVID-19. Each week, applications received by noon on Monday will be reviewed, grantees will be selected Friday morning, and funds will be transferred Friday afternoon.

About the Fund

The Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund targets emerging and evolving needs of the state’s most-impacted communities, for the longer term needs of our community.

The fund, housed at the DCF, is structured to help Delaware-serving 501(c)3 organizations address a broad range of community needs. Target applicants are nonprofit organizations with deep roots in the community and a strong track record of serving people who are immediately and disproportionately suffering from the crisis.

Since the fund was launched on March 18, foundations, corporations and individuals have contributed and pledged more than $2 million in initial gifts. The fund already includes generous gifts from the Longwood Foundation ($1 million), Welfare Foundation ($200,000), Discover ($75,000), DCF ($75,000), WSFS Bank ($25,000) and others. Grants from the Strategic Response Fund will be coordinated with grants from United Way of Delaware’s Delaware Does More: COVID-19 Rapid Response Fund, which focuses on more immediate needs.

The Delaware COVID-19 Strategic Response Fund is part of the Delaware COVID-19 Emergency Response Initiative, a nonprofit collaborative response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. The DCF, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, Philanthropy Delaware and United Way of Delaware are partnering to coordinate charitable resources to maximize impact statewide during this crisis.

To learn more or contribute, visit delcf.org/covid19-fund.